A historic moment in music history came with Bob Dylan’s appearance at the Newport Folk Festival on 25th July 1965 as Dylan shocked the audience of folk purists when he took to the stage with this 1964 sunburst Stratocaster. Booing from a deeply unhappy audience forced a premature end to his set and Dylan only managed two numbers, Maggie’s Farm and Like a Rolling Stone before leaving the stage. Although he attempted to pacify his fans by returning for a solo acoustic set, his move from acoustic folk to electric rock star wouldn’t be forgiven. The 1965 Festival marked a treacherous move in rock music and culture. The Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island was a defining moment for Dylan, marking his move from acoustic folk to electric rock'n'roll. His electric set was met with such disappointment and outrage from folk purists who viewed his turn to electric as treachery. He returned for an acoustic encore with It's All Over Now, Baby Blue, but the damage to his folk image was already done. The guitar was soon lost and its location remained a mystery, but eventually it surfaced and its identity was verified in 2012, after which it was sold at auction for $965,000.
The illustration of this famous Stratocaster is original and has been produced by George Morgan following extensive research. This is not a photograph.