Bob Dylan—Live in Newport 1963-1965  

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Wednesday, May 31, at 10 PM

Sunday, June 4, at midnight

Musician, poet, singer, songwriter, artist. Bob Dylan’s career has spanned more than 60 years, and his songs have long been considered to have captured the voice of a generation. He has received Grammy, Academy and Golden Globe awards, as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Nobel Prize for Literature. But his roots largely began in 1963 in Newport, Rhode Island at a festival devoted to the burgeoning folk scene.

In BOB DYLAN—LIVE IN NEWPORT 1963-1965, documentary filmmaker Murray Lerner captures the iconic musician's appearances at the Newport Folk Festival with full-length song performances, including his controversial electric set from 1965. This film, which airs on public television stations and streams on PBS Passport beginning February 23, 2023, features previously unseen footage, which documents the changes in Dylan's style when he appeared at Newport in three successive years. 

From his folksy tunes like “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Who Killed Davey Moore?” to his harder-hitting electric numbers such as “Like a Rolling Stone” and “Maggie’s Farm,” the historic black and white documentary captures Dylan’s musical evolution and emergence as an artist without boundaries. While many fans reacted with complete shock at the time and even booed the performance, in retrospect the electric set at Newport is seen as a pivotal moment in the development of Dylan’s iconic career.