Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?

Subject: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: Will Fly
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 04:07 PM

I'm just watching "Festival" - Murray Lerner's 1967 film on the Newport Folk Festivals from 1963 to 1966 - just wondered how many present-day 'Catters were at any of them... (Dylan is just playing "Maggie's Farm" as I write this).

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: SussexCarole
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 04:26 PM

Just taking a break from watching it too. Just realised that I've never seen Dylan play before! Great programme and what an eye opener

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: Will Fly
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 04:27 PM

Howling Wolf's on right now - yowee! He was THE MAN!

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: breezy
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 04:31 PM

Yes a great prog

I have 2 tickets for the Bob d concert at the O 2 arena on Sat 25th April that my wife bought and we cant go cos its her mums 81st birthday

am I as sick as a parrot or not ?

Any takers £42.50 @ face value

P m me please

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: melodeonboy
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 04:34 PM

Bugger! I missed Howlin' Wolf. But the amount of laughs I got from Cousin Emmy made up for it!

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: Will Fly
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 04:41 PM

For me, the high spots of the film - exactly what I thought when I first saw it many years ago - were still the performances by the black performers - the Staple Singers, the Freedom Singers, John Hurt, Son House, Howling Wolf, Sonny & Brownie, etc. They just seemed to have a quality of naturalness and sincere passion that appealed to me more than the other performers.

No attempt to be patronising here - just how the performances struck me personally.

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 04:44 PM

I was at the last 2 festivals of that era but being a pretty wild teen at the time I was there more for the fun than the music. I think that was 67' & 68'. I do remember my 1st taste of bluegress, Flatt & Scruggs, I had never even heard the term before that. In the early morning hours of the last festival the hillside were many of us young folk camped got tear gassed. I remember running down the hillside with my t-shirt over my mouth, eyes & nose blinded. I recall it was also the 1st time I heard a prison worksong, I believe Alan Lomax or Pete Seeger had some ex-cons on stage but it's even foggyer now than it was then. Those were my 1st folk festivals. What was my mother & father thinking, I was 16 & with older friends, I'm sure they didn't know.

Barry

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: melodeonboy
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 05:27 PM

The subsequent programme on BBC4 this evening (...Sings Dylan) is something of a mixed bag. Lulu's mimed version of Mr. Tambourine Man was so awful it was almost compelling viewing.

Mind you, most of what's on offer seems to be mimed. All a bit pointless really!

I'm quite struck by your story of being gassed at a folk festival, Barry. Now you know: bluegrass is dangerous!

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 07:40 PM

I thought Lulu's tamborine players/dancers were pretty good tho! I wonder how many days it took to get that routine sorted?

Did you see Judy Collins in the last prog of the evening? What an amazing voice, she must be at least 100 years old!

Sal

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 07:41 PM

Ah now I know...Judy Collins — Age: 69 years (born May 1, 1939)

Sal

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 07:48 PM

Hi melodeonboy

the bluegrass wasn't near as dangerous as the drugs,,,,,,,or the riot police.

Them were dangerious days for the folk

Barry

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: karen k
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 07:53 PM

Was there for all those early Newport's. They were wonderful.

k

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 03:24 AM

Sings Dylan, it ought to be re-titled ' The Worst Dylan Covers of all Time ' [ mostly ]

Dave H

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 03:35 AM

I attended NFF in '65 and '66, and then again in '69.

I think my first year was the first year that the festival was held on the outskirts of town at a big empty "Festival Field." It had previously been held in town, but the crowds were getting bigger every year (and probably rowdier, too), and the festival moved to where there was more room (probably at the behest of the local pols and citizens).

I've told the story elsewhere of how I missed Dylan's historic performance with the Butterfield Band and Al Kooper. I was arrested for underage drinking no more than about an hour earlier and was immediately hauled off to spend my first-ever night in jail. (Released next morning, no trial, no charges, no record, etc.)

My favorite memory is of tossing a frisbee with one of Pete Seeger's young children.

Subject: RE: Newport Folk Festival-goers - there?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 07:45 AM

So it must've 69" that was the last of those festivals. I have to correct my dates to 68' & 69'. So I was 17 at my 1st. Poppa Gator, we must be close in age, sorry you missed Butterfield, I was told he was great (Ha,Ha,Ha). I missed a bit to but not because I wasn't there.

Barry