Barry Goldberg, Bob Dylan’s iconic keyboardist, dies at 83
Barry Goldberg, Bob Dylan’s iconic keyboardist, dies at 83
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Barry Goldberg, the iconic keyboardist who famously played with Bob Dylan during his infamous Newport Folk Festival performance in 1965, has died at 83 years old. The rock and blues musician’s representative Bob Merlis confirmed the news of his passing.
![[Mandatory Credit: Photo by Larry Marano/REX/Shutterstock (8608787n) Barry Goldberg The Rides in concert at The Pompano Beach Amphitheater, Pompano Beach, Florida, USA - 06 Apr 2017]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_237078596-1ed1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Goldberg died in hospice care after he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma 10 years ago. According to Merlis, his wife of 53 years, Gail, and son Aram were by his side when he passed. A fixture of the early blues and rock scene in the 60s, Goldberg was born in 1942 in Chicago and became an exceptional musician as a young man, specializing in soulful piano playing.
In the early 60s, he was playing in The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and this meant he would forever go down in music history as he supported Bob Dylan on keys at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. The set would go on to be considered one of Dylan’s most iconic performances as it was the first time Dylan played with an electric guitar alongside a live band – a move that sparked massive backlash.
Goldberg told The Forward of the set in 2022: ‘I walked offstage that night feeling like a hero, and I didn’t want anything to break that spell.’. Dylan and Goldberg were frequent artistic collaborators, with Dylan producing Goldberg’s self-titled 1974 album, the only time the filk icon produced another musicians album.
