Bob Dylan's bandmate who backed him over career-defining performance dies
Bob Dylan's bandmate who backed him over career-defining performance dies
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The musician Barry Goldberg, who was involved in a career defining performance by Bob Dylan, has died. It's been announced that keyboardist Barry passed away, aged 83, on Wednesday this week. A spokesperson told People magazine that he died with his family by his side at a hospice following a non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis.
Barry, who was also a songwriter and record producer, worked with a number of artists over the course of his decades-long career. He's particularly known for his connection to singer-songwriter Bob, 83, whom he performed alongside at the Newport Folk Festival in July 1965. Barry, alongside bassist Al Kooper, joined the Paul Butterfield Blues Band to provide backing for Bob at the festival in Newport, Rhode Island.
The set is credited with having been the first time that Bob played an electric guitar whilst backed by an amplified band. It sparked controversy at the time, with the divided audience at the festival having reportedly both booed and cheered. It is said to have incensed his traditional purist folk fans and record producer Joe Boyd once told the Mirror: "Suddenly, this festival was right in the middle of a shift in popular culture. It was the beginning of rock.".
Reflecting on the experience, Barry told Forward in 2022: "The magic was definitely there that night, for all of us, as soon as the lights went on and we saw Dylan coming out, all in black, with that Stratocaster strapped on. That was a statement in itself, but it was also so much more. You felt how important his presence was, and how important what he was doing was; you knew it had meaning.".
