Newport Folk Festival 1964
Irvington, NJ: Gil Kravette, 1964. 4to. 47pp. Illustrated wrappers in red, white, and purple, staple-bound, some foxing and wear, ink writing throughout, some staining, very good. Laid in is a tri-fold brochure to order tickets for the workshops and panels held during the festival, creased with a few smudges else near fine.
By 1964, the Newport Folk Festival had established itself as a focal point of folk music in America and featured performers like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Peter, Paul, and Mary, and dozens more.
This copy belonged to Len Chandler and bears his name and address on the inside front cover in blue ink. Chandler was both a singer-songwriter and a political activist perhaps best known for his song Keep Your Eyes on the Prize (Hold On), which he sang, backed by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, at the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. He was a performer at the festival this year.
The back cover also has the signature and some doodles by Victoria Spivey, legendary blues singer, songwriter, and founder of Spivey Records. Her professional collaborations include Louis Armstrong and she served as a mentor to Bob Dylan. Spivey was not on the lineup, but there are photographs placing her at the festival that year.. Item #9029
Price: $950.00