Barry Goldberg dead at 83: Bob Dylan’s keyboardist and Newport band member passes away in hospice
Bob Dylan’s former keyboardist Barry Goldberg has died aged 83.
Blues rock musician Goldberg passed away in hospice care after a 10-year battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
His wife of 53 years, Gail Goldberg, and son, Aram, were at his bedside, the musician’s spokesman confirmed to Variety.
Goldberg’s time with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band led to his fateful performance with Dylan at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival – which saw Dylan shock the crowd when he debuted a new electric sound and iconic song Like A Rolling Stone.
The controversial performance was dramatized in Oscar nominated biopic A Complete Unknown, starring Timothee Chalamet with Justin Levine playing Goldberg.
Goldberg forged a connection with Dylan, with the rock legend producing his 1974 Barry Goldberg album.
Bob Dylan’s former keyboardist Barry Goldberg has died aged 83
In 1990 Goldberg would return the favor by producing Dylan’s People Get Ready, which was featured on the soundtrack for film, Flashback.
Dylan’s performance at one of folk’s biggest showcases – in front of some of the purest of folk purists – caused a sensation.
Exactly what happened at the festival on July 25, 1965, has become enshrouded in legend, and debate persists over whether those who booed were angry over Dylan’s electric turn or were upset over the sound quality or the overly brief set.
Backed by a rock band that included Goldberg on live organ, Mike Bloomfield on guitar and Al Kooper on organ, Dylan played such songs as Maggie’s Farm and ‘Like a Rolling Stone. He returned for an acoustic encore with It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.
Legend has it that Pete Seeger, one of the elder statesmen of the folk movement, was so angry that he tried to pull the plug on the electric performance or threatened to cut the cable with an ax.
But years later, Seeger said he had nothing against Dylan going electric — he was upset over the distortion-filled sound system.
