1965: Dylan Goes Electric
Fan or no fan of Bob Dylan, you can’t argue the fact that he was and still is one of the most influential acts in the history of music. In July of 1965, his fans were really torn when he chose to pick up an electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival and add a backing band (the Butterfield Blues Band) and play for nearly 20 minutes. The crowd was divided, in that there were as many boos as there were cheers and awed silence.
Source: egrafis.com
This event is considered one of the most important moments in Rock and Roll history because, in one set, Dylan basically ended the Folk revival that he was at the forefront of for nearly a decade. His next single, ‘Like a Rolling Stone,’ was six minutes long and changed how people perceived singles and commercial radio. This had a massive effect as other artists decided to go electric to keep up with the times.