OVOW Communications Releases 1965 Newport Concert Performance of Obama's Favorite Bob Dylan song, Maggie's Farm, now available for Purchase and Download on iTunes

Bob Dylan's controversial performance of "Maggie's Farm" at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival is now available in an artist-authorized version for download and purchase globally on the iTunes store. Considered one of "the 50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock n Roll" by Rolling Stone magazine, and cited by Barack Obama as a song that "speaks to me," this video was mastered from the original film elements and is one of many performances being released as "Digital Video Singles."

Toronto, Canada, April 19, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Bob Dylan’s electric performance of Maggie’s Farm at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival—considered one of the most important moments in music history—is now available as a video for purchase and download through the iTunes Store, as announced today by Stuart Samuels, co-owner of OVOW Communications, Inc. Mastered from the original film elements, this video captures a moment that continues to inspire music fans worldwide.

“ I have probably 30 Dylan songs on my iPod,” said Barack Obama in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine published on June 25, 2008. “Maggie’s Farm” is “one of my favorites during the political season,” says Obama. “It speaks to me as I listen to some of the political rhetoric.”

“It’s easy to see why Barack Obama was inspired by this song during his Presidential campaign,” said Samuels. “This is a personal call to action, a moment of epiphany where individuals question the routines of their daily existence and determine to strive for something more meaningful, something better.”

These themes are explicit in the opening lyrics to the song:

I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
Well, I wake in the morning,
Fold my hands and pray for rain.
I got a head full of ideas
That are drivin' me insane.
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor. . . .
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.

While the song continues to be inspirational, the performance of Maggie’s Farm at the Newport Folk Festival is a legendary moment in music history, and still generates discussion and controversy. It is considered one of the “50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll” by Rolling Stone magazine. Here are some notes about the significance of this performance:

The 16 minutes of music blasted out by Dylan on that summer night 37 years ago were to become, in the words of Dylan's biographer, Clinton Heylin, "the most written-about performance in the history of rock". And not without cause. Dylan's clash with the milieu from which he had emerged was high drama, and more. The moment was culturally, politically and commercially resonant - a fulcrum of the American 60s.
--Mike Marquese, The Guardian, August 2, 2002

“Dylan famously -- heretically -- performed "Maggie's Farm" at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, when the troubadour turned electric and never turned back.”
--Los Angeles Times, June 26, 2008

“The most notorious live performance in rock & roll lasted about fifteen minutes: three songs played at assaultive volume by a plugged-in blues band fronted by the young poet-king of American folk music, at the sacred annual congress of acoustic purists, the Newport Folk Festival. In that quarter-hour, on the warm Sunday evening of July 25th, 1965, at Freebody Park in Newport, Rhode Island, Bob Dylan, 24 -- backed by the electric-Chicago charge of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band -- declared his independence from the orthodoxy of the folk scene and publicly unveiled his rock & roll heart.”
--50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock n Roll,
Rolling Stone magazine, July 24, 2004

“When Dylan walked on stage at the Newport Folk festival clutching an electric guitar and backed by a full electric band, it was a pivotal point in the history of rock music. Previously known as a folk artist, this was Dylan rejecting his acoustic roots and opting for the amped up thrills of rock.”
--BBC, Seven Ages of Rock, 2008

This performance of Maggie’s Farm is being released as a Digital Video Single (DVS) by OVOW Communications, Inc. The 1965 Newport Folk Festival performance of Bob Dylan singing “Maggie’s Farm” is now available for purchase and download on the iTunes Store.

Title: Maggie's Farm
Artist: Bob Dylan
Date: July 25, 1965
Length: 5:19 Europe:
File Size: 68.6

Live Performance • Black and White

Download Pricing:
US: $1.99
UK: £1.89
Europe: €2.49
Japan: ¥300
Canada: $2.29
Australia: $3.39

About Digital Video Singles (DVS)
OVOW Communications, Inc. has created a new label, Digital Video SinglesTM (DVS), to release significant film and video performances from the archives of music history. Working directly with the original artists, each Digital Video Single is mastered from the original film and video elements and is made available to music fans in special collector’s editions. Digital Video Singles feature live performances of iconic artists and songs that were performed at the time of the song’s release, and are focused on the pre-MTV era (1955 to 1981). Digital Video Singles include historical performances from the archives of rock and roll, country music, and rhythm & blues.

About OVOW Communications
OVOW Communications is a Canadian-based company with offices in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The company specializes in the production and distribution of visual programming based on the film & video archives of music history. The company is managed by producer Stuart Samuels, music clearance specialist Bruce Higham, and film & video archivist Matthew White. In addition to the distribution of Digital Video Singles, the company produces feature films, television programs, and digital media
content.

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Contact
OVOW Communications, Inc.
Matthew White
202-297-9028
Bruce Higham in the UK
+44 1934712574
bruhigham@aol.com
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