Fort Adams State Park in Newport

The Newport Folk Festival, which has been held in or near the coastal Rhode Island resort city since 1959, is returning to its original roots as a nonprofit event, along with its older sibling, the Newport Jazz Festival. Both will now be produced under the umbrella of he newly formed Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc. George Wein, 85, a pioneer among producers of outdoor festivals, will remain at its helm and, with his staff, continue to steer the folk festival that is set for July 29-31 at Fort Adams State Park.

“The Foundation will perpetuate the history of jazz and folk music in Newport and will allow these festivals, which have been my passion and life’s work, to live on,” a Jan. 25 news release quotes Wein as saying: “Little did we know that when Louis and Elaine Lorillard asked me to present a summer jazz event in Newport it would spawn two annual festivals that would capture the hearts of world-wide music fans for more than six decades.” Each festival will continue the tradition of featuring some of the world’s top established and emerging performers, according to the foundation’s news release.

The Newport Folk Festival was founded during the folk revival era and helped launch the careers of such artists as Joan Baez (who was introduced to the world by Bob Gibson during the inaugural event) and Bob Dylan during the 1960s. Financial problems forced its cancellation in 1970, while a last-minute license rescission by the Newport City Council the following year was followed by a 15-year hiatus. It was revived in 1985. Dylan’s son, Jakob, was among the festival’s featured artists in 2008. Wein had sold the production company that staged both festivals to Festival Network LLC the previous year. Realizing that financial concerns and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s termination of its license agreement for running the festivals might sink both events, Wein stepped in to help keep the festivals afloat in 2009.

”The Foundation will continue the Newport Folk Festival by maintaining the excellence of folk artists in the tradition of Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and others, in addition to presenting performers who respect and honor these folk music traditions while reflecting the changes in today’s music trends,” states the news release. While some have questioned the application of the “folk” label to a festival that has featured such artists as Jimmy Buffett and The Black Crowes among its headliners, the Newport Folk Festival has always stretched the genre-boundaries to some extent since its inception – having featured country artists like Johnny Cash and blues artists like Howlin’ Wolf during its early years. In addition, Dylan and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band stirred controversy when they went electric on the Newport stage in 1965. Moreover, the foundation’s mission statement refers to folk music as “an ever-evolving cultural expression [that] encourages and recognizes the freedom of creativity necessary to [its] growth and continuing vitality.”

The Newport Festivals Foundation also plans to partner with local schools, colleges and universities in developing programs to help educate young people about folk and jazz music as presented at the festivals.

Artists and ticket on-sale dates for both festivals will be announced in the Spring. More information will appear on AcousticMusicScene.com and will be posted on the festival’s website, www.newportfolkfest.net.