THEODORE BIKEL

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Born May 2, 1924, Vienna, Austria,
most famous as actor (The African Queen, 1951; The Defiant Ones, 1959, My Fair Lady, to name but a few).

Having lived in Palestine (1938-1945), Great Britain (1946-1954), Theodore Bikel came to the United States in 1954.

Concert folksinger since 1955, Bikel was signed by Elektra in 1958 and recorded numerous albums of international folksongs (most notably Yiddish songs). A member of the Newport Folk Festival committee, Bikel was instrumental in creating a balance between traditional and more contemporary performers from 1964 onward.

In 1977, Bikel was appointed to the National Council for the Arts.

On July 6, 1963, Bob Dylan and Theodore Bikel (along with The Freedom Singers and Pete Seeger) participated in a voter registration rally in Greenwood, Mississippi, with Dylan performing "Only a Pawn In Their Game."

DYLAN PERFORMANCE OFFICIALLY RELEASED (FRAGMENT ONLY) IN "DON'T LOOK BACK" (May 17, 1967) AND ON "HIGHWAY 61 INTERACTIVE" (CD ROM, 1995).

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LISTEN (OFFICIAL STUDIO VERSION) (Real Audio) at

• "Northern Folk Singers help out at Negro Festival in Mississippi,"
  New York Times, Jul 7,1963.

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