51 Years Ago Bob Dylan Played his first gig here

51 Years Ago, This Happened

Bob Dylan’s first real gig happened here 51 years ago

According to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Bob Dylan played his first professional gig at the beginning of April, 1961 at Gerde’s Folk City, a popular folk music hangout on West 4th Street.

This was not only a key moment in his music career but his personal life as well. He met Joan Baez, with whom he lived in our hotel three years later in room 305.

Apparently, Bob was in awe of Joan, who was already well-known and dubbed the Queen of Folk, while Bob was a struggling wannabe from Minnesota.

God, we wish the previous owners had bugged the rooms. (Don’t worry, we don’t!)  Can you imagine the conversations? We’re sure they provided critique on each other’s songwriting, but we wonder if they argued over what to have for dinner…or who was hogging the closet…and why don’t you pick up your socks from the floor,  just this once?

Anyway, back to that night at Gerde’s. Dylan opened for legendary bluesman John Lee Hooker and played this song, for the first time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l4nVByCL44

We’re glad it wasn’t the last.