Last Update: 04/05/2026 at 2:50 PM EST
Gerdes Folk City Launches Dylan
Coverage from Folk City, Bob Porco's Substack, and others
Articles
6
Latest Article
01/29
Active Days
244
Executive Summary
Gerde's Folk City gave Bob Dylan his first pro break, helping launch his Columbia career and the Greenwich Village folk revival.
- Gerde's Folk City became New York's first folk cabaret in 1960
- Izzy Young helped establish the club's open mic Hootenanny
- Bob Dylan first played the Hoot in February 1961
- Dylan opened for John Lee Hooker at Gerde's on April 11, 1961
- Robert Shelton's New York Times review helped raise Dylan's profile
- Mike Porco supported Dylan with food, clothes, and union help
- The club also hosted Judy Collins, Phil Ochs, Arlo Guthrie, and others
Quick Facts
- What: Gerde's Folk City launched Dylan's professional music career
- Where: Greenwich Village at Gerde's Folk City in New York
- Why: The club gave emerging folk artists paid stage time
- Who: Mike Porco, Bob Dylan, Izzy Young, Robert Shelton
- When: 1960 through April 1961, during the folk revival
Coverage Timeline: 244 Days
Featured Article
Mike Porco at Gerde's Folk City in New York hosted Bob Dylan's first professional 1961 performances.
Additional Articles
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POSITIVELY PORCO documents Mike Porco and Gerde's Folk City in 1960s Greenwich Village.
Dylan performed his first Gerde's Folk City Hoot on Feb 6, 1961 at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village, NYC.
Mike Porco in New York's Greenwich Village hosted Dylan in the early 1960s, paving the way for Dylan to sign with Columbia Records.
Bob Dylan went pro at Gerde's Folk City in New York on Apr 11, 1961.
The Substack post documents Gerde's Folk City history and its Dylan-era connections in Greenwich Village, New York.