On this day in 1961, Bob Dylan made his professional performance debut

After dropping out of college in 1960, Dylan headed to New York City in January of 1961, and began performing at small cafes and bars around the city for loose change. He soon got his first real show, supporting blues artist John Lee Hooker at Gerde’s Folk City over a two week period. Dylan was excited to have a real debut with such a big name, and that he would earn $90 a week for playing six nights each week. As he was underage, venue owner Mike Porco would have to sign as a guardian on his cabaret and union cards in order to be allowed in.

Dylan reportedly played a five song set which included House of the Rising Sun, Song to Woody, Talkin’ Hava Negeilah Blues and two other unidentified songs. One of Dylan’s friends, Dave Van Ronk, was in the audience the first night and said in Dylan: A Biography that “it was one of the most electrifying shows I have ever seen in my life” and that “if ever a star was born, it was that night at Folk City.” After the shows Dylan would head back to Hooker’s suite at the Broadway Central Hotel where they would drink and play guitar. Hooker later said “we were great friends” and “he really wasn’t playing with me for money. He was doing it for fun.”

Dylan would later write about the gig in his song “Talkin’ New York”, singing about  the bigger venue and his joining of a union, a requirement to perform at the time. The show at Gerdes would lead to Dylan earning more work and more acclaim. In September of 1961, Dylan would appear there again, and New York Times journalist Robert Shelton wrote an enthusiastic review in the paper, and soon after he was offered a contract with Columbia Records, leading to his debut album in 1962 and kicking off  his extensive career as both a recording artist and performer. This career continues today, with Dylan currently preparing to tour North America.