Long before Bob Dylan was a larger-than-life figure in rock music, he was a skinny little hipster bumming around Greenwich Village. In honor of the man's 75th birthday, we take a look back at the earliest New York performances of his career.
Dylan performed at The Bitter End the year it first opened, 1961
That year, he also played at Gerde's Folk City, which was at 11 W. 4th St.
Dylan and his main lady in 1961, Suze Rotolo, walked around the Village during the shoot for the cover of his album 'Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'
Dylan also played Carnegie Chapter Hall in 1961.
Promoters called this his "first concert in New York City" because the shows he had done in Greenwich Village were far more intimate in size. This performance wasn't in the grand Carnegie Hall however — it took place in a small auditorium that's known today as Weill Recital Hall.
He recorded his first album for Columbia Records at Columbia Studios
Columbia Studios operated from 1948 to 1981 at 207 E. 30th St., between Third and Second avenues.
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