Dylan in Greenwich Village, NYC

His relocation from Minnesota to New York City is immortalized in the song “Talkin’ New York”, off his first album. He struggled but persisted,  to get gigs in Greenwich  Village at various folk clubs and coffeehouses in his first year in New York City. At this time he would befriend many folk artists such as Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Dave Van Ronk, Fred Neil, Odetta, the New Lost City Ramblers and Johnny Cash as well as The Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem.

Dylan had the ability to absorb all that he heard whether it be other artists live or records played on the radio or on the record player which he listened to incessantly.  He claimed that he needed to hear a song once or twice to be able to play it. Dylan would often base his original lyrics around earlier folk songs, a practice employed by many of the other folk artists of the time. Much of Dylan’s early material was sung with an almost laughing giggle that he would continue to employ on his subsequent albums.

In September 1961, Bob Dylan got a great gig, a two week run at the famous Gerde’s Folk City, in West Greenwich Village and garnered positive reviews and write-ups in the New York Times by Robert Shelton. This would help open the doors for him to become a recording artist with Columbia records.

At this time Dylan went on to become “Woody Guthrie’s greatest fan (disciple)”, incorporating Guthrie’s styles of singing while playing with only his guitar and harmonica. Bob Dylan went to visit Woody Guthrie at Greystone Psychiatric Hospital after Guthrie became seriously ill with Huntington’s disease.

 

Bob Dylan first recordings and the Album “Bob Dylan”

After being invited to play harmonica on a recording by Carolyn Hester on September 14, 1961, the producer for Columbia records John Hammond having heard Bob Dylan performing in the session,  signed Dylan “on the spot” and arranged a formal audition recording soon after in October. He was recommended by several key music industry professionals based on his live performances at Gerde’s Folk City

Bob Dylan was a seasoned live performer with a hard edge but he was accused of being very difficult because of his undisciplined ignorance of the recording business in his first time in the recording studio. Regardless of this, he managed to cut many of the songs in one take.

Bob Dylan’s first four acoustic albums contained a lot of American traditional blues and folk songs that he would arrange on the album. He would often borrow a melody or chord progression from previously written songs that he would either re-write or write brand new original lyrics not related to the originals songs theme of topics.

His first album ‘Bob Dylan’ released on March 19th, 1962, did not even chart and was virtually ignored by the critics. As an album, it was a sleeper in America selling about 5,000 copies upon its initial release- just enough to cover the recording costs. Some of the Columbia records non-believers dubbed Bob Dylan as “Hammond’s Folly”.

This is just another example, like the Beatles, of certain people being totally wrong about an artists’ potential. Despite the slurs, John Hammond defended Dylan and did not have him dropped from the label. It is notable that John Hammond had support for his decision from an early fan of Dylan’s, Johnny Cash.

In the UK, the album eventually reached #13 in 1965. In retrospect, the album is a favorite one of mine, with all its diverse styles, as good as anything he would put out. The album is strong in its topics, its variety and its analysis of Americana. In some ways, Dylan sounds like an experienced older man with his style of singing, prompting the lyrics “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now” to my mind.

“Mixed-Up Confusion”, was Dylan’s first single released December 14, 1962, recorded with a full electric band during the Free Wheelin sessions but was left off the album. The band consisted of Bob Dylan – guitar, harmonica, vocal; George Barnes – guitar; Bruce Langhorn – guitar; Dick Wellstood – Piano; Gene Ramey – bass; Herb Lovelle on drums produced by John Hammond. Corrina, Corrina was the b-side.