Bob Dylan arrived in Greenwich Village in January, 1961, joining a vibrant musical world from which he emerged as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.

Through songs and stories, Elijah Wald brings audiences into that world, tracing Dylan’s progress as he met and traded songs with people like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Odetta, Dave Van Ronk, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Eric Von Schmidt, and Jean Ritchie.

An expert guitarist, singer, and raconteur, Elijah Wald is also the author of Dylan Goes Electric!, the book that inspired the hit movie A Complete Unknown — as well as The Mayor of MacDougal Street, which inspired the Coen Brothers movie, Inside Llewyn Davis. He grew up on the folk scene and was friends with many of the people featured in this program, hanging out with Elliott, performing with Von Schmidt, and becoming particularly close with Van Ronk, whose couch served both him and Dylan as a frequent resting place (though not the same nights).

This program traces Dylan’s evolution from his arrival in New York through the moment he went electric at the Newport Folk Festival. It ranges from old folk songs (“The Cuckoo,” “Nottamun Town”) to obscure early compositions (“The Old Man,” “If I had to Do It All Over Again”) and familiar masterpieces (“Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Masters of War,” “Mr. Tambourine Man”), tied together with stories about the Village scene, and Dylan’s path from a raw folk and blues singer into the voice of a generation.

For more about Elijah, visit his homepage or sample his Songobiography site, which includes videos of hundreds of songs with associated stories and commentary. He also has a booking/promo page with more biography, quotes from reviews, peers, and concert promoters, and some live videos. Or you can contact him directly by writing to elijah at elijahwald dot com.

Here are some video samples of “Bob Dylan in Greenwich Village,” from Club Passim, Cambridge, Mass., August 2025: