[image: Ann McDermott with a tour group at Washington Square Park, scene of the folk riots]
Join Ann McDermott and visit the venues and hear the stories of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, two of the most prolific and popular artists of our times. Explore the sites of the dimly lit Greenwich Village clubs, such as The Gaslight Cafรฉ and Gerdeโs Folk City, from where they started out.
This tour will start at the site of Gerdeโs Folk City, where Bob had his first paying gig. Our next stop is the former home of the Bottom Line, where Bruce was launched to stardom. Then on to Washington Square Park to see how guitar playing on a Sunday afternoon turned into a major political battle in 1960. We'll explore Bleecker Street and the many clubs where some of our favorite artists played. Turn onto MacDougal Street, the heart of the Greenwich Village music scene, and see the venues where Bob and Bruce played, such as the Gaslight Cafe and Cafe Wha? Then go over to that once โcrummy hotel over Washington Squareโ where Bob and Joan Baez lived in the first flush of their romance and talk about the song she wrote about it.ย Weโll pass by Electric Lady Land studios and discuss the very famous folks who recorded there in the past and are working there now!ย Then weโll stroll through the West Village and see the apartment building where Bob used to couch surf with the Mayor of MacDougal Street himself, Dave Van Ronk, and Bobโs first manager, Terri Thal.ย Youโll learn about Bobโs hanging out with the Clancy Brothers at the White Horse Tavern and how that shaped his understanding of โSea Shantisโ and Irish folk music.ย Then itโs on to Cafรฉ Society to learn about its role in racially integrating music in New York in the 1940s.ย And weโll end at the former home of Bob and Suze Rotolo at West 4th and Jones Street, and take a picture on the very spot where the cover of Bobโs Freewheelinโ album was taken. Throughout this tour, we will talk about John Hammond, the music mogul from Columbia Records, and his role in launching the careers of Bob, Bruce, and many others.
After the tour, feel free to join Ann for a beverage (not included in the ticket price) at the fabled Washington Square Hotel, formerly the Hotel Earle, immortalized by Joan Baez in โDiamonds and Rust.โ
STARTING LOCATION: 11 West 4th Street at Mercer Street (Hebrew Union College)
