First professional year as a musician starts with Dylan hitchhiking into New York in January without a home and ends with his triumphant return home to Hibbing with a Columbia recording contract and the first LP recorded.

2 CALENDAR

24 January	Dylan arrives in New York accompanied by his friend Fred Underhill, heads for "Cafe Wha?" where he performs a couple of songs, after which the compere asks the audience for a plays to stay for "Bob and Fred" that night.
25 January	Dylan visits Guthrie's family in Howard's Beach. Meets young Arlo and teaches him some harmonica.
29 January	Dylan performs at Izzy Young's Folklore Centre. Meets Woody Guthrie at the home of Sid and Bob Gleason in East Orange, New Jersey
February	A second (or third) "home-tape" is recorded by Sid and Bob Gleason, while Dylan is singing to their daughter Kathy.
February	Dylan starts to accompany folk singers like Fred Neil, Mark Spoelstra, Ramblin' Jack Elliot and Dave van Ronk on harmonica. He is also performing at "Cafe Wha?", "The Gaslight", "The Limelight", "The Lion's Head" and "Mill's Tavern".
13 February	Dylan starts performing regularly at Gerde's Folk City on the Monday night hootenanny.
14 February	In February The Gleasons are given a dated handwritten copy of a new Dylan composition called Song To Woody.
27 March	Mike Porco, the owner of Gerde's Folk City, offers Dylan to be support act to John Lee Hooker for a fortnight in April.
5 April	First paid concert at the Loeb Music Center for the University of New York Folk Society. In the audience is a young Suze Rotolo.
11-25 April	Dylan plays a five song set as support to John Lee Hooker at Gerde's Folk City.
May	Dylan tries to get a recording contract first with Folkways records, then with with Elektra and Vanguard. None of them are interested.
May	The writing of the second recorded composition, Talkin' New York.
6 May	At the Indian Neck Folk Festival in Branford, Connecticut, Dylan performs three songs and meets Bob Neuwirth for the first time.
Mid May	Dylan returns to Minneapolis and a number of home recordings are made.
June	A hand-written manuscript shows that Dylan wrote a song called East Colorado Blues. No known recording exits.
7 & 8 July	Dylan appears at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, New York.
29 July	Dylan is part of a 12-hour radio broadcast from Riverside Church, Manhattan, NYC, a "Hootenanny Special".
6 September	Dylan's set on Gerde's Folk City is recorded.
26 September	New York Times reporter Robert Shelton attends the opening night of another two-week Dylan residency at Gerde's Folk City. Dylan is supporting The Greenbriar Boys and plays two sets each night. After his first set Shelton interviews Dylan and then writes an enthusiastic review concentrating on Dylan.
29 September	First studio recording takes place when Dylan joins a Carolyn Hester session. He plays harmonica on three songs later released on Hester's debut album. Producer is John Hammond.
20 October	Izzy Young conducts a written interview with Dylan. In this he mentions his own composition California Brown Eyed Baby that he is performing at the time.
23 October	Izzy Young conducts another written interview with Dylan.
26 October	Dylan signs for Columbia Records.
29 October	Dylan appears on Oscar Brand's radio show "Folksong Festival".
4 November	Izzy Young books Dylan at the Carnegie Recital Hall. Only 53 people attend.
20, 22 November	Recording of first album, Bob Dylan.
23 November	Thanksgiving Day is spent with Suze Rotolo at the home of Eve and Mac McKenzie. After the dinner Dylan plays a number of songs that are recorded by the hosts.
22 December	On his way home to Hibbing for Christmas celebrations, he gives a private performance, this time in Minneapolis at the house of Bonnie Beecher. It is recorded by Tony Glover. The tape is often referred to as the Minneapolis Hotel Tape and is the basis for the first bootleg Great White Wonder and later A Rare Batch Of Little White Wonder.

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3 RECORDINGS

February or March	The East Orange Tape
6 May	Indian Neck Folk Festival
May	Minnesota Party Tape 1961
29 July	Hootenanny Special at Riverside Church
6 September	The First Gaslight Tape
Late September	Gerde's Folk City
29 September	Carolyn Hester studio session
29 October	WNYC Radio Studio
4 November	Carnegie Chapter Hall
20 & 22 November	Bob Dylan recording sessions
Late 1961	Billy James Interview
23 November	First McKenzie's tape
4 December	Second McKenzie's tape
22 December	Minnesota Hotel Tape

For details about these tapes please refer to the corresponding session pages in Still On The Road.

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4 FIRST ALBUM

This album was recorded during two session 20 and 22 November in the Columbia Studios in New York City. The following songs were recorded:

Song	# of takes	comment
You're No Good	8	take 5 released on Bob Dylan
Fixin' To Die	3	take 3 released on Bob Dylan
He Was A Friend Of Mine	2	take 3 released on Bootleg Series
House Of The Risin' Sun	3	take 3 released on Bob Dylan take 4 overdubbed by unknown backing musicians, 8 December 1964, released on Interactive Music CD–ROM Highway 61 Interactive, Columbia/Graphix Zone CDAC 085700, February 1995.
Talkin' New York	2	take 2 released on Bob Dylan
Song To Woody	2	take 2 released on Bob Dylan
Baby Let Me Follow You Down	1	released on Bob Dylan
Man Of Constant Sorrow	4	take 4 released on Bob Dylan
In My Time Of Dyin'	1	released on Bob Dylan
Man On The Street	5	take 2 released on Bootleg Series
(As I Go) Ramblin' Round	2	unreleased
Pretty Peggy-O	2	take 2 released on Bob Dylan
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean	4	take 4 released on Bob Dylan
Gospel Plow	1	released on Bob Dylan
Highway 51	1	released on Bob Dylan
Freight Train Blues	1	released on Bob Dylan
House Carpenter	1	released on Bootleg Series

For more details about this session please refer to the corresponding session page in Still On The Road.

Notes

The album was released 19 March 1962.

Live history

Fixin' To Die	New York City 13 January 1962: Cynthia Gooding radio show: Folksinger's Choice.
He Was A Friend Of Mine	Finjan Club, Montreal 2 July 1962 and Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles 24 February 1990: Roy Orbison Tribute.
House Of The Risin' Sun	debut: Entertainment Centre, Sydney 11 February 1986
Talkin' New York	Gerde's Folk City, New York City April or May 1962 and Town Hall, New York City 12 April 1963
Song To Woody	debut: Chicago Stadium, Chicago 3 January 1974
Baby Let Me Follow You Down	debut: Gaslight Café, New York City October 1962
Man Of Constant Sorrow	debut: Concord Pavilion, Concord, California, 7 June 1988
Man On The Street	Gaslight Café, New York City, New York 6 September 1961
Pretty Peggy-O	debut: Town Hall, New York City 12 April 1963
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean	Gerde's Folk City, New York City, New York, Late September 1961 and Gaslight Café, New York City, New York, October 1962
Highway 51	Town Hall, New York City 12 April 1963
Freight Train Blues	Unknown Location, New York City, New York, Late 1962

The following songs have probably never been played live:

You're No Good

In My Time Of Dyin'

(As I Go) Ramblin' Round

Gospel Plow

House Carpenter

There are no officially released live versions, except Baby Let Me Follow You Down on Bootleg Series Volume 4.

Song To Woody, Baby Let Me Follow You Down, Man Of Constant Sorrow, and Pretty Peggy-O have all been played during the Never-Ending Tour.

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5 SONGS 1961

February	Song To Woody	Released on Bob Dylan. Performed live twice in 1974 and 1986 and a number of times on the never-ending tour
May	Talkin' New York	Released on Bob Dylan.
June	East Colorado Blues	Rumoured song.
August	Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues	First performed at Gerde's Folk City in June 1961. A studio version was recorded in April 1962 for the Freewheelin' album.
September	He Was A Friend Of Mine	Arrangement by Bob Dylan.
	Man On The Street	Later recorded as a Leeds Music Demo. Covered by Dave van Ronk on the album No Dirty Names.
	Talkin' Hava Nagilah Blues	A studio version was recorded in April 1962 for the Freewheelin' album.
Fall	California Brown Eyed Baby	Rumoured song.
November	Hard Times In New York Town	Later recorded as a Leeds Music Demo. An adaptation of the traditional Ketty's Farm
December	Ballad Of The Ox Bow Incident	Rumoured song.
	I Was Young When I Left Home	Adaptation/derivation from two songs, 900 Miles and Detroit City.
	Strange Rain	Rumoured song.

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6 SOURCES

Tim Dunn	I Just Write 'Em As They Come. Annotated Guide to the Writings of Bob Dylan A Not-A-Ces Publishing Venture 1990.
Glen Dundas	Tangled Up In Tapes — 4th Edition A Recording History of Bob Dylan SMA Services, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada 1999. Softcover 334 pages.
Clinton Heylin	A Life In Stolen Moments. Bob Dylan Day By Day 1941-1995. Schirmer Books 1996, 404 pages.
Clinton Heylin	Bob Dylan, The Recording Sessions 1960-1994 St. Martin's Press, 1995, 233 pages.
Michael Krogsgaard	Positively Bob Dylan A Thirty-Year Discography, Concert & Record Session Guide 1960-1991. Popular Culture, Ink. 1991. 500 pages

7 SUGGESTED READINGS

7.1 General background

Michael Gray	Song & Dance Man III. The Art Of Bob Dylan Cassell 1999. Hardback 918 pages (!!)
Clinton Heylin	Behind The Shades. A Biography. Summit Books 1991, 500 pages.
Daniel Kramer	Bob Dylan. Citadel Press (hardback) or Pocket Books. Great photo book from 1964-1965.
Anthony Scaduto	Bob Dylan. An intimate biography. New American Library 1973
Eric von Schmidt, Jim Rooney	Baby, Let Me Follow You Down. The Illustrated Story of the Cambridge Folk Years. Anchor Books 1979.
Robert Shelton	No Direction Home. The Life and Music of Bob Dylan. New American Library 1986.
Howard Sounes	Down The Highway. The Life Of Bob Dylan. Groove Press 2001.

7.2 Article compilations

Carl Benson (ed)	The Bob Dylan Companion — Four Decades of Commentary. Schirmer Books, New York 1998. Softcover 306 pages.
Craig McGregor (ed)	Bob Dylan. A Retrospective. William Morrow 1972
Elizabeth M. Thomson (ed)	Conclusions On The Wall. New Essays On Bob Dylan. Thin Man 1980

7.3 Selected articles

Hard Times In New York Town – John Bauldie in The Telegraph #24

Portrait of the Artist as a Younger Man – interview by Billy James reprinted in Stephen Pickering's "Praxis: One"

Bob Dylan & Kevin Krown – The Telegraph 45 (Summer 1993)

Carolyn Hester Interview – by Ian Woodward, Isis #50

Carolyn Hester Interview – by Larry Jaffee, On The Tracks #3 (Spring 1994)

Eric von Sschmidt Interview – by Joseph Sia, On The Tracks #4 (Fall 1994)

Eve McKenzie Remembers – Mitch Blank, The Telegraph 56 (Winter 1997)

Interview: Carolyn Hester – The Telegraph 43 (Autumn 1992)

Interview: Danny Kalb – The Telegraph 47 (Winter 1993)

Izzy's Notebooks – The Telegraph 56 (Winter 1997)

Stealin' Stealin': Bob Dylan & The Blues, 1961-1963 – The Telegraph 54 (Spring 1996)

Talkin' Folklore Center: Izzy Young – interview by Jan Semneby, The Telegraph 56 (Winter 1997)

The Wanted Man Interview: Robert Shelton – The Telegraph 54 (Spring 1996)

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Bob Dylan, The Recording Sessions 1960-1994

Carl Benson (ed)