When Bob Dylan Played Caffe Lena
In the winter of 1961, a 19-year old musician by the name of Bob Dylan dropped out of college at the University of Minnesota and hitched a ride with friends to begin his pilgrimage to New York City. Like many before him, Dylan had the dream of staking his claim as a part of the ongoing American Folk music revival stemming from the Greenwich Village. Bob aspired to walk in the footsteps of his inspiration, Woody Guthrie, who joined the likes of other musicians like Pete Seeger, Dave Van Ronk, and Joan Baez in establishing New York City as the epicenter of the Folk movement.
During the 1950s, coffeehouses in the Greenwich Village established themselves as the premier venues for this growing Folk revival. Places like The Bitter End, Cafe Wha?, or the Gaslight Cafe played host to a mix of young, up-and-coming artists alongside seasoned veterans of the scene. Musician Dave Van Rock was nicknamed, “the Mayor of Macdougal Street,” for his role in developing the folk music landscape in the Greenwich Village and for his ability to discover burgeoning talents entering the fold. When Dave wasn’t busy playing, he was the arbiter for booking gigs on a nightly basis.
On January 24th, 1961, Bob Dylan took the stage at Cafe Wha? for his first performance in his new city. Shortly after this, he befriended Dave Van Ronk and began navigating the scene under his guidance. Bob spent a considerable amount of time with Dave and his wife during the early part of his career with the two of them acting like unofficial promoters for the young musician. They sent audition tapes to venues around New York and Boston in an attempt to get Bob more exposure outside of the city. Nobody wanted to book Bob Dylan for a gig, except for a new and emerging coffeehouse in Saratoga Springs called Caffe Lena.
Lena Spencer, the proprietor of Caffe Lena, had also developed a close friendship with Dave Van Ronk and would reach out anytime she needed assistance with booking talent. Lena took a chance on the relatively unknown Bob Dylan. In the summer of 1961, just months after moving to New York, Bob Dylan was set to play his first out-of-town gig at Caffe Lena. With only a small repertoire of songs and little experience, by many accounts, Bob’s first performance at Caffe Lena was unremarkable. Despite a lackluster debut, Lena invited Bob Dylan back to the Caffe Lena stage in January of 1962 just a few months before the release of his debut album.
As Bob Dylan would go on to become an American music legend and Caffe Lena’s most recognized headliner, the story of Bob’s first performance there remains a testament to Caffe Lena’s commitment to discovering new talent. 60 years later, Caffe Lena’s doors remain open and it continues to be at the center of cultivating creativity in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Learn more about the history of Caffe Lena, America’s longest-running coffeehouse
Learn more about the Blackwing Vol. 200, a tribute to coffeehouses like Caffe Lena