Gerdes Folk City, sometimes spelled Gerde's Folk City, was a music venue in the West Village of Manhattan in New York City. Initially opened by owner Mike Porco as a restaurant called Gerdes, it eventually began to present occasional incidental music. It was first located at 11 West 4th Street (in a building which no longer exists), before moving in 1970 to 130 West 3rd Street. The club closed in 1987.
On January 26, 1960, Gerdes turned into a music venue called The Fifth Peg, in cooperation with Izzy Young, the director of the Folklore Center. The Fifth Peg's debut bill was gospel folk singer Brother John Sellars and Ed McCurdy, writer of the anti-war classic "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream". Porco and Young had a falling-out, and on June 1, 1960, Gerdes Folk City was officially born, with a bill featuring folk singers Carolyn Hester and Logan English. Gerdes Folk City was soon booked by English and folk enthusiast Charlie Rothschild (who later became Judy Collins' long-time manager).
Gerdes Folk City quickly emerged as one of the central music venues of the era, helping to launch the careers of several musical acts, from Bob Dylan to Sonic Youth, and showcased numerous music styles from folk to alternative rock. It became one of the most influential American music clubs before finally losing its lease in 1987. "Rolling Stone Book of Lists" called Folk City one of the three top music venues in the world, along with The Cavern and CBGB.
Bob Dylan played his first professional gig there on April 11, 1961, supporting John Lee Hooker. Logan English was instrumental in securing Dylan his first appearance. His widow Barbara Shutner said:
My husband Logan English and I met Bob Dylan at Bob and Sid Gleason's house ... One night we were all sitting around and Woody [Guthrie] said something like, "Play something" to this kid sitting on the couch. The kid was Bob Dylan, and he sang and it was just beautiful. So Logan said, "I'm working at Gerde's. I'm the MC. We'll get you to play there." So that Monday night, Bob came in and did his first set.[4]
Dylan's September 29, 1961 appearance was reviewed in The New York Times[5] by Robert Shelton, after which Dylan's reputation was made.[6] Gerdes was where Bob Dylan debuted "Blowin' in the Wind" and was also the place where Joan Baez and Dylan met for the first time. On October 23, 1975, at a celebration for Mike Porco's 61st birthday, Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue staged a dress rehearsal and played its first real concert.[7] The Revue began its national tour a week after playing at Gerdes on October 30, 1975.
Folk City was not just about music; comedians also performed at the club throughout its history. From Martin Mull to Andy Kaufman, many comic actors and comedians got their early start at the club: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kathy Kinney, Carol Leifer, Richard Lewis, Mary Kay Place, Larry David, Jim Belushi, Andy Breckman (creator of Monk), Martin Mull, Steve Buscemi and more. Under the direction of actress/comedian/singer Jane Brucker ("One Life To Live", "Dirty Dancing"), improv and comedy became all the rage, with Jane introducing such new acts as Adam Sandler and Kathy Kinney ("Mimi" on the Drew Carey Show.) Actor/director Matt Mitler created "Theater Night at Folk City," where singer/performer Fran Maya introduced Steve Buscemi and his partner Mark Boone Jr. (Sons of Anarchy) who became popular mainstays at the venue. Other artists in the vanguard of the performance scene who frequented "Theater Night" include John Kelly, David Cale, Georg Osterman, Kestutis Nakas, and Anna Kohler.
In the 1980s, the club underwent another revival, introducing a new breed of singer-songwriter and in expanding its boundaries to a wider range of rock music, with its alternative Wednesday night music series "Music For Dozens," which featured David Johansen, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Alex Chilton, the Minutemen, The Smithereens, Violent Femmes, The Replacements, 10,000 Maniacs, Richard Lloyd, Chris Stamey, Dream Syndicate, Hüsker Dü, X, Golden Palominos, the Blasters and many others. A new wave of singer-songwriters found a home at Folk City during this time as well, such as Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin and Lucinda Williams. In 1982, Kevin F King, and the Seven Letters performed in one of the final Best of the Songwriters Series.
In 1985, the club held a benefit 25th Anniversary Concert, which was part of the NYC Pier Summer Concerts, and was an immediate sell-out. The club lost its lease and closed in 1987, at the height of its revival.
The owners, however, have continued over the years to produce and present Folk City concerts and performances around the country featuring Folk City alumni and new up-and-coming artists.
A theatrical production – Folk City – a musical based on the club's history and the book "Bringing It All Back Home," by Robbie Woliver (play written by Woliver and Bernadette Contreras) was produced at Theater for the New City in New York City and at the Brunish Theater in Portland Oregon. It won 10 out of the 10 Broadway World awards for which it was nominated, including "Best Musical."
Bringing It All Back Home (Pantheon/Random House, 1986) by Robbie Woliver documents Folk City's history and went into a second printing as Hoot (St. Martins Press, 1994).
^Robert Shelton, The New York Times, September 21, 1961, "Bob Dylan: A Distinctive Stylist" reproduced online: "Bob Dylan: A Distinctive Stylist". Bob Dylan Roots. Archived from the original on April 21, 2008. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
