Around this time on April 11, 1961, Bob Dylan made his debut in New York City for his first real gig as an opener for John Lee Hooker at Gerde’s Folk City. Crazy to think that such a musical icon had to start somewhere, right?

At the time, Gerde’s was the venue to play at if you wanted to engulf yourself in folk music, and that’s exactly what Bob Dylan did by performing his song “Blowin’ In The Wind.” The song was a new one for Dylan at the time, but is now a present-day classic.

His music completely transforms folk music, almost transporting you to a field of grass and whistling harmonicas.

Dylan continues to influence music listeners today. He is currently on tour keeping his sound just as lively as it was back in the day and even has multiple shows in California.

Swaying audiences everywhere, Dylan’s raspy, poetic melodies crafted imagery within his music and used tender words that entranced listeners. His road to stardom all started at the age of 19, however it all comes back to his first performance at Gerde’s Folk City on April 11, 1961.

Carly Plemons can be reached at [email protected] or @plemnz on Twitter.