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RIVERSIDE CHURCH FOLK MUSIC HOOTENANNY,
WRVR-FM, NEW YORK, NY, Jul 29, 1961
(transcript by Manfred Helfert)


Bob Dylan, 1961 (John Cohen)


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ANNOUNCER:
We're going to go back to our regular folk program and bring you now a fellow who's been around the New York area for about a year. He also performs in various coffeehouses. He plays the harmonica, he sings a lot of songs by Woody Guthrie, sings a lot of his own material. He comes from Gallup, New Mexico --- Bobby Dylan.

DYLAN (while tuning his guitar):
...Came sorta up here in a hurry... don' know what to do...

DYLAN PERFORMS "HANDSOME MOLLY."
DYLAN (while tuning):
...This harmonica holder isn't holding too good together... came back... it's gonna strangle me here... it's just a hanger, coat hanger...
DYLAN PERFORMS "OMIE WISE."
DYLAN (while tuning):
...Huh ...sing you one of Woody Guthrie's songs... ...no ...anybody got a knife? ...got a knife? Any one of you people got a knife? No? ...well, that sure ain't a big knife...(?) ...show you a little trick...
(TRIES FRETTING GUITAR WITH KNIFE)
Oh... ...got a bigger knife?
(AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)
...That wasn't the trick... ok... ...oh... ok...huh? Oh, good! ...I really ain't no comedian...
ANNOUNCER:
I wish you could... we had television. Bobby, in case you haven't guessed by now, plays the guitar and plays the harmonica at the same time. Now, that's a bit of a trick. If you have a harmonica holder, it isn't too bad. Bobby doesn't have a harmonica holder, the poor kid... and right now, he's using a coat hanger...
DYLAN:
I sold 'em...
ANNOUNCER:
...and his coat hanger is not bending right. If he could bend his coat hanger musically, it'd be more entertaining, but he can't...
DYLAN:
...Thanks, no...
(BLOWS HARMONICA)
ANNOUNCER:
Are you ready?

DYLAN:
Yeah, I think so.
(CHUCKLES; BLOWS HARMONICA)
Well, here's one... (TUNING)
ANNOUNCER:
All right, this gives me a good opportunity to read this little piece of paper which they've given me...They've decided that instead of me signaling to this fellow over here with six earphones on his head... that I'm gonna read the station breaks. So, in case you didn't know it, you're listening to folk music all day today... and harmonica bending... over Riverside Radio, WRVR, 106.7 FM, New York City.
DYLAN (BLOWS HARMONICA):
...Ok...
ANNOUNCER:
Would someone volunteer to hold this thing up to Bobby's mouth while he's playing?
DYLAN PERFORMS "POOR LAZARUS."
DYLAN:
This... this is a friend of mine -- Danny Kalb. He plays the guitar... sings... Gonna play harmonica...
DANNY KALB AND DYLAN PERFORM "MEAN OLD SOUTHERN RAILROAD."

ANNOUNCER:
Thank you, Bobby Dylan... and that was Danny Kalb on the last song. Bobby, you forgot your coat hanger...

-- BREAK IN TAPE --

ANNOUNCER:
You've been a really wonderful audience and we'd like to bring up one more performer to sing one more song for you -- Bobby Dylan with his new harmonica holder... Bobby?
I mean, Bruce Langhorne's harmonica holder... Well, it looks like we have another dramatic... uh... entrance...
DYLAN:
...sing your part...
RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT:
It's Blind Bob...
DYLAN:
No...
RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT:
Doo wop?
DYLAN:
Yeah, man...

BOB DYLAN AND RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT PERFORM "ACNE."

RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT:
...I'm s'posed to be at Gerde's Folk City now... I sing there with some other people, but... just couldn't tear myself away... here...
ANNOUNCER:
Oh, great... Thanks a lot, Jack...
Jack Elliott and Bob Dylan.
SHOUTS FROM AUDIENCE:
More... more...
ANNOUNCER:
Do you believe in democracy?
RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT:
All good things, you know...
ANNOUNCER:
...come to an end.
RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOTT: ...must come to an end.

-- END OF TAPE --


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