Elijah Wald Will Bring BOB DYLAN IN GREENWICH VILLAGE to Club Passim

On August 6, musician and historian Elijah Wald, whose book inspired the Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," will perform his show "Bob Dylan in Greenwich Village" at Club Passim. In this historical concert, Elijah will weave together music and storytelling to trace Dylan's evolution from a young folk and blues singer into the iconic voice of a generation. Through songs and stories, Elijah will explore Dylan's formative experiences in New York's Greenwich Village, his encounters with legendary figures like Woody Guthrie, and his lesser-known influences, such as Paul Clayton, whose version of a traditional ballad became the foundation for "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." Tickets are available at passim.org. 

An expert guitarist, singer, and raconteur, Elijah Wald is also a writer and historian whose book, “Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night that Split the Sixties”, is the basis for the hit movie “A Complete Unknown.” He grew up on the folk scene and has been close with many of the people featured in this program, hanging out with Elliott, performing with Von Schmidt, and becoming particularly close with Van Ronk, whose couch served both Dylan and Elijah as a bed over many nights (though not the same nights). Elijah also co-authored Dave’s memoir, “The Mayor of MacDougal Street,” which inspired the Coen Brothers’ movie, Inside Llewyn Davis.

In the early 1980s, Elijah began writing about roots and world music for The Boston Globe, publishing over a thousand pieces before leaving in 2000. His dozen previous books include “Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues,” “How the Beatles Destroyed Rock ’n’ Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music,”and  “Narcocorrido: A Journey into the Music of Drugs, Guns, and Guerrillas.”