RICHMOND â Some of the natives became a little restless in the barnlike atmosphere of the Pittsfield Boys Club when singer Joan Baez announced that she wanted them to meet a young singer friend of hers and that he would perform next. Theyâd paid for a Baez ticket, and they werenât much interested in a substitute. It was Aug. 14, 1963, and the newbie, Baez predicted, would be a hit in the near future. (He was already hot in the ears of the cognizant.)
Bob Dylan is his name, she said, and a tousled young man appeared beside her on the stage elevated above the patrons in their folding chairs. You could hear âSo what?â around the room, but a number of people â including me and my husband, who was there to review â were among those who had already been mesmerized by the strange voice of this singer â and his message.