Luminaries from the historic Boston folk revival gathered on stage in a performance that was recorded by WGBH. The guest list included Tom Rush, the Charles River Valley Boys, Jim Kweskin, Geoff Muldaur, Spider John Koerner, Al Kooper, Carolyn Hester, Peter Rowan and many others.

Located in the heart of Harvard Square, Club 47 opened its doors in 1958 and quickly became the mecca for the folk scene. In 1963 the Club moved to their current location. The room can only squeeze in about 125 people but it is an important venue for the folk community, perhaps the most important venue in the nation. The musicians that were influenced by the Boston music scene have endured longer and showcased a greater diversity of styles than perhaps any other venue of its kind.

In 1958, crowds were beginning to gather to hear a young Joan Baez hone her craft. (As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, Joan will return to the Club for a two-day event . On March 27th the Passim Center will be the site of “A Conversation WIth Joan Baez” – an evening of conversation with journalist Steve Morse. The following night she will perform at the Sanders Theater and be presented with a lifetime achievement award.

Over the years, artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Patty Larkin and Vance Gilbert would be “discovered” and influenced by the music they heard there.

The club has had it’s share of “controversy”. When the Club 47 first began operations, it was a jazz club and local laws in Cambridge prohibited more than three stringed instruments in a venue that served food. To get around the puritanical law, they became a non-profit organization and became a private club – and anyone who entered became a member.

As the 60’s ended and rock music became the music of choice, Club 47 saw the crowd dwindle. As the doors closed on Club 47, it quickly became reborn by Bob and Rae Anne Donlin who turned the venue into Club Passim, which would later become a part of the Passim Folk Music and Cutural Center – a non-profit arts organizations that also features a school of msuic, programs for children, and an outreach program that brings music into the community.

If you plan on visiting Boston, please be sure to drop in on Passim. Their website is www.passimcenter.org and there will be events planned throughout the year. They have also issued a wall-calendar featuring photos through the years. (Is that photo from 1976 that graces the July page really Modern Man’s David Buskin? ).

Passim and Club 47 have been much more than simply a four walled room that featured folk music. The venue gives back to the community and offers more than just an entertainment experience. Like the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, these venues have done exceptional work to help folk music prosper – in the decades after Dylan went electric and the artform supposedly died. It has not been easy, it is difficult to finance such an operation and keep it alive, but there are many friends who support it. No matter where you live, all of us in the folk community owe a debt to the work they have done.