Italian Restaurant Gerde's became the epicenter of the Folk Revival of the 1960s
IZZY YOUNG brought the idea to MIKE PORCO for the Village's FIRST HONEST TO GOD FOLK MUSIC CABARET
The legend is clear and well known. Izzy Young was the first to book acts at Gerde's for Mike Porco. Within 5 months, Izzy was out but not without providing the Village with Blues legends Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry for 5 of the last six weeks under Young.
By May of 1960, Mike ran the show. He had help, though. Future music rep, Charlie Rothschild, and New York Times critic Bob Shelton were the ones to re-christen the club in June of 1960. The "Fifth Peg'' would now be known around town as Folk City.
🪡🧵I’ve sewn together a solid story for any viewer to watch and catch the drift.
THIS DOC is the FULL untold story as told from multiple people directly connected to Mike Porco and the Greenwich Village SCENE. A complete stranger and the most staunch Folk Revival student will be wowed.🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿
As Suze Rotolo put it: Gerde’s was where "the cross-fertilization of different styles and musical eras forged important links in the chain of American musical history."
How did the Americana genre form? My grandfather Mike Porco offered up his Italian restaurant to be the headquarters for the 1960s Folk and Blues Revival. It was HOME to traditional artists and it became HOME BASE for aspiring Singer-Songwriters from all over the country.
Back then, talented musicians REALLY COULD take a bus to Washington Square to show their wares and actually find work at one of the THIRTY clubs that welcomed acoustic performers.
Early on, there was only ONE venue that was a LEGIT room that paid a professional wage.
Traveling Troubadours and Blues originators included Gerde’s Folk City on their Eastern circuit.
THEY CREATED A NEW SOUND!
They developed a whole new genre.
Country Blues and American Folk mated to create what we now call FOLK ROCK.
But wait!! THERE’S MORE!!!
The Gerde’s Folk City documentary is called POSITIVELY PORCO.
If you have any interest in the music spawned in the restaurant, you will want to see it. Basically, the American singer/songwriter genre has its roots planted at Gerde's.
✅Make a Substack account
✅Subscribe to Bob Porco’s Substack
✅Subscribe for paid to watch the GerdesFolkCityDoc!!!
The documentary landed on Substack here
https://bobporco86.substack.com/p/documentary-on-mike-porcos-folk-music