A trip to NYC opened his eyes.
When Dylan first arrived in New York in 1961, he visited the city to perform and to see his musical hero Woody Guthrie, who was hospitalized at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital due to Huntington's disease. Dylan made friends with Guthrie Ramblin's bodyguard Jack Elliott and also paid Guthrie a visit to the hospital. Many of Guthrie's songs are influenced by Elliott, and in Chronicles: Volume One, Dylan pays tribute to Elliott. Later, Dylan said that the African-American poets he encountered on New York's streets, particularly Big Brown, had impacted him.
Beginning in February 1961, Dylan performed at venues around Greenwich Village, where he met and acquired songs from folk musicians like Dave Van Ronk, Fred Neil, Odetta, and the New Lost City Ramblers. Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem are Irish artists. On Harry Belafonte's 1962 album Midnight Special, Dylan filled in for the unwell Sonny Terry because he frequently played harmonica accompaniment for other performers. Later on, Dylan referred to the event as "my professional recording debut."
His debut album, which is today regarded as one of the most important pieces of popular music, was followed by several additional big songs. Highway 61 Revisited was out in 1965 after Bringing It All Back Home. Additionally, Blonde On Blonde and Blood on the Tracks were both produced by Dylan and Hammond.
Through his lengthy tours in 1965 and 1966, Dylan attracted a lot of attention. Producer DA Pennebaker used a video from the 1967 smash song Don't Look Back to document the folk singer's life on stage.
