Background
Bob Dylan on the cover of vol. 2:17
When The Broadside first appeared in March 1962, it immediately became a key resource for folk musicians and fans in New England. Written by and for members of the burgeoning scene, The Broadside was a central resource for information on folk performances and venues and throughout the region, covering coffeehouses, concert halls, festivals, and radio and television appearances.
The rapid growth of the folk scene in Boston during the mid-1950s was propelled in part by the popularity of hootenannies held at the YMCA and local hotels, and by a growing number of live music venues, catching on especially in the city's colleges. As the scene grew hotter and more complex, a former MIT student and then-Air Force reservist, David Wilson, recognized the need for a publication to share information for performers and fans. Dashed off on a mimeograph machine in March 1962, the four-page first issue of The Broadside appeared nearly simultaneously, and entirely coincidentally, with similar Broadsides in New York and Los Angeles.
Published biweekly, Wilson's Broadside published performance schedules for the major coffeehouses in Boston and Cambridge, including Club 47, the Unicorn, and Yana, as well as many smaller venues and clubs as far away as Mooncusser on Marthas Vineyard and the Silver Vanity in Worcester. It regularly ran news of television and radio appearances by folk performers, published announcements and reviews of new albums, short sketches on folk performers, and a shifting slate of columns by David Wilson (Ramblin round) and later by Casey Anderson (Folk scenes New York), Ed Freeman (Notes From A Variant Stanza Collector), Peter Stampfel (Holy Modal Blither), Robert J. Lurtsema (On The Scene," and Jan Chartier (Coffeehouse Theatre). Although its circulation may never have topped 5,000, its reach was amplified by the informal circulation of copies among friends and aficionados.
