Concert at Club Passim

You have to look for Club Passim, tucked in an alley behind the Harvard Coop in Cambridge, Mass. But when you get inside you will experience a special place in musical history.

In 1958, the owners of a new coffeehouse jazz club reluctantly let a folksinger on stage, says Passim's archivist, Millie Rahn.

"There was this performer around town, long hair, often barefoot," Rahn says. "She had been playing some of the clubs across the river in Boston. And, of course, her name was Joan Baez."

Ever since then, Club Passim has been the place to play for folk musicians in the Boston area. The place has a storied history: The greats of the 1950s and '60s — Baez, Tom Rush, Bob Dylan — all played the room when it was called Club 47. Later, the club gave rise to singers such as Shawn Colvin and Suzanne Vega.

The music world has changed greatly. But the club's continuing to turn out amazing talent.