Passim's 60th Anniversary Concert

Proceeds from the performance will benefit Passim, a nonprofit music organization dedicated to providing exceptional and interactive live musical experiences for both performers and audiences. Since first opening its doors as Club 47 in 1958, Passim has been one of the country’s premiere listening rooms, showcasing talent that has helped to shape generations of musicians and fans in the United States and beyond.

Each of the artists performing in the benefit concert has a special connection to Passim. Patty Griffin was working in Harvard Square when she first started playing music. She played as an opening act for others at Passim before moving quickly to headliner status. Over the next two decades, she recorded nine studio albums and two live collections, receiving seven Grammy nominations as well as one Grammy award for Best Traditional Gospel Album, which she won for her 2011 album Downtown Church.

Upon graduating from Oberlin College, Josh Ritter moved to New England and began performing at Club Passim’s Open Mic nights. His first headline appearance was at the organization’s annual campfire. festival on Memorial Day Weekend in 2000. After opening at Passim for Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer, Josh signed with their label, Signature Sounds. Named as one of the 100 Best Living Songwriters by Paste Magazine, Josh has since recorded nine studio albums and has toured all over the world sharing the stage with musicians such as The French Kicks and Joan Baez.

In the early 1990s, Dar Williams was playing local Cambridge venues, alongside artists such as Ellis Paul and Vance Gilbert. She first appeared at Club Passim in 1992, as part of a Sunday afternoon in-the-round show and by the mid-90s, she was headlining her own shows. Today, she’s released ten studio albums, authored four books, and toured with acts such as Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, Loudon Wainwright III and Shawn Colvin.