Once upon a time in a Yorkville coffeehouse known as the Penny Farthing, two folk musicians were plying their trade. Upstairs, a fella from Michigan by the name of Chuck Mitchell was onstage. And in the basement was a songstress of rare yet undiscovered talent named Joni Anderson. The two met and hit it off, and — some say just 36 hours later — they were married. Although the union didn’t last, Joni Mitchell went on to become one of the greatest folk musicians to pluck an acoustic guitar.

Rick James, of “Super Freak” fame, once fronted a band called the Mynah Birds that frequented Yorkville clubs. It was a group that once employed a shaggy haired kid from “north Ontario” named Neil Young.

The Sparrows were the house band at Chez Monique’s. They later hit it big and changed their name to Steppenwolf.

Acclaimed actor Victor Garber washed dishes at another coffeehouse by day, while by night he sang in a goofy clothed doo-wop group called the Sugar Shoppe.

The stories that come from Yorkville’s hippie era in the ’60s are endless. The area was Toronto’s version of Greenwich Village in New York City, or Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco. This rich musical history was celebrated recently in a special ceremony with plaques where two of the area’s most legendary locales once stood: the Penny Farthing and the Purple Onion.

The Penny Farthing was unique in that it had numerous stages as well as a pool on the back patio. The owner at the time, John McHugh, actually lived with crooner Ian Tyson, one of the many musicians who defined the era.

The Purple Onion, at 35 Avenue Rd., was one of the original Yorkville establishments. It was in the basement of the Onion that Buffy Sainte-Marie wrote “Universal Soldier,” her classic anti-war song. Gordon Lightfoot was also a regular.

Other musicians who frequented Yorkville included Murray McLauchlan, Dan Hill, Bruce Cockburn, James Taylor, Buddy Guy and Kris Kristofferson. While it may be too late for most of Yorkville’s heritage, it’s important to not only protect what remains, but also to celebrate its vibrant history.

We put together a Youtube playlist with some of the best songs to come out of the era: 

In our June issue we took a look at how much Toronto has changed since the 1960s — and at the remarkable similarities and parallels. We’re publishing all of these stories online today. For more, follow along on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #Post60s.