In 1979, Madonna was not yet a pop icon. She was a young, ambitious dancer living in New York City, trying to make her way in the arts. That year, she crossed paths with musician Dan Gilroy — a meeting that would shape the next chapter of her early career.
Dan and his brother Ed Gilroy lived in a converted synagogue in Corona, Queens. The building doubled as a creative space where the brothers worked as musicians and occasionally performed comedy routines under the stage names Bil and Gil. Madonna began spending time there, using the space to practice drums. Dan and Ed waited tables during the day and performed at night. Madonna fit right into that hustle.
Dan and Madonna became romantically involved, and their relationship quickly grew into a musical partnership. Dan taught her how to play guitar. She began writing her own songs. Together with Ed, they formed a band called Breakfast Club, one of Madonna’s first serious musical projects.
Dan was initially reluctant to let Madonna take the lead as a vocalist. She pushed anyway, and he eventually agreed. She not only sang her own songs but also took charge of promoting the band, booking local gigs and getting Breakfast Club in front of audiences.
It was during this period that Dan picked up a camera and photographed Madonna on a New York City bus. The photos are candid and unguarded — a young woman in her early twenties, long before the world knew her name.
There is nothing staged about these images. They capture a quiet, everyday moment — riding a bus through New York City. Madonna looks directly into the lens in some shots and away in others, completely at ease with her boyfriend behind the camera.
By 1980, Madonna had moved on from Breakfast Club. She left to form a new group called Emmy and the Emmys, signaling that she was already outgrowing the projects around her. Her time at the synagogue in Queens, though brief, gave her foundational tools — guitar skills, songwriting, stage experience.
Dan Gilroy’s photographs are a rare document of that window in time. Most images of Madonna from this era are scarce. These bus photos stand out precisely because they were never meant to be historical — they were just a boyfriend taking pictures of his girlfriend on an ordinary day in New York.
What makes these photos compelling is their context. Madonna in 1979 was still learning her craft — drumming in a Queens synagogue, picking up guitar chords, talking her way into the spotlight. Dan Gilroy was there for all of it, and his camera caught her in that unfinished, driven, pre-fame state.
