In the nascent days of the internet, long before every imaginable piece of pop culture was just a click or two away, a crudely constructed website offered its visitors instructions for finding a musical experience that came with a boastful promise: “Your world will never be the same.”

To achieve this moment of transcendence, visitors had to dial a 1-800 number and punch in a seven-digit code — 11-13-408 — when prompted. Then, they would hear the voice of a man who, for a short span more than four decades ago, was as famous as anyone in New York City.