The Byrds | Artist
The Byrds were an American rock band formed 1964 in Los Angeles, California by original lineup Roger McGuinn (guitar, vocals), David Crosby (guitar, vocals), Gene Clark (vocals, guitar), Michael Clarke (drums) and Chris Hillman (bass). Gram Parsons joined in 1968 replacing David Crosby, who left to form Crosby Stills & Nash. Soon after, Skip Battin and Clarence White joined to replace Parsons and Gene Clark (who later returned). Frontman Roger McGuinn, with his jangly 12 string Rickenbacker guitar sound, remained the sole consistent member over the lifetime of the band. The Byrds were one of the first bands to blend folk and country music with psychedelic rock. they are today considered by critics to be among the most influential rock acts of their era, with their signature blend of clear harmony singing and McGuinn's characteristic guitar becoming part of the vocabulary of rock to the present day. Initially, the Byrds pioneered the musical genre of folk rock as a popular format in 1965, by melding the influence of the Beatles and other British Invasion bands with contemporary and traditional folk music on their first and second albums, and the hit singles "Mr Tambourine Man" and "Turn!, Turn!, Turn!." As the 1960s progressed, the band was influential in originating psychedelic rock and raga rock with their song "Eight Miles High." Their first single, a cover of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man", released April 12, 1965, got the full electric rock band treatment in the studio, effectively creating the template for the musical subgenre of folk rock. Never before had such intellectual and literary wordplay been combined with rock instrumentation by a popular music group - not even by Dylan at that stage. On the back of that song's success, they scored a residency at Ciro's Le Disc nightclub on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, allowing them to hone their ensemble playing through regular work. It was during their residency at the nightclub that the band first began to accrue a dedicated following among L.A.'s youth culture and hip Hollywood fraternity, with scenesters like Kim Fowley, Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Arthur Lee, and Sonny & Cher regularly attending the band's performances. Their first six albums released between 1965-1969 are all classics and highly recommended: Mr Tambourine Man (1965), Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965), Fifth Dimension (1966), Younger Than Yesterday (1967), The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968) and Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968). The album Sweetheart of the Rodeo was something of an anomaly in the Byrds' catalogue. It featured newcomer Gram Parsons, formerly of the International Submarine Band, who influenced the Byrds to move in a more country & western direction. Releaed after Parsons left the band to hang out with Keith Richards and Mick Jagger in the UK, Sweetheart of the Rodeo was the first album widely labeled as country rock to be released by an internationally successful rock act, pre-dating Dylan's Nashville Skyline by over six months. Several members of the Byrds, namely David Crosby, Gene Clark and Gram Parsons, went on to successful careers of their own, either as solo artists or as members of such groups as Crosby Stills Nash & Young, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and McGuinn, Clark & Hillman. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the Byrds at number 45 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Artist Website: thebyrds.com
Featured Albums: The Byrds
Related Artists: David Crosby, Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, Gram Parsons, The Flying Burrito Bros, Manassas, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Muleskinner
