Folk Rock

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(Guitar, vocals, b. 1945) Once lead guitarist with Bournemouth’s Tony Blackburn and The Rovers, Stewart’s commercial discography as a solo artist commenced with a 1966 Xerox of a Yardbirds LP track, ‘Turn Into Earth’. Very bound up in himself lyrically, he impinged on national consciousness via mild media uproar over his insertion of a rude word in autobiographical ‘Love Chronicles’, title track of a 1969 album. As a post-Woodstock singer-songwriter, he ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1970–present) An Anglo-American trio formed in the UK by Gerry Beckley (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Dewey Bunnell (guitar, vocals) and Dan Peek (guitar, vocals, keyboards), sons of US military personnel and British mothers. America’s acoustically backed three-part harmonies were reminiscent of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Best-known for the transatlantic 1972 hit ‘Horse With No Name’, the band worked with Beatles producer George Martin on four albums from 1974–77, slimming to ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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A founding member of the band Pentangle, Bert Jansch (b. 1943) was born in Glasgow. He was heavily influenced by the guitarist Davey Graham and folk singers such as Anne Briggs. He has recorded 25 albums and toured extensively, influencing artists like Jimmy Page, Ian Anderson, Nick Drake and Neil Young. Jansch earned a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2001 BBC Folk Awards. Jansch was raised in Edinburgh. As a teenager, ...

Source: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Guitar Heroes, consultant editor Rusty Cutchin
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1981–2001) Stuart Adamson began with Scottish punk band The Skids. His Caledonian heritage came to the fore with Big Country, as he employed guitar gizmos to create a choral ‘bagpipe’ sound. The epic, yearning songs of debut album The Crossing (1983) played well in America. The follow-up, the more political Steeltown (1984), was a UK No. 1, and singles such as ‘Wonderland’ and ‘Look Away’ fared well for Scotland’s ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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Next to The Beatles, Bob Dylan was the most influential artist of his generation, writing and performing songs whose poetic, sometimes-abstract, often-philosophical lyrics of astute commentary and therapeutic introspection spoke to the masses during an era of social unrest, political upheaval and radical change. While cross-pollinating folk and country with electric rock, Dylan elevated the role of the singer-songwriter and, in so doing, introduced an entirely new dimension to popular music. From ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Guitar, vocals, b. 1949) Hailed as the new Dylan after two albums, Springsteen fully realized his potential with the widescreen Born To Run (1975). Managerial problems delayed Darkness On The Edge Of Town (1978), a more sombre but no less compelling work. The double album The River appeared in 1980 followed by the stark, pessimistic Nebraska in 1982. 1984’s Born In The USA catapulted Springsteen into the mainstream, selling 14 million copies ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1966–68) Migrating from New York to Los Angeles, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay rehearsed with a third singing guitarist, Canadian Neil Young, who recommended Bruce Palmer (bass) and Dewey Martin (drums). 1967’s Buffalo Springfield was remarkable for an acoustic bias and clever vocal harmonies. A hit single, ‘For What It’s Worth’, and healthy sales for two further albums did not forestall a rancourous split – though two of them ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1965–70) One of the more doctrinal psychedelic groups that flourished in flower-power San Francisco featured Country Joe McDonald (vocals) and Barry ‘Fish’ Melton (guitar). Both Electric Music For The Mind And Body and Together made the US album Top 40, and ‘I Feel Like I’m Fixing To Die Rag’ was taken up as an anti-Vietnam war anthem. It was also a highlight of the group’s appearance at Woodstock, the ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1968–70) When on a US tour with The Hollies, Graham Nash (vocals, guitar) had sown the seeds of a ‘supergroup’ with ex-Byrd Dave Crosby (vocals, guitar) and Stephen Stills (vocals, guitar) from Buffalo Springfield. The new combine rehearsed in London for an eponymous album that featured hippy lyricism, flawless vocal harmonies and neo-acoustic backing tracks. Its spin-off single, Nash’s ‘Marrakesh Express’, was a worldwide smash, and, if his trio’s ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Singer-songwriter, b. 1973) Irish singer-songwriter Rice finally broke into the mainstream in 2002 after years of busking around Europe. His debut album O charted at UK No. 8; the mellow, Irish folk-inspired tracks proved a hit with the public. His second effort, the equally obscurely titled 9, fared better, making No. 4 in the UK while also reaching No. 22 in the Billboard 200. His honest, melancholy acoustic songs have set ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Singer-songwriter, b. 1968) Born near Manchester, the Dylanesque Gray toiled throughout the 1990s, while seemingly only Irish audiences listened. But mainstream success would not escape a songwriter with Gray’s talent, and soon chart hit after chart hit (‘Please Forgive Me’, ‘Babylon’) snatched mass radio airplay, bolstered by a middle-aged fan base and anyone who liked a tune they could whistle underpinned by danceable rhythms, a winning formula perfected in his home ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Guitar, vocals, b. 1946) After ‘Catch The Wind’ and ‘Colours’ charted in 1965, this projected English ‘answer’ to Bob Dylan lost impetus until he mined a seam of ‘sunshine’ pop with songs such as ‘Sunshine Superman’ – a US No. 1 – and ‘Jennifer Juniper’. After ‘Atlantis’ foundered in 1968’s UK Top 30, he bounced back briefly with ‘Goo Goo Barabajagal (Love Is Hot)’, a liaison with The Jeff Beck Group. ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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‘What I Am’, 1989 Late 1980s folk rockers, Edie Brickell And The Bohemians were really riding on the talent of chief songwriter Edie Brickell. ‘What I Am’ was a Top 10 hit from their debut LP, Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars, though the group disbanded after its 1990 follow-up, Ghost Of A Dog, failed to perform to expectations. Edie kick-started a solo career in 2003, with longtime Dylan sideman Charlie Sexton ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1967–79, 1985–present) Not so much a premier folk rock ensemble as one of the most English of veteran rock bands, Fairport formed in London in 1967 in a vague image of Jefferson Airplane, but traditional folk pervaded a second LP, What We Did On Our Holidays (1969), on which singer Sandy Denny debuted, and those that followed. Representatives of all line-ups have pitched in at Cropredy, the annual festival ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 2006–present) Seattle folk quintet Fleet Foxes emerged in 2008 through MySpace and impressed with their harmony-laced acoustic music, a throwback to the late Sixties. Their eponymous debut reached No. 3 in the UK in 2008, also making the Top 40 in their home country. Critics ranked their effort as the best of the year, among them The Times and Billboard, ensuring record sales were matched by media praise. Styles & ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
89 Words Read More
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