The Byrds hired Gram Parsons (vocals, guitar, 1946–73) in 1968 because they needed a guitarist and pianist to fill the instrumental void left by the recent departure of David Crosby (vocals, guitar, b. 1941) and the earlier departure of Gene Clark (vocals, guitar, 1944–91). The remaining Byrds – Roger McGuinn (vocals, guitar, b. ...
Melding folk with rock, smooth harmonies with jangling guitars, The Byrds enjoyed a short period during the mid-1960s when they were not only publicly acclaimed by their two biggest influences, Bob Dylan and The Beatles, but when they themselves also influenced those icons. Acoustic Folk Pop Jim McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III, 13 July 1942), ...
Acoustic Guitar Throughout its history, the guitar has – perhaps more than any other instrument – managed to bridge the gap between the often disconnected worlds of classical, folk and popular music. Its roots go back to Babylonian times; by the 1500s it was prevalent in Spain, and is still sometimes called the Spanish guitar. Medieval versions – ...
Stones, The Yardbirds and The Who, who had already started out with a more aggressive rock sensibility. Add to them former folkies such as Bob Dylan and The Byrds, as well as emerging west coast acts like The Doors, Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead, and it was clear that, echoing the musical revolution that ...
pop-oriented covers by the likes of The Hollies, Herman’s Hermits, Judy Collins, Sonny and Cher, Manfred Mann, The Turtles and, most famously, The Byrds, during the next few years. In the meantime, while Dylan’s influence was spreading on both sides of the Atlantic, with rock contemporaries like John Lennon transitioning from ...
of rock, turning acoustic guitar into a solo instrument. He developed a device for electric guitar that let traditional guitarists sound like pedal-steel players. As a member of The Byrds from 1968 to 1973, he brought a new level of musicianship to a band that, with the exception of Roger McGuinn, didn’t even play on their first ...
Top 20 country singles between 1968 and 1972, including 1969’s ‘You Gave Me A Mountain’. Styles & Forms | Country Rock & The Outlaws | Country Personalities | The Byrds | Country Rock & The Outlaws | Country ...
Unorthodox, uncompromising, Patti Smith was a seminal figure in the New York punk movement and has remained a touchstone for later generations of rock artists. Born on 30 December 1946, Smith was raised in southern New Jersey by her atheist father and Jehovah’s Witness mother. Leaving school at 16 she had brief, unsatisfying stints working in a ...
Alternative-rock guitarist Peter Buck (b. 1956) was born in Berkeley, California. After dropping out of college, he moved to Athens, Georgia, where he met singer Michael Stipe while working in a record shop. The pair discovered that they had similar tastes in music: punk rock, Patti Smith and Television. Together with Mike Mills (bass) and ...
, 1982–present) Glaswegian Bobby Gillespie was the drummer in The Jesus And Mary Chain before forming Primal Scream in 1982. Early releases paid tribute to the 1960s sound of The Byrds and Love before beginning to steer towards Cult-like rock territory on second album Primal Scream (1989). Discovering the acid-house scene was a revelation to the now stable line-up of Gillespie ...
on the American alternative college circuit receiving critical acclaim for their intelligent mixture of rock, pop and harmony drawing on influences as diverse as British new wave, The Byrds, The Velvet Underground and Stipe’s extensive reading material. The mountain moved to them in 1987 when ‘The One I Love’ became their first US hit single. The frantic ‘It’s ...
ambience of The Byrds’ psychedelic hit ‘Eight Miles High’ (1966). Along the way, Chicago’s Jim McGuinn was renamed Roger by the founder of the Subud spiritual group. The original Byrds would enjoy enormous success, but would soon split, reform and spawn solo careers. McGuinn has continued to tour and record solo albums, his latest release being 2011’s ...
never charted in the UK. Now hailed as an uncompromising elder statesman of soul, he still records and preaches. Styles & Forms | Sixties | Rock Personalities | The Byrds | Sixties | Rock ...
to London to record their debut album, The Eagles (1972), with producer Glyn Johns (The Rolling Stones, The Who, Steve Miller), polishing the country rock of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers with a harder sound and carefully arranged harmonies. The Eagles went gold in America, spawning three hit singles: ‘Witchy Woman’, ‘Take It Easy’ (written ...
‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’ he followed the Everlys’ up-tempo arrangement to a tee. Their influence on The Beatles (The Everlys’ version of Ray Charles’ ‘Leave My Woman Alone’ is a prime example), The Byrds, The Beach Boys, and Simon & Garfunkel is obvious from the earliest days, as hit followed hit; the mildly risqué ‘Wake Up Little Susie’ (1957), the heavenly ...
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David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
his life, music, art and movies, with a
sweep of incredible photographs.