The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964.[1] The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn, a.k.a. Jim McGuinn, remaining the sole consistent member, until the group disbanded in 1973.[2] Although they only managed to attain the huge commercial success of contemporaries like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Rolling Stones for a short period (1965–66), The Byrds are today considered by critics to be one of the most influential bands of the 1960s.[1] Initially, they pioneered the musical genre of folk rock, melding the influence of The Beatles and other British Invasion bands with contemporary and traditional folk music.[3] As the 1960s progressed, the band was also influential in originating psychedelic rock, raga rock, and country rock.[1][4][5]
The band's signature blend of clear harmony singing and McGuinn's jangly twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar has continued to be influential on popular music up to the present day.[1][6] Among the band's most enduring songs are their cover versions of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" and Pete Seeger's "Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)", along with the self-penned originals, "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better", "Eight Miles High", "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star", "Ballad of Easy Rider" and "Chestnut Mare".
The original five-piece line-up of The Byrds consisted of Jim McGuinn (lead guitar, vocals), Gene Clark (tambourine, vocals), David Crosby (rhythm guitar, vocals), Chris Hillman (bass guitar, vocals), and Michael Clarke (drums).[7] However, this version of the band was relatively short-lived and by early 1966, Clark had left due to problems associated with anxiety and his increasing isolation within the group.[8] The Byrds continued as a quartet until late 1967, when Crosby and Clarke also departed the band.[9] McGuinn and Hillman decided to recruit new members, including country rock pioneer Gram Parsons, but by late 1968, Hillman and Parsons had also exited the band.[1] McGuinn, who by this time had changed his name to Roger after a flirtation with the Subud religion,[2] elected to rebuild the band's membership and between 1968 and 1973, he helmed a new incarnation of The Byrds, featuring guitarist Clarence White among others.[1] McGuinn disbanded the then current line-up in 1972 to make way for a reunion of the original quintet.[10] The Byrds' final album was released in March 1973, with the reunited group disbanding soon afterwards.[11]
Several former members of the band 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 The Desert Rose Band.[1] In the late 1980s, Gene Clark and Michael Clarke both began touring as The Byrds, prompting a legal challenge from McGuinn, Crosby, and Hillman over the rights to the band's name.[12] As a result of this, McGuinn, Crosby, and Hillman performed a series of reunion concerts as The Byrds in 1989 and 1990, and also recorded four new Byrds' songs.[13][14]
In January 1991, The Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an occasion that saw the five original members performing together for the last time.[15][16] McGuinn, Crosby, and Hillman still remain active but Gene Clark died of a heart attack in 1991, and Michael Clarke died of liver failure in 1993.[17][18]
History[]
Band members[]
Legacy[]
Discography[]
Further reading[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Unterberger, Richie. Biography of The Byrds. Allmusic. Retrieved on May 25, 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ankeny, Jason. Biography of Roger McGuinn. Allmusic. Retrieved on May 25, 2010.
- ↑ Folk-Rock Overview. Allmusic. Retrieved on March 15, 2010.
- ↑ Psychedelic Rock Overview. Allmusic. Retrieved on January 30, 2010.
- ↑ Bellman, Jonathan. (1997). The Exotic In Western Music. Northeastern Publishing. p. 351. ISBN 1-55553-319-1.
- ↑ Smith, Chris. (2009). 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music. Oxford University Press. pp. 32–34. ISBN 0-19-537371-5.
- ↑ Buckley, Peter. (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. pp. 155–156. ISBN 1-84353-105-4.
- ↑ Einarson, John. (2005). Mr. Tambourine Man: The Life and Legacy of The Byrds' Gene Clark. Backbeat Books. pp. 87–89. ISBN 0-87930-793-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=ZZUHknGVGx4C&printsec=frontcover.
- ↑ Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973). Jawbone Press. p. 117. ISBN 1-906002-15-0.
- ↑ Template:Cite AV media notes
- ↑ Connors, Tim. Byrds. ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles. Retrieved on May 25, 2010.
- ↑ Deming, Mark. Biography of Gene Clark. Allmusic. Retrieved on May 25, 2010.
- ↑ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 425–429. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ↑ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 439–440. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ↑ Einarson, John. (2005). Mr. Tambourine Man: The Life and Legacy of The Byrds' Gene Clark. Backbeat Books. pp. 293–294. ISBN 0-87930-793-5.
- ↑ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 445–447. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ↑ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. p. 510. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ↑ Unterberger, Richie. Biography of Michael Clarke. Allmusic. Retrieved on May 25, 2010.