Artist · EveryDisc catalogue

The Byrds

An American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. During its existence, the group underwent many lineup changes, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the only constant member. Although their time as one of the most popular groups in the world lasted only a short period in the mid-1960s, critics consider the Byrds to be one of the most influential rock performers of their era. Their signature blend of pure harmonic singing and the chiming 12-string Rickenbacker guitar of McGuinn "soaked into the vocabulary of rock" and continues to exert influence. Initially, the Byrds group pioneered the musical genre of folk rock as a popular format in 1965, combining the influence of the Beatles and other groups of the British Invasion with contemporary and traditional folk music in their first and second albums and the hit singles "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and "Mr. Tambourine Man." During the 1960s, the group influenced the birth of psychedelic rock and raga rock with their song "Eight Miles High" and the albums Fifth Dimension (1966), Younger Than Yesterday (1967), and The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968). The group also played a pioneering role in the development of country rock, releasing the album Sweetheart of the Rodeo in 1968, which represents their most complete immersion in that genre.