The Byrds

The Byrds
The Byrds in 1965
From left: David Crosby, Gene Clark, Michael Clarke, Chris Hillman, and Jim McGuinn[nb 1]
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 1964–1973
  • 1989–1991
  • 2000
Labels
Spinoffs
  • The Flying Burrito Brothers
  • Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  • Firefall
  • McGuinn, Clark & Hillman
  • the Desert Rose Band
Spinoff of
  • The Jet Set
  • the Beefeaters
Past membersRoger McGuinn
Gene Clark
David Crosby
Michael Clarke
Chris Hillman
Kevin Kelley
Gram Parsons
Clarence White
Gene Parsons
John York
Skip Battin
Websitethebyrds.com

The Byrds (/bɜːrdz/ BURDZ) were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964.[1] The band underwent multiple lineup changes; frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) was the sole consistent member.[2] For a short time in the mid-1960s, the Byrds were among the most popular groups in the world, with critics considering them to be among the most influential rock acts of their era.[1][3][4] The band's signature sound of "angelic harmonies" and McGuinn's jangly 12-string Rickenbacker guitar sound was "absorbed into the vocabulary of rock" and has continued to be influential.[1][5]

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 "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and "Mr. Tambourine Man".[6][7][8][9] As the 1960s progressed, the band was influential in originating psychedelic rock and raga rock, with their song "Eight Miles High" (1966) and the albums Fifth Dimension (1966), Younger Than Yesterday (1967), and The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968).[1][10][11] The band also helped pioneer country rock,[1] particularly with the 1968 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo.[12]

The band's original five-piece lineup consisted of McGuinn (lead guitar, vocals), Gene Clark (tambourine, vocals), David Crosby (rhythm guitar, vocals), Michael Clarke (drums), and Chris Hillman (bass guitar, vocals).[13] In early 1966, Clark left due to anxiety and his increasing isolation within the group.[14] The Byrds continued as a quartet until late 1967, when Crosby and Clarke departed.[15] McGuinn and Hillman recruited new members, including country rock pioneer Gram Parsons, but by late 1968, Hillman and Parsons had also left the band.[1] McGuinn rebuilt a new version of the Byrds that featured guitarist Clarence White among others.[1] McGuinn disbanded that iteration of the band in early 1973 to make way for a reunion of the original quintet.[16] The Byrds released their final album in March 1973, with the reunited group disbanding later that year.[17]

Several members of the Byrds went on to successful careers as solo artists or as members of such groups as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Flying Burrito Brothers, McGuinn, Clark & Hillman, and the Desert Rose Band.[1] In 1991, the Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a ceremony that saw the five original members perform together for the last time.[18][19] Gene Clark died of a heart attack later that year,[20] while Michael Clarke died of liver failure in 1993.[21] Crosby died in 2023.[22] McGuinn and Hillman remain musically active.


Cite error: There are <ref group=nb> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=nb}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Unterberger, Richie. "Biography of The Byrds". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  2. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Biography of Roger McGuinn". Allmusic. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  3. ^ Einarson, John. (2005). Mr. Tambourine Man: The Life and Legacy of the Byrds' Gene Clark. Backbeat Books. pp. 72–75. ISBN 0-87930-793-5.
  4. ^ Menck, Ric. (2007). The Notorious Byrd Brothers (33⅓ series). Continuum Books. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-8264-1717-6.
  5. ^ Smith, Chris. (2009). 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music. Oxford University Press. pp. 32–34. ISBN 978-0-19-537371-4.
  6. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Mr. Tambourine Man song review". Allmusic. Archived from the original on April 9, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  7. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Turn! Turn! Turn! song review". Allmusic. Archived from the original on December 16, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  8. ^ Richie Unterberger. "Mr. Tambourine Man album review". Allmusic. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  9. ^ "Folk-Rock Overview". Allmusic. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  10. ^ "Psychedelic Rock Overview". Allmusic. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  11. ^ Bellman, Jonathan. (1997). The Exotic In Western Music. Northeastern Publishing. p. 351. ISBN 1-55553-319-1.
  12. ^ Fricke, David (1997). "A Trip to the Country". Sweetheart of the Rodeo (CD booklet). The Byrds. Columbia/Legacy.
  13. ^ Buckley, Peter. (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. pp. 155–156. ISBN 1-84353-105-4.
  14. ^ 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. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  15. ^ 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 978-1-906002-15-2.
  16. ^ Fricke, David (2000). "Farther Along: The Byrds at Twilight". Farther Along (CD booklet). The Byrds. Columbia/Legacy.
  17. ^ Connors, Tim. "Byrds". ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 445–447. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
  20. ^ Rogan, Johnny (2012). Requiem for the Timeless, Volume 1. Rogan House. p. 779. ISBN 978-0-95295-408-8.
  21. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Biography of Michael Clarke". Allmusic. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  22. ^ Willman, Chris; Morris, Chris (January 19, 2023). "David Crosby, Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash Co-Founder, Dies at 81". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
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