Now you know where I’m coming from I’ll carry on, and while – admittedly – I haven’t studied Roger’s solo output greatly, he remains something of a musical hero.Īnd I’m pleased to say he’s still hard at it all these years on, not least through his work with the Folk Den project these past 20 years, recording a different folk song each month. I soon shelled out for the 1985 CBS vinyl reissue of their 1967 11-track Greatest Hits, comprising some of the bigger numbers from those first four albums, and was hooked.Ī 20-track Columbia CD compilation followed that into my collection in the early ’90s, culled from a new boxed set.Īnd in more recent times came the shabbily-packaged original album classics five-CD box featured material up to the country-tinged The Notorious Byrd Brothers.įrom that you’ll gather I’m no completist, but this is still a band that mean a lot to me, from those glorious harmonies to the Rickenbacker sound that triumphantly announced the arrival of folk-rock.Īnd although I value Bob Dylan as a songwriter and have a great love for the albums he made when he went electric – notably 1965/66 offerings Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde – The Byrds’ covers spoke more to me. So frightfully camp, it made you laugh, t omorrow I’ll buy myself a dress (how ludicrous)” “I wore my fringe like Roger McGuinn’s, I was hoping to impress. The inspiration behind the band was even-name-checked in Orange Juice’s Consolation Prize, Edwyn Collins’ glorious take on unrequited love informing us: I already liked radio staple Mr Tambourine Man, but there were many more great songs I was soon switched on to. The Long Ryders were part of the stateside variation on the theme – on the so-called Paisley Underground scene – that caught my imagination, and pretty soon Sid Griffin’s band led me to investigate further the work of McGuinn’s outfit. There were a host of influences offered up, and alongside those frequent Velvet Underground mentions there was also a nod to The Byrds. Some stood the test of time, others soon foundered, but it was a healthy scene all the same. My arrival on the London gig circuit properly came in the mid-’80s, amid a plethora (or a plectra, maybe?) of ‘jingle-jangle’ indie bands. I feel those of us who spent our teenage years watching guitar bands owe something of a debt to Roger McGuinn. This Grammy Award winning artist tours the world delighting audiences with the songs and stories from his long and continually productive musical career.Guitar Hero: Roger McGuinn is all set for his latest UK tour When McGuinn disbanded the Byrds in 1973, he began his lifelong dream of a solo career inspired by folk singer, Pete Seeger. During a Thanksgiving dinner the band settled on the name "Byrds." Columbia Records signed the Byrds in January, 1965 and released their number one hit, "Mr. Mandolin player Chris Hillman was tapped to be the bass player. Within a few months, McGuinn, Clark & Crosby asked conga player Michael Clarke to join them as a drummer because he looked like two of the Rolling Stones. That third voice completed the underpinnings of one of the most influential bands of the '60s. They joined their talents and began writing songs in the front room of the Troubadour, then called the “Folk Den.”ĭavid Crosby walked in one day and joined them with his unique concepts of harmony. It was there that Gene Clark approached Roger with an appreciation for his unusual musical blend. His experimental musical style didn't please the folk purists, so he moved to Los Angeles to work at the Troubadour opening for Hoyt Axton. McGuinn heard the Beatles for the first time at the Brill Building, and began adding a Beatle beat to his favorite folk songs in the coffee houses of Greenwich Village. He and Frank Gari co-wrote the song "Beach Ball" and performed it with Darin, as the City Surfers, July 1963. He toured with singer Bobby Darin, and then moved to New York to work for Darin’s publishing company, in the fabled Brill Building as a songwriter. Within a few weeks of finishing high school, he was in California with the Limeliters, playing guitar and banjo on their album "Tonight: In Person." He then toured with the Chad Mitchell Trio and recorded on their albums: "Mighty Day on Campus" and “The Chad Mitchell Trio at the Bitter End.” McGuinn, a Chicago native, studied at the Old Town School of Folk Music and was active on Chicago's folk scene. He was also the musical director on Judy Collins #3. Prior to forming the Byrds, Roger toured and performed with the Limeliters, Chad Mitchell Trio and Bobby Darin as a guitarist and banjo player. Jim McGuinn, later known as Roger, was already a veteran of the New York and Los Angeles music scenes when he co-founded the group that would become the Byrds with Gene Clark and David Crosby in 1964.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |