The New Folk Music: Folk Rock

The Byrds, pictured above, were the seminal folk rock band of the mid 1960s. Their music featured chiming guitar passages and harmonious vocals. They were among the first bands to meld the songwriting style of folk with a rock and roll beat. The Byrds were primarily a cover band, picking up songs from Bob Dylan and others including some traditional folk tunes. Below is a video of The Byrds covering Mr. Tamborine Man. They are famous for this version of the great Bob Dylan song, but clearly, to me, they do not do it justice.


The Byrds established the blueprint for folk rock to follow. Toward the end of the 60s folk-rock groups tended to return to the acoustic origins of folk. But over the next three decades both acoustic and electric rock prevailed.

Early Folk Rock Artists at Niles:

The Byrds
Leonard Cohen
Nick Drake
Bob Dylan
Grateful Dead
Richie Havens
The Lovin' Spoonful
Joni Mitchell
Van Morrison
Tom Rush (not at Niles but worth hearing)
Simon and Garfunkel
Neil Young

Note that list list includes some of the greatest musical performers of all time and some of the very most irritating. I'll let you decide which is which.