The Byrds (formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964) were an American rock band. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of Folk music and rock music. For the geological term see Country rock (geology. Country rock is a Musical Genre formed from the fusion of rock Psychedelic rock is a style of Rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs. Jangle pop is a genre of Alternative rock from the mid-1980s that "marked a return to the chiming guitars and pop melodies of the '60s" bands such as The In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company James Roger McGuinn (known professionally as Roger McGuinn, previously as Jim McGuinn, and born James Joseph McGuinn III on July 13, Gene Clark, born Harold Eugene Clark (born Tipton Missouri, November 17, 1944 - May 24, 1991) was an American David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American Guitarist, Singer, and Songwriter. Chris Hillman (born Christopher Hillman December 4 1944, Los Angeles, California) was one of the original members of The Byrds Michael Clarke (born Michael James Dick) ( June 3, 1946 &ndash December 19, 1993) was an American musician best Gram Parsons ( November 5, 1946  – September 19, 1973) was an American Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist Clarence White (born Clarence LeBlanc ( June 7, 1944 – July 15, 1973) was a Guitar player for Nashville West, Gene Parsons (born April 9, 1944 in Los Angeles, California) is an American Drummer, Banjoist Guitarist Clyde "Skip" Battin (born February 18, 1934 in Gallipolis, Ohio, died John Guerin ( October 31, 1939 – January 5, 2004) worked as a Drummer, Percussionist, and Recording artist Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums.

The Byrds were popular and influential through the latter part of the 1960s and early 1970s. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. Critic Richie Unterberger declares The Byrds' most enduring contribution was "melding the innovations and energy of the British Invasion with the best lyrical and musical elements of contemporary folk music,"^[1] but they also helped forge such subgenres as folk rock, space rock, raga rock, psychedelic rock, jangle pop, and –- on their 1968 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo –- country rock. The British Invasion was the term applied by the news media — and subsequently by consumers — to the influx of Rock and roll, beat and pop performers Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of Folk music and rock music. Space rock is a subgenre of Rock music; the term originally referred to a group of early mostly British 1970s Progressive rock and psychedelic Raga rock is a term used to describe Rock and roll records with heavy South Asian influence either in construction Timbre or use of instrumentation such Psychedelic rock is a style of Rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs. Jangle pop is a genre of Alternative rock from the mid-1980s that "marked a return to the chiming guitars and pop melodies of the '60s" bands such as The Sweetheart of the Rodeo is the sixth Album by American rock band The Byrds, released on July 29 1968 (see For the geological term see Country rock (geology. Country rock is a Musical Genre formed from the fusion of rock After several line-up changes (with lead singer/guitarist Roger McGuinn as the only consistent member), they broke up in 1973. The lead vocalist (or lead singer) is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles James Roger McGuinn (known professionally as Roger McGuinn, previously as Jim McGuinn, and born James Joseph McGuinn III on July 13,

Some of their trademark songs include pop covers of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" and Pete Seeger’s "Turn! Turn! Turn!", and the originals "I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better", and "Eight Miles High". Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major For The Byrds ' album of the same name see Mr Tambourine Man (album. Peter "Pete" Seeger (born May 3 1919 is an American folk singer political Activist, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American " Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There is a Season " often abbreviated to " Turn! Turn! Turn! " is a song adapted entirely from the the Book of Ecclesiastes " I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better " is a 1965 song by the Californian Folk-rock band The Byrds. " Eight Miles High " is a Song by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, and David Crosby, first appearing as a single from 1966 by

They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and several band members have launched successful solo careers after leaving the group. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked them #45 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published ^[2]

History

Origins

The Byrds were founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1964 by singers and guitarists Jim McGuinn (born James McGuinn III; he changed his name to Roger McGuinn in 1967, after joining the spiritual movement Subud), Gene Clark, and David Crosby. James Roger McGuinn (known professionally as Roger McGuinn, previously as Jim McGuinn, and born James Joseph McGuinn III on July 13, Subud (pronounced subud is an international spiritual association that began in Indonesia in the 1920s as a movement founded by a Javanese Muslim Muhammad Subuh Gene Clark, born Harold Eugene Clark (born Tipton Missouri, November 17, 1944 - May 24, 1991) was an American David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American Guitarist, Singer, and Songwriter. Bass guitarist Chris Hillman and drummer Michael Clarke joined soon after. Chris Hillman (born Christopher Hillman December 4 1944, Los Angeles, California) was one of the original members of The Byrds Michael Clarke (born Michael James Dick) ( June 3, 1946 &ndash December 19, 1993) was an American musician best

McGuinn had been in a series of folk outfits including The Limeliters and the Chad Mitchell Trio before working in New York in 1962–1963 as a songwriter for Bobby Darin. The Limeliters are a folk music group formed in July 1959 by Lou Gottlieb (bass Alex Hassilev (baritone and Glenn Yarbrough (tenor The Chad Mitchell Trio was an American Folk music group during the 1960s Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert "Bobby" Cassotto, May 14 1936 &ndash December 20, 1973) was one of the most popular He moved to L. A. in late 1963 and began gigging at clubs such as the Troubadour but, after hearing The Beatles for the first time, saw what he later called "a gap in the market", and resolved to take "Lennon and Dylan and mix them together. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 "

Gene Clark, who had been in the New Christy Minstrels, briefly joined McGuinn in a duo playing at The Folk Den before Crosby, who had performed with Les Baxter's Balladeers, persuaded them to let him join. The New Christy Minstrels is an American Folk music group that came to prominence in the 1960s The newly formed trio recorded a song, "The Only Girl I Adore", soon after naming themselves "The Jet Set" (McGuinn and Crosby were aviation buffs). As such they cut a couple of numbers, "You Movin'" and "The Only Girl". They then hired Michael Clarke (who had the right look for the part) to join on drums. Former bluegrass mandolin player Hillman, who had played with the Scotsville Squirrel Barkers, the Golden State Boys, and the Hillmen, completed the quintet. A mandolin is a musical instrument in the Lute family (plucked or strummed (Overall, it can be said the members were markedly influenced by the American folk music revival. The American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States in the 1950s to mid-1960s )

They rehearsed and recorded extensively at the World Pacific Studios in Los Angeles under the guidance of manager Jim Dickson. This period culminated with Elektra Records releasing a single, "Please Let Me Love You" b/w "Don't Be Long", under the name "The Beefeaters". Elektra Records is a now-dormant American Record label owned by Warner Music Group (WMG and from 2004 on operating under WMG's Atlantic Records Years later, these World Pacific demos were released as the Preflyte album and even made the lower reaches of the album charts. There have since been two further archive albums culled from the World Pacific sessions, In The Beginning (1988) and The Preflyte Sessions (2001).

Folk rock

In November 1964, the band signed to Columbia Records and a few days later renamed themselves The Byrds. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company On January 20, 1965, they recorded "Mr. Tambourine Man", a Bob Dylan song given a full electric treatment, and effectively created folk rock. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. For The Byrds ' album of the same name see Mr Tambourine Man (album. McGuinn's jangling, highly melodic guitar playing (using a 12-string, heavily compressed Rickenbacker for its extremely bright tone) was immediately influential, and has remained so to the present day. For the American WWI fighter pilot see Eddie Rickenbacker. For the airport see Rickenbacker International Airport. The group's complex harmony work became the other major characteristic of their sound (McGuinn and Clark alternating between unison singing and harmony, with Crosby providing the high harmony). In Music, a unison () is an interval, the ratio of 11 or 0 half steps and zero cents. Released in June 1965 after a long delay, this debut single reached #1 on the US charts and, a month later, repeated the feat in the UK. At the same time, their debut album Mr. Tambourine Man was released, also topping the charts. Mr Tambourine Man is the debut album by the American Folk-rock band The Byrds. The album mixed reworkings of folk songs (most notably Pete Seeger's "The Bells Of Rhymney") with several more Dylan covers, as well as a number of the band's own compositions, mainly written by Gene Clark. Peter "Pete" Seeger (born May 3 1919 is an American folk singer political Activist, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American

Since the band had not yet completely gelled in January, McGuinn had been the only Byrd to play on "Mr. Tambourine Man" and its B-side, "I Knew I'd Want You". A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch Vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s Instead, producer Terry Melcher hired "The Wrecking Crew", a collection of top session men including Hal Blaine, Larry Knechtel and Leon Russell, who provided the backing track over which McGuinn added lead guitar and lead vocal, while Crosby and Clark sang harmony. Terry Melcher ( February 8, 1942 – November 19, 2004) was an American Musician and Record producer. The Wrecking Crew was a nickname given to a group of Session musicians in Los Angeles California, who earned wide acclaim in the 1960s Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky 5 February 1929, Holyoke Massachusetts) is an US Drummer and Session musician Larry Knechtel (born Lawrence William Knechtel 4 August 1940, Bell, California) is a Session musician best-known for his work with Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges on April 2 1942 in Lawton Oklahoma, United States) is a Singer, Songwriter By the time the album was recorded, Melcher was satisfied that the band were up to scratch, and they were to play on all the remaining tracks.

The group's follow-up single was another interpretation of a Dylan song, "All I Really Want To Do". Unfortunately for The Byrds, Cher simultaneously released her own version of the song with greater commercial success. Cher ( IPA: /ʃɛr/ born Cherilyn Sarkisian, May 20 1946 Even though they had recorded Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" as their third single (it was played on the California radio station KFWB), The Byrds instead quickly recorded "Turn! Turn! Turn!", a Pete Seeger adaptation of a traditional melody, with some lyrics taken directly from the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes, and the song became the group's second US #1 single, also headlining their second album (also titled Turn! Turn! Turn!). " Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There is a Season " often abbreviated to " Turn! Turn! Turn! " is a song adapted entirely from the the Book of Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes (often abbreviated Ecc) (קֹהֶלֶת Kohelet, variously transliterated as Qoheleth, Göhalath, Koheles, Koheleth Turn! Turn! Turn! is the second Album by the Folk-rock band The Byrds, released 1965 on Columbia Records, catalogue item CL 2454 in

Like their debut, the album was characterised by harmony vocal and McGuinn's distinctive guitar sound, highlighted by the bright-sounding production of Terry Melcher. This time they featured more of their own compositions and now had, in Gene Clark, a major songwriter; his songs from this period, including "The World Turns All Around Her", "She Don't Care About Time", "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" and "Set You Free This Time", are widely regarded as amongst the best of the genre.

Psychedelia

By the end of 1965, the band had exhausted the folk rock sound, and began to experiment. On December 22, 1965, they recorded "Eight Miles High", generally considered the first full-blown psychedelic recording (although many contemporaneous groups, notably The Yardbirds, were moving in a similar direction). Events 1790 - The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Suvorov and his Russian armies Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. " Eight Miles High " is a Song by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, and David Crosby, first appearing as a single from 1966 by The Yardbirds are an English rock band noted for starting the careers of three of rock's most famous Guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck It was widely regarded as a "drug" song (despite its lyrics being about an airplane flight and a concert tour of England), and its relatively modest success when it was released as a single (US #14, UK #24) has been attributed to the resulting airplay bans on some radio stations (though the unfamiliar and slightly uncommercial sound of the track is another possible factor). While the groundbreaking lead guitar work was actually an attempt by McGuinn to replicate the free jazz saxophone style of John Coltrane, the record was often referred to as "raga rock" - in fact, it was the B-side "Why?" which drew on Indian raga influences. For the Ornette Coleman album after which this genre was named see Free Jazz A Collective Improvisation. Raga rock is a term used to describe Rock and roll records with heavy South Asian influence either in construction Timbre or use of instrumentation such Rāga ( Sanskrit, lit "colour" or "mood" or rāgam in Carnatic music) refers to melodic modes used

Gene Clark left the band in March 1966, partly due to a fear of flying which made it impossible to keep up with the band's itinerary. He had witnessed a fatal airplane crash as a youth and had never gotten over it. He had a panic attack on a plane in L. A. bound for New York and had to get off. McGuinn told him, "You can't be a Byrd, Gene, if you can't fly. " He was signed by Columbia as a solo artist and went on to forge a critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful body of work.

The Byrds' third album, Fifth Dimension (5D), released in July 1966, built on the new sound the band had created for "Eight Miles High", McGuinn extending his exploration of jazz and raga styles on tracks such as "I See You" and Crosby's "What's Happening?!?!" respectively. Fifth Dimension is the third album by the American rock band The Byrds, which was released in the summer of 1966 on Columbia Records The campaign in US radio to clamp down on "drug songs" affected several of the tracks, such as "Eight Miles High" and "5D," and limited the album's commercial success (#24 US).

Allegedly irritated by the overnight success of manufactured groups such as The Monkees, the group next recorded the satirical and slightly bitter dig at the music business, "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star", which again broke new ground musically, featuring a brass part played by the South African musician Hugh Masekela. For the group's self-titled album see The Monkees (album. For the TV series see The Monkees (TV series. " So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star " is a rock song written by Jim McGuinn and Chris Hillman, and first recorded by The Byrds The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Hugh Ramopolo Masekela (b Witbank, South Africa, April 4, 1939) is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist The song achieved modest success as a single and also kicked off their fourth album, Younger Than Yesterday. Younger Than Yesterday is the fourth Album from the Folk-rock group The Byrds, released in February 1967 on Columbia Records, catalogue The LP was more varied than its predecessor, and has been widely praised for tracks such as Crosby's sinister ballad "Everybody's Been Burned", a cover of Dylan's My Back Pages" (later released as a single), and a quartet of Chris Hillman numbers which showed the bassist emerging fully formed as a country-oriented songwriter ("Have You Seen Her Face", "Time Between", "Thoughts And Words", "The Girl With No Name"). " My Back Pages " is a Bob Dylan song from the album Another Side of Bob Dylan ( 1964) However, many critics feel that the album suffers in parts from (possibly drug-induced) self-indulgence, especially on tracks such as "CTA-102", a McGuinn novelty song about alien life, and Crosby's lengthy recitation "Mind Gardens. "

Line-up changes

By 1967 there was increasing tension between the band members, McGuinn and Hillman becoming irritated by what they saw as Crosby's overbearing egotism, and his attempts to jockey for control of the band. In June, when the Byrds performed at the Monterey Pop Festival, Crosby sang the majority of lead vocals, and to the intense annoyance of the other members gave lengthy speeches between every song, on subjects such as the JFK assassination and the benefits of giving LSD to "every man, woman and child in the country". The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey He then added insult to injury by performing later with rival band Buffalo Springfield (filling in for Neil Young). Buffalo Springfield was a short-lived but influential Folk rock group that served as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Neil Percival Young OM (born November 12, 1945, Toronto Ontario) is a Canadian Singer-songwriter, Musician His stock within the band dropped further following the commercial failure of his first A-side, "Lady Friend", released in July (US #82). In October, during the recording of the fifth Byrds album, Crosby refused to participate in taping the Goffin-King number "Goin' Back" in preference to his more controversial "Triad", a song about a ménage à trois. Ménage à trois is the French term describing a relationship or domestic arrangement in which three people share a sexual relationship The simmering tensions within the band finally erupted and in 1967 the other group members fired Crosby, who subsequently received a considerable cash settlement, and soon after began working with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, forming the hugely successful supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash. Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945 is an American Guitarist and Singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is an British-American Singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions SuperGroup is a Reality show on the channel VH1. The show puts together five Heavy metal musicians packed into a large mansion that must play a show after Crosby Stills & Nash ( CSN) is a Folk rock / rock supergroup made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash Gene Clark briefly rejoined The Byrds to take his place, but left three weeks later, after again refusing to board an aircraft while on tour. Michael Clarke also quit during these sessions, partly due to disputes with Crosby during the recording of "Dolphin's Smile". Studio drummer Jim Gordon was drafted in to complete his parts. The bluegrass guitarist Clarence White contributed significantly on several tracks, later becoming a permanent band member in 1968.

The resulting album, The Notorious Byrd Brothers, was released in January 1968, and despite its troubled genesis, contains some of the band's gentlest, most ethereal music. The Notorious Byrd Brothers is the fifth Rock music album by The Byrds, released in 1968 on Columbia Records, catalogue item CL 2775 in The record mixed folk rock, country, psychedelia and jazz, often within a single song, and attempted to deal with many contemporary themes such as peace, ecology, freedom, drug use, alienation and mankind's place in the Universe. It included the song "Wasn't Born to Follow", which featured on the Easy Rider Soundtrack. Easy Rider is the Soundtrack to the Cult classic 1969 film Easy Rider, a film often remembered for its epic late 1960s Rock Over the years, The Notorious Byrd Brothers has gained in reputation, and is often considered the group's best work, while the contentious incidents surrounding its making have largely been forgotten.

Now reduced to a duo, The Byrds quickly recruited Hillman's cousin Kevin Kelley as drummer and the band went out on tour in support of The Notorious Byrd Brothers as a trio. After realizing that the trio arrangement wasn't going to work, McGuinn and Hillman, in a fateful decision for their future career-direction, hired Gram Parsons, originally to play keyboards (he later moved to guitar). Gram Parsons ( November 5, 1946  – September 19, 1973) was an American Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist With the aid of Hillman, Parsons persuaded McGuinn to change direction again, and take up a style with which they had previously only dabbled - country music.

Country rock

On February 15, 1968, they played at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, the first group of longhairs ever to do so, and immediately started recording their next album in a wholly country style, with Parsons choosing and singing many of the songs. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly Country music radio program and concert broadcast live on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee However, on July 29, Parsons quit the band just before they flew to South Africa because he refused to play to segregated audiences. Events 1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat At the same time, Sweetheart of the Rodeo was released, most of Parsons' vocals being replaced by either McGuinn or Hillman due to legal problems with Parsons' previous record company. Sweetheart of the Rodeo is the sixth Album by American rock band The Byrds, released on July 29 1968 (see The album was commercially unsuccessful on its release (US # 77), but contains the yearning Parsons song which has become a standard, "Hickory Wind", as well as a couple of Dylan tunes from his then-unreleased Basement Tapes collection, and more traditional songs from such unlikely sources as The Louvin Brothers ("The Christian Life"). The Basement Tapes is a Studio album by Bob Dylan and The Band, released in 1975 by Columbia Records. It is the first country-rock album to be released by an established rock band, coming six months before Bob Dylan's "Nashville Skyline". Nashville Skyline is Bob Dylan 's 9th proper studio album, released by Columbia Records in 1969 (The first country rock album was arguably released by Gram's International Submarine Band on the indie record label that later created legal problems for Gram with the Byrds. The International Submarine Band (ISB was formed by country rock pioneer Gram Parsons, while a theology student at Harvard University, and John Nuese )

Kevin Kelley left not long after Gram Parsons and in their places, McGuinn and Hillman hired drummer Gene Parsons and guitarist Clarence White, who had both played in Nashville West. Gene Parsons (born April 9, 1944 in Los Angeles, California) is an American Drummer, Banjoist Guitarist Clarence White (born Clarence LeBlanc ( June 7, 1944 – July 15, 1973) was a Guitar player for Nashville West, Nashville West was a short-lived American Country music and rock quartet that was briefly together in the late 1960s This new lineup played two shows together^[3] in October before Hillman quit to join Gram Parsons in the Flying Burrito Brothers. The Flying Burrito Brothers was an early Country rock band best known for its influential debut album 1969's The Gilded Palace of Sin. McGuinn, now the only original member left, hired bassist John York to replace Hillman and the resulting quartet recorded the Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde album and released it in February 1969 to poor US sales and moderate UK success. Dr Byrds & Mr Hyde is the seventh Album from the Folk-rock and Country-rock group The Byrds, released in February 1969 on

In July 1969 The Byrds were the headliner of the Schaefer Music Festival in New York City's Central Park, along with Miles Davis, Chuck Berry, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, B.B. King, The Beach Boys, Frank Zappa and Patti LaBelle. The Schaefer Music Festival (which began it's life as the Rheingold Central Park Music Festival in 1966) was a Music festival which had been held in the summers between The City of New York Central Park is a large public Urban park in New York City, with about twenty-five million visitors annually Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26 1926 &ndash September 28 1991 was an American Jazz Trumpeter, Bandleader, and Composer. Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18 1926 in St Fleetwood Mac are a British / American Led Zeppelin were B B King (born Riley B King, September 16 1925 is an American Blues Guitarist and Singer-songwriter. The Beach Boys is an American rock band Formed in 1961 the group gained popularity for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a California Youth culture Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24 1944) best known as her stage name Patti Labelle, is an American R&B and soul They re-appeared at the festival in 1970 and 1971.

In October 1969 came the Ballad Of Easy Rider album. Ballad of Easy Rider is the eighth Album from the influential Folk rock group The Byrds, released in October of 1969 on Columbia Records "Jesus Is Just Alright" from that album was issued as a single, which, in a similar arrangement, became a hit for The Doobie Brothers, four years later. The Doobie Brothers are an American rock group. They have sold over 22 million albums in the United States from the 1970s to the present The group also recorded a version of Jackson Browne's "Mae Jean Goes to Hollywood" during the recording sessions, but it remained unreleased for some twenty years. Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is a German -born American rock Singer-songwriter and Musician. The title track was composed by McGuinn (expanding on a verse line written by Bob Dylan) as the music theme for the 1969 hippie movie Easy Rider, and the album sold well off the back of the movie's huge success. The Hippie Subculture was originally a Youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world Easy Rider, a 1969 American Road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern. By the time this album was released, John York had left the band because his girlfriend objected to his going out on the road. ^[4] He was replaced by bassist Skip Battin, who had some chart success in 1959 as half of the duo Skip & Flip. Clyde "Skip" Battin (born February 18, 1934 in Gallipolis, Ohio, died Skip & Flip was a US pop duo, consisting of Skip Battin (born Clyde Battin February 18, 1934, Gallipolis,

In 1970, The Byrds released the double album (Untitled), which charted well in the UK and acceptably in the US. (Untitled) featured one disc of live recordings and one of studio performances such as "Chestnut Mare", "All The Things" and "Lover of the Bayou". It also included a 16-minute live version of "Eight Miles High". " Eight Miles High " is a Song by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, and David Crosby, first appearing as a single from 1966 by

In 1971 they released the Byrdmaniax album, which was a commercial and critical disappointment, largely due to inappropriate orchestration which was added to many tracks without the band's approval by producer Terry Melcher. Byrdmaniax is an album by American band The Byrds, released in 1971 Also in 1971 came the release of the Farther Along album. Farther Along is an album by American band The Byrds, released in 1971 (see 1971 in music) The title track of that album, sung by Clarence White (with the rest of the group harmonizing), would became a prophetic epitaph for both White and Gram Parsons. (In July 1973, White was killed by a motor vehicle while he was loading equipment after a gig in Palmdale, California. Soon afterwards, Gram Parsons died, as a result of an overdose of morphine and alcohol, in the Joshua Tree Motel, California. )

McGuinn toured with the Byrds through 1972, with LA session man John Guerin replacing Gene Parsons. John Guerin ( October 31, 1939 – January 5, 2004) worked as a Drummer, Percussionist, and Recording artist Two Byrds recordings exist with this lineup, live versions of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Roll Over Beethoven", recorded for the soundtrack to the movie Banjoman. The final recording sessions involving all four of the latter-day Columbia Byrds were for Skip Battin's 1972 album, Skip; Guerin was on drums. Clyde "Skip" Battin (born February 18, 1934 in Gallipolis, Ohio, died McGuinn appeared on only one track, though, "Captain Video" - evidently Battin's tribute to his erstwhile employer.

Skip Battin and John Guerin either quit or were fired after the February 10, 1973 show in Ithaca, New York, and were replaced by Chris Hillman and Joe Lala, respectively, for the Byrds' final two shows on February 23 (Burlington, Vermont) and 24 (Passaic, New Jersey). Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. The City of Ithaca (named for the Greek island of Ithaca) sits on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, in Central New York Joe Lala (born in Ybor City, Tampa, FL is an Actor and Voice actor, notable for his dubbing of Kun Lan of the video-game Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Burlington is the largest city in the US state of Vermont and is the shire town ( County seat) of Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the

Reunions (1973–1990)

The five original Byrds all briefly reunited in late 1972 (while McGuinn was still on tour with the CBS version of the Byrds) to cut the reunion album Byrds. Byrds is a Rock music Album by American band The Byrds from 1973 The album came out in March 1973, less than a month after the Columbia version of the Byrds played their final show. The album garnered mixed reviews, and a planned tour of the original five Byrds to support it never materialized.

In the late '70s, McGuinn, Clark and Hillman worked on and off as a trio (modelled on CSNY and, to a lesser extent, The Eagles), touring and recording two albums, and scoring a top 40 hit ("Don't You Write Her Off") in 1978. Crosby Stills & Nash ( CSN) is a Folk rock / rock supergroup made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash Some of the earlier and later live shows were advertised by unscrupulous promoters as Byrds reunions. By 1979 Clark had departed and the two others recorded an album as McGuinn-Hillman.

Subsequently, there were disputes over which members owned the rights to the "Byrds" name in the late 1980s. Clarke and Clark toured separately under The Byrds name at that time, and from 1989 through most of 1993 Michael Clarke toured occasionally as "The Byrds Featuring Michael Clarke" with former Byrd Skip Battin along with newcomers Terry Jones Rogers and Jerry Sorn. To solidify their claim to the name and prevent any non-original members from using the name, McGuinn, Hillman, and Crosby staged a series of Byrds reunion concerts in 1989 and 1990, including a famous performance at a Roy Orbison tribute concert where they were joined by Bob Dylan for Mr. Roy Kelton Orbison ( April 23 1936 &ndash December 6 1988) nicknamed "The Big O" was an influential Grammy Award -winning Tambourine Man. These shows led to McGuinn, Hillman, and Crosby recording four new studio tracks for the boxed set The Byrds in 1990. The Byrds is a boxed set released by American band The Byrds in 1990 on Columbia Records. During that year, a legal action against Clarke and his booking agent failed, the judge ruling that Clarke's group had toured successfully. Eventually, a settlement was reached, preventing any entity not including McGuinn, Hillman and Crosby from using the name "Byrds".

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States The original line-up of Gene Clark, Michael Clarke, David Crosby, Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn was honored at this induction. Gene Clark died later that year and, two years later, Michael Clarke succumbed to liver disease brought on by alcoholism.

Though both Hillman and Crosby have expressed an interest in working with McGuinn again on future Byrds projects, McGuinn is currently committed to his folk music career.

Lineups

Discography

Several compilations of recordings made before the group secured a contract with Columbia records have been released under various titles - Preflyte, In the Beginning, and the 2002 box set The Preflyte Sessions. Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. Mr Tambourine Man is the debut album by the American Folk-rock band The Byrds. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. Turn! Turn! Turn! is the second Album by the Folk-rock band The Byrds, released 1965 on Columbia Records, catalogue item CL 2454 in Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Fifth Dimension is the third album by the American rock band The Byrds, which was released in the summer of 1966 on Columbia Records Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Younger Than Yesterday is the fourth Album from the Folk-rock group The Byrds, released in February 1967 on Columbia Records, catalogue Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. The Byrds Greatest Hits is the first compilation by the American Rock and roll band The Byrds, released 1967 on Columbia Records Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Notorious Byrd Brothers is the fifth Rock music album by The Byrds, released in 1968 on Columbia Records, catalogue item CL 2775 in Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sweetheart of the Rodeo is the sixth Album by American rock band The Byrds, released on July 29 1968 (see Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Dr Byrds & Mr Hyde is the seventh Album from the Folk-rock and Country-rock group The Byrds, released in February 1969 on Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ballad of Easy Rider is the eighth Album from the influential Folk rock group The Byrds, released in October of 1969 on Columbia Records Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Byrdmaniax is an album by American band The Byrds, released in 1971 Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Farther Along is an album by American band The Byrds, released in 1971 (see 1971 in music) Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Best of The Byrds Greatest Hits Volume II is the second compilation album released by American band The Byrds. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Byrds is a Rock music Album by American band The Byrds from 1973 Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) The Byrds Play Dylan is a Compilation album by American Rock band The Byrds, and was first released in 1980 by Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) The Original Singles 1965-1967 Volume 1 is a Compilation album by American rock 'n' roll band The Byrds. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The Original Singles 1965-1967 Volume 2 is a Compilation album by American rock 'n' roll band The Byrds. Events 202 BC - Hannibal Barca, leader of the Carthaginians, is defeated by the Roman legions under Scipio Africanus Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The Byrds is a boxed set released by American band The Byrds in 1990 on Columbia Records. Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The Very Best of The Byrds is a compilation album by American Rock band The Byrds released in 1997. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Super Hits is a budget hits compilation released by Columbia/Legacy in 1998 Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Live at the Fillmore &mdash February 1969 is a live Album released by American band The Byrds in 2000 on Columbia Records. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Essential Byrds is a comprehensive two-CD compilation Album released by American band The Byrds in 2003 as part of Sony BMG Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. There Is a Season is a 4-CD career-spanning 2006 Boxed set by American folk Rock band The Byrds. Events 1462 - Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II ( The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common A compilation of rare and previously unissued material was also released in 1987 (Never Before). In addition, there have been two Byrds box sets: " The Byrds" (October 1990) and the more recent "There Is a Season" (September 2006). The Byrds is a boxed set released by American band The Byrds in 1990 on Columbia Records. There Is a Season is a 4-CD career-spanning 2006 Boxed set by American folk Rock band The Byrds.

Availability

The first four Byrds studio albums were remastered and reissued by Legacy Recordings in 1996. Legacy Recordings is Sony Music Entertainment 's catalog division These releases were successful enough to prompt the reissuing of the rest of the Byrds' studio catalogue, with four more albums seeing re-release in 1997, and the final three (including a much-expanded version of Untitled) appearing in 2000. In the wake of the 2005 Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal, the weak-selling Dr. The Sony BMG CD copy prevention scandal concerns the Copy prevention measures included by Sony BMG on Compact discs in 2005 Byrds & Mr. Hyde, Byrdmaniax and Farther Along were deleted from the Legacy catalogue. The latter two now sometimes command high prices, as most of their tracks (especially their bonus tracks) are unavailable elsewhere.

Trivia

• The longest-serving Byrds line-up is the McGuinn/White/Battin/Parsons lineup, who lasted from November 1969 until June 1972.
• The 1969 album, Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde - the debut of the Parsons-White lineup - is both the longest single Byrds LP, and also the only one on which Roger McGuinn is the sole lead vocalist. Dr Byrds & Mr Hyde is the seventh Album from the Folk-rock and Country-rock group The Byrds, released in February 1969 on
• Miles Davis's sight-unseen recommendation was instrumental in getting the group a contract with Columbia (Davis's label) in 1965. Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26 1926 &ndash September 28 1991 was an American Jazz Trumpeter, Bandleader, and Composer.
• Bryan MacLean was the band's roadie before he joined Love. Bryan MacLean ( September 25 1946 - December 25, 1998) was an American Singer, Guitarist and Songwriter Love was an American Rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s
• Many fans were confused when Jim McGuinn changed his name to Roger. An urban legend arose that Roger McGuinn was Jim's brother and that he'd joined the band as a replacement after Jim moved to Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro ("River of January" ˈhiw dʒi ʒʌˈnejɾu in Brazilian Portuguese, /ˈriːoʊ di ʒəˈnɛroʊ/ in English is the second largest city of Brazil McGuinn was aware of this rumor and found it amusing, which is why he named one of his solo albums Back From Rio.

Samples

• Download sample of The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" from Mr. Tambourine Man

References

• Fong-Torres, Ben (1998). "The Byrds". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kinsgbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 71-2.

External links

• The Byrds discography at MusicBrainz
• ByrdWatcher - A Field Guide To The Byrds (last updated 1999)
• Roger McGuinn's Official Byrds Homepage
• The Byrds Homepage
• Byrds Online Homepage
• The Byrds at Rollingstone
• Lyrics - The Byrds' Lyrics
• The Byrds featured on Where The Action Was rock history tour