Editing Folk rock (section)

==1960s==

===The Byrds===
{{Main Article|The Byrds}}
The moment when all of the separate influences that served to make up folk rock finally coalesced into an identifiable whole was with the release of the Byrds' recording of Bob Dylan's "[[Mr. Tambourine Man]]".<ref name="unterberger"/><ref name="allmusic2"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Walker, Michael.|page=[https://archive.org/details/laurelcanyoninsi0000walk/page/6 6]|year=2007|title=Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of Rock-And-Roll's Legendary Neighborhood|publisher=Faber & Faber|isbn=978-0-86547-966-1|url=https://archive.org/details/laurelcanyoninsi0000walk/page/6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Logan, Nick.|author2=Woffinden, Bob|page=47|year=1977|title=The Illustrated New Musical Express Encyclopedia of Rock|publisher=Salamander Books|isbn=0-86101-009-4}}</ref> The term "folk rock" was coined by the U.S. [[Music journalism|music press]] to describe the band's sound in June 1965, at roughly the same time as "Mr. Tambourine Man" peaked at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' chart.<ref name="turn8"/><ref name="timeless"/>{{sfn |Gilliland |1969 |loc=show 33}} Within three months it had become the first folk rock smash hit,<ref>{{cite book|author=Dean, Maury.|page=200|year=2003|title=Rock 'n' Roll Gold Rush: A Singles Un-Cyclopedia|publisher=Algora Publishing|isbn=0-87586-207-1}}</ref> reaching number 1 on both the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Whitburn, Joel.|page=130|year=2008|title=Top Pop Singles 1955–2006|publisher=Record Research Inc|isbn=978-0-89820-172-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Brown, Tony.|page=130|year=2000|title=The Complete Book of the British Charts|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=0-7119-7670-8}}</ref> The single's success initiated the folk rock boom of 1965 and 1966, during which a profusion of Byrds-influenced acts flooded the American and British charts.<ref name="unterberger" /><ref name="allmusic2" />{{refn|group=nb|The nucleus of the Byrds formed in early 1964, when [[Roger McGuinn|Jim McGuinn]], [[Gene Clark]], and [[David Crosby]]—united by a shared love of the Beatles' music—came together under the moniker of the Jet Set at [[The Troubadour (Los Angeles)|The Troubadour]] folk club in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hjort, Christopher.|page=17|year=2008|title=So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973)|publisher=Jawbone Press|isbn=978-1-906002-15-2}}</ref> The trio all had a background in folk music, with each member having worked as a folk singer on the acoustic coffeehouse circuit during the early 1960s.<ref name="allbyrds">{{cite web|title=The Byrds Biography|website=[[AllMusic]]|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p3810|pure_url=yes}}|access-date=15 March 2010}}</ref> They had also spent time, independently of each other, in various folk groups, including [[the New Christy Minstrels]], [[the Limeliters]], the [[Chad Mitchell Trio]], and [[Les Baxter|Les Baxter's Balladeers]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Roger McGuinn: Founder of the Byrds|publisher=Roger McGuinn Home Page|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/mcguinn/McGuinn.html|access-date=15 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Musicians Associated with the Byrds: The New Christy Minstrels |publisher=ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles |url=http://ebni.com/byrds/relassociates12.html#new |access-date=15 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028024421/http://ebni.com/byrds/relassociates12.html |archive-date=28 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=About&nbsp;... David Crosby|publisher=Crosby CPR Home Page|url=http://www.crosbycpr.com/content/features/publicity/crosby.html|access-date=15 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604040908/http://www.crosbycpr.com/content/features/publicity/crosby.html|archive-date=4 June 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Soon after forming the Jet Set, Crosby introduced McGuinn and Clark to his associate Jim Dickson, who became the group's [[Talent manager|manager]].<ref name="timeless2">{{cite book|author=Rogan, Johnny.|pages=35–36|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref> Dickson had access to [[Pacific Jazz Records|World Pacific Studios]] in Los Angeles, which he began to utilize as a rehearsal space for the band.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=The Preflyte Sessions|title-link=The Preflyte Sessions|others=[[The Byrds]]|year=2001|first=Fricke|last=David|author-link=David Fricke|type=booklet|publisher=[[Sundazed Music]]}}</ref> During the course of 1964, the trio expanded their ranks to include [[drummer]] [[Michael Clarke (musician)|Michael Clarke]] and [[bassist]] [[Chris Hillman]], with the band eventually changing its name to the Byrds in November.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hjort, Christopher.|pages=19–21|year=2008|title=So You Want To Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973)|publisher=Jawbone Press|isbn=978-1-906002-15-2}}</ref>}} In particular, the Byrds' influence can be discerned in mid-1960s recordings by acts such as the Lovin' Spoonful, [[Barry McGuire]], the Mamas & the Papas,{{sfn |Gilliland |1969 |loc=show 33}} [[Simon & Garfunkel]],{{sfn |Gilliland |1969 |loc=show 36}} [[Jefferson Airplane]], [[the Turtles]], [[We Five]], [[Love (band)|Love]], and [[Sonny & Cher]].<ref name="unterberger" /><ref name="allmusic2" /><ref>{{cite book|author=Fornatale, Pete.|pages=41–45|year=2007|title=Simon And Garfunkel's Bookends|publisher=Rodale Inc|isbn=978-1-59486-427-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Love Biography|website=[[AllMusic]]|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4792|pure_url=yes}}|access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Einarson, John.|page=62|year=2005|title=Mr. Tambourine Man: The Life and Legacy of the Byrds' Gene Clark|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=0-87930-793-5}}</ref>{{text-source inline|date=September 2018}}

It was during the rehearsals at World Pacific that the band began to develop the blend of [[folk music]] and Beatles-style [[Pop music|pop]] that would characterize their sound.<ref>{{cite web|title=In The Beginning|publisher=ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles|url=http://ebni.com/byrds/lpitb.html|access-date=15 May 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090524044624/http://ebni.com/byrds/lpitb.html|archive-date=24 May 2009}}</ref> However, this hybrid was not deliberately created; it evolved organically out of some of the band members' own folk music roots and their desire to emulate the Beatles.<ref name="timeless2"/> The band's folk influences, lack of experience with rock music forms, and Beatleseque instrumentation all combined to color both their self-penned material and their folk derived repertoire.<ref name="unterberger"/><ref name="timeless2"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Rogan, Johnny.|page=49|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref> The band themselves soon realized that there was something unique about their music and, with Dickson's encouragement, they began to actively attempt to bridge the gap between folk and rock.<ref name="timeless2"/><ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=The Byrds|title-link=The Byrds (box set)|others=[[The Byrds]]|year=1990|first=David|last=Fricke|author-link=David Fricke|type=booklet|publisher=[[Columbia Records]]}}</ref>

Mr. Tambourine Man's blend of abstract lyrics, folk-influenced melody, complex [[Vocal harmony|harmonies]], jangly [[Twelve-string guitar|12-string]] [[Rickenbacker]] guitar playing, and Beatles-influenced beat, resulted in a synthesis that effectively created the subgenre of folk rock.<ref name="allbyrds"/><ref name="creswell">{{cite book|title=1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them|author=Creswell, Toby|publisher=Da Capo Press|year=2006|isbn=978-1-56025-915-2|page=59|author-link=Toby Creswell}}</ref> The song's lyrics alone took rock and pop songwriting to new heights; never before had such intellectual and literary lyrics been combined with rock instrumentation by a popular music group.<ref>{{cite book|author=Unterberger, Richie.|page=[https://archive.org/details/turnturnturn00rich/page/107 107]|year=2002|title=Turn! Turn! Turn!: The '60s Folk-Rock Revolution|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=0-87930-703-X|url=https://archive.org/details/turnturnturn00rich/page/107}}</ref>

Dylan's material would provide much of the original grist for the folk rock mill, not only in the U.S. but in the UK as well, with many pop and rock acts covering his material in a style reminiscent of the Byrds.<ref name="allmusic2"/> Their reworking of "Mr. Tambourine Man", along with [[the Animals]]' rock interpretation of "[[The House of the Rising Sun]]" (itself based on Dylan's earlier cover), helped to give Dylan the impetus to start recording with an electric backing band.<ref>{{cite book|author=Rosenberg, Neil V.|page=195|year=2005|title=Bluegrass: A History – 20th Anniversary Edition|publisher=University of Illinois Press|isbn=0-252-07245-6}}</ref>

As the 1970s dawned, folk rock evolved away from the jangly template pioneered by the Byrds, but their influence could still be heard in the music of bands like [[Fairport Convention]] and [[Pentangle (band)|Pentangle]].<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="unterberger"/><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Fairport Convention - Liege & Lief (Deluxe Edition) review|magazine=[[Record Collector]]|url=http://www.recordcollectormag.com/reviews/review-detail/1018|access-date=16 May 2010}}</ref> The Byrds themselves continued to enjoy commercial success with their brand of folk rock throughout 1965, most notably with their number 1 single "[[Turn! Turn! Turn!]]".{{sfn |Gilliland |1969 |loc=show 33}}  By the start of 1966, however, the group had begun to move away from folk rock and into the new musical frontier of [[psychedelic rock]]. The folk rock sound of the Byrds has continued to influence many bands over the years, including [[Big Star]], [[Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers]], [[R.E.M.]], [[the Long Ryders]], [[the Smiths]], [[the Bangles]], [[the Stone Roses]], and [[Teenage Fanclub]], among others.<ref>{{cite book|author=Smith, Chris.|page=32|year=2009|title=101 Albums That Changed Popular Music|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-537371-4}}</ref>

===Bob Dylan===
{{Main Article|Bob Dylan}}
[[File:Bob Dylan in November 1963.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Bob Dylan in 1963.]]
Five days before the Byrds entered Columbia Studios in Hollywood to record his song "Mr. Tambourine Man", Bob Dylan completed the recording sessions for his fifth album, ''[[Bringing It All Back Home]]''.<ref name="turn9">{{cite book|author=Unterberger, Richie.|page=[https://archive.org/details/turnturnturn00rich/page/109 109]|year=2002|title=Turn! Turn! Turn!: The '60s Folk-Rock Revolution|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=0-87930-703-X|url=https://archive.org/details/turnturnturn00rich/page/109}}</ref> Of the eleven tracks on the album, seven featured Dylan backed by a full electric rock band, in stark contrast to his earlier acoustic folk albums.<ref name="turn9"/> Dylan's decision to record with an electric backing band had been influenced by a number of factors, including the Beatles' coupling of folk derived chord progressions and beat music, the Byrds' rock adaptation of "Mr. Tambourine Man" (which Dylan had heard at a Byrds' rehearsal in late 1964), and the Animals hit cover of "The House of the Rising Sun".<ref name="turn3"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Unterberger, Richie.|page=[https://archive.org/details/turnturnturn00rich/page/66 66]|year=2002|title=Turn! Turn! Turn!: The '60s Folk-Rock Revolution|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=0-87930-703-X|url=https://archive.org/details/turnturnturn00rich/page/66}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Rogan, Johnny.|pages=54–55|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref>

''Bringing It All Back Home'' was released on 22 March 1965,<ref>{{cite book|author=Williams, Paul.|page=284|year=1991|title=Bob Dylan: Performing Artist - Book One 1960–1973|publisher=Xanadu Publications Ltd|isbn=1-85480-044-2}}</ref> peaking at number 6 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs]] chart and #1 on the [[UK Album Chart]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Whitburn, Joel.|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbu/page/255 255]|year=2002|title=Top Pop Albums 1955–2001|publisher=Record Research Inc|isbn=0-89820-147-0|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbu/page/255}}</ref><ref name="brown">{{cite book|author=Brown, Tony.|page=266|year=2000|title=The Complete Book of the British Charts|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=0-7119-7670-8}}</ref> The album's blend of [[rhythm and blues]]-derived rock and abstract, poetic lyrics was immediately influential in demonstrating that intelligent lyrical content could be wedded with rock 'n' roll.<ref>{{cite book|author=Varesi, Anthony.|page=47|year=2002|title=The Bob Dylan Albums|publisher=Guernica Editions Inc|isbn=1-55071-139-3}}</ref> The songs on the album saw Dylan leaving folk music far behind.<ref name="allmusic11">{{cite web|title=Bringing It All Back Home review|website=[[AllMusic]]|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r6414|pure_url=yes}}|access-date=4 June 2010}}</ref> Even with this folkier, acoustic material, Dylan's biting, apocalyptical, and often humorous lyrics went far beyond those of contemporary folk music,<ref name="allmusic11" /> particularly the folk-protest music with which he had been previously associated.

On 20 July 1965, Dylan released the groundbreaking "[[Like a Rolling Stone]]", a six-minute-long scathing put-down, directed at a down-and-out society girl, which again featured Dylan backed by an electric rock band.<ref name="williams">{{cite book|author=Williams, Paul.|pages=152–156|year=1991|title=Bob Dylan: Performing Artist - Book One 1960–1973|publisher=Xanadu Publications Ltd|isbn=1-85480-044-2}}</ref><ref name="allmusic12">{{cite web|title=Like a Rolling Stone review|website=[[AllMusic]]|url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t1992112|pure_url=yes}}|access-date=13 June 2010}}</ref> Released just as the Byrds' cover of "Mr. Tambourine Man" topped the charts in the United States, the song was instrumental in defining the burgeoning folk rock scene and in establishing Dylan as a bona fide rock star, rather than a folksinger.<ref name="williams" /> "Like a Rolling Stone" managed to reach the Top 5 on both sides of the Atlantic.<ref name="brown" /><ref>{{cite book|author=Whitburn, Joel.|page=262|year=2008|title=Top Pop Singles 1955–2006|publisher=Record Research Inc|isbn=978-0-89820-172-7}}</ref> Five days after the release of "Like a Rolling Stone", on 25 July 1965, Dylan made [[Electric Dylan controversy|a controversial appearance]] at the [[Newport Folk Festival]], performing three songs with a full band.<ref name="williams" /> He was met with derisive booing and jeering from the festival's purist folk music crowd,{{sfn |Gilliland| 1969|loc=show 32}} but in the years since the incident, Dylan's 1965 Newport Folk Festival appearance has become widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the synthesis of folk and rock.<ref name="williams" /><ref>{{cite book|author=McCleary, John Bassett.|page=186|year=2004|title=Hippie Dictionary: A Cultural Encyclopedia of the 1960s and 1970s|publisher=Ten Speed Press|isbn=1-58008-547-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Unterberger, Richie.|page=[https://archive.org/details/turnturnturn00rich/page/1 1]|year=2002|title=Turn! Turn! Turn!: The '60s Folk-Rock Revolution|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=0-87930-703-X|url=https://archive.org/details/turnturnturn00rich/page/1}}</ref>

Dylan followed "Like a Rolling Stone" with the wholly electric album ''[[Highway 61 Revisited]]'' and the non-album single "[[Positively 4th Street]]", which itself has been widely interpreted as a rebuke to the folk purists who had rejected his new electric music. Throughout 1965 and 1966, hit singles like "Subterranean Homesick Blues", "Like a Rolling Stone", "Positively 4th Street", and "[[I Want You (Bob Dylan song)|I Want You]]" among others, along with the ''Bringing It All Back Home'', ''Highway 61 Revisited'' and ''[[Blonde on Blonde]]'' albums, proved to be hugely influential on the development and popularity of folk rock.<ref name="allmusic10">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t1991551|pure_url=yes}}|title=Subterranean Homesick Blues review|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=4 June 2010}}</ref> Although Dylan's move away from acoustic folk music served to outrage and alienate much of his original fanbase, his new folk rock sound gained him legions of new fans during the mid-1960s. The popularity and commercial success of the Byrds and Bob Dylan's blend of folk and rock music influenced a wave of imitators and emulators that retroactively became known as the folk rock boom.<ref name="unterberger" />

===Tom Wilson===
{{Main Article|Tom Wilson (record producer)}}

Although he started out as a jazz musician, the young, African-American Columbia Records producer Tom Wilson became known as the "mid-wife of folk-rock" for his seminal work behind the scenes. As Bob Dylan's producer during the key transitional albums ''The Times They Are A-Changin'', ''Another Side of Bob Dylan'', and ''Bringing It All Back Home'', he was a key architect of Dylan's electric sound. He is perhaps even better known, however, for first discovering [[Simon & Garfunkel]] at the tail end of the folk movement and then transforming them into folk-rock superstars with the unauthorized rock remix that made a number one hit out of their previously underappreciated song, "The Sound of Silence".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/the-greatest-music-producer-youve-never-heard-of-is/|title=The Greatest Music Producer You've Never Heard of Is...|author=Michael Hall|magazine=Texas Monthly|date=6 January 2014|access-date=17 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://gaslightrecords.com/articles/tom-wilson-the-mid-wife-of-the-folk-rock-movement|title=Tom Wilson: The Mid-Wife of the Folk Rock Movement|author=Roland Ellis|publisher=Gaslight Records|date=30 November 2015|access-date=17 May 2019}}</ref>

===Other musicians===
[[File:SimonandGarfunkel.jpg|thumb|left|Folk rock musicians Simon & Garfunkel performing in Dublin]]

Music critic Richie Unterberger has noted that the commercial success of the Byrds' [[cover version]] of Dylan's "[[Mr. Tambourine Man]]", along with Dylan's own contributions to the genre on the albums ''[[Bringing It All Back Home]]'', ''[[Highway 61 Revisited]]'', and ''[[Blonde on Blonde]]'', initiated an explosion of emulators and imitators.<ref name="unterberger"/><ref name="allmusic2">{{cite web|title=Mr. Tambourine Man review|website=[[AllMusic]]|url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t1991558|pure_url=yes}}|access-date=15 March 2010}}</ref> Their success led record producer [[Tom Wilson (producer)|Tom Wilson]] to add electric guitar, bass, and drums overdubs to "[[The Sounds of Silence]]", a song which had been recorded by the folk duo [[Simon & Garfunkel]] in 1964 and first released on their album ''[[Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.]]''. The reissued single rose to number 1 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' pop chart in late 1965, became a hit around the world, and set the duo on one of the most successful careers in pop and rock music.{{sfn |Gilliland |1969 |loc=show 36}}  Simon and Garfunkel have been described as "folk-rock's greatest duo, and one whose fame and influence would persist well beyond folk-rock's heyday."<ref name="turnSG">{{cite book|author=Unterberger, Richie.|page=[https://archive.org/details/turnturnturn00rich/page/178 178]|year=2002|title=Turn! Turn! Turn!: The '60s Folk-Rock Revolution|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=0-87930-703-X|url=https://archive.org/details/turnturnturn00rich/page/178}}</ref>

One of the first bands to craft a distinctly American sound in response to the British Invasion was [[the Beach Boys]]; while not a folk rock band themselves, they directly influenced the genre and at the height of the folk rock boom in 1966 had a hit with a cover of the 1920s [[West Indies|West Indian]] folk song "[[Sloop John B]]", which they had learned from [[the Kingston Trio]], who had learned it from [[the Weavers]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Unterberger|first=Richie|author-link=Richie Unterberger|title=Great Moments in Folk Rock: Lists of Author Favorites|publisher=richieunterberger.com|url=http://www.richieunterberger.com/turnlists.html|access-date=26 January 2011}}</ref>

Much of the early folk-rock music emerged during a time of general global upheaval, the [[Vietnam War]], and new concerns for the world by young people. In the United States, the heyday of folk rock was arguably between the mid-sixties and the mid-seventies, when it aligned itself with the [[hippie]] movement and became an important medium for expressing radical ideas. Cities such as San Francisco, [[Denver]], [[New York City]] and [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] became centers for the folk rock culture, playing on their central locations among the original folk circuits. The "unplugged" and simplified sound of the music reflected the genre's connection to a critical view of a technological and consumerist society. Unlike pop music's escapist lyrics, arguably a fantasy distraction from the problems in life, folk artists attempted to communicate concerns for peace, global awareness, and other touchstones of the era. Bands whose music was significantly folk rock in sound during the mid-to-late 1960s included [[Donovan]],{{sfn |Gilliland |1969 |loc=show 48}} the Lovin' Spoonful, the Mamas & the Papas,{{sfn |Gilliland |1969 |loc=show 33}} [[the Youngbloods]], [[Love (band)|Love]], and, in their early years, [[Jefferson Airplane]].

In the mid-1960s, singer-songwriter [[Gordon Lightfoot]] began moving his folk songs into a folk-rock direction with recordings such as the percussion-driven "Black Day in July" about the [[1967 Detroit riot]]. He would rise to top the charts in the 1970s with a number of his folk-rock recordings such as "[[Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot song)|Sundown]]" and "[[Carefree Highway]]" and eventually become known as a folk-rock legend.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-lightfoot_0823gd.ART.State.Edition1.358653d.html|title=Concert review: Folk-rock legend Gordon Lightfoot &#124; Dallas Morning News}}</ref> Some artists who originally produced with a harder edged rock sound found the ability to communicate more easily and felt more genuine in this method of delivery. In this category was [[Cat Stevens]], who began in London much like the Byrds did in the United States but toned down the sound more frequently with acoustic instruments. He performed songs that contained concern for the environment, war, and the future of the world in general. The Canadian singer-songwriter [[Joni Mitchell]] won many [[Grammy Awards]] with her folk rock/pop songs.