The Byrds were an American
rock band, founded in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The original lineup consisted of Roger McGuinn (vocals, guitar), Gene Clark (vocals, tambourine, guitar), David Crosby (vocals, guitar), Chris Hillman (bass), and Michael Clarke (drums). At the time of the band’s formation, the group still spelled itself with an "i", not an "y". The name was changed to avoid the double meaning of the word "birds" also describing young women, and as a reference to
Bob Dylan.
In this regard, the first single of the group was a cover version of a Bob Dylan song: "Mr. Tambourine Man". The label initially did not want to release the song, but changed this decision after Bob Dylan pronounced himself in favor of doing so. The band reached great success by the mid 60s, being titled the "American answer to
the Beatles" in England in 1965. Today, they are regarded as pioneers of the
folk and
country rock genres.
The Byrds went through a number of lineup changes over the years, and by the late 1960s, only McGuinn remained from the original lineup.
Gram Parsons, who was a big inspiration for the group with his
country sound, died shortly after leaving the band from a drug and alcohol excess at the age of only 26 years. His manager stole his corpse from the airport and burned it in the Californian desert near Joshua Tree.
The Byrds are known for their distinctive vocal harmonies and their blend of folk, rock, country, and psychedelic, as well as their use of a 12-string electric guitar, which gave their music a distinctive sound. The band broke up in 1973, but their music has continued to be influential until today, especially in the rock and the psychedelic music scenes
