The Byrds - Mr Tambourine Man (1965)

The Byrds were an influential American rock band who in the 60s were pioneers in the genre of folk-rock, and later both psychedelic rock and country-rock.

The first line-up of The Byrds consisted of Roger McGuinn (vocals/12-string guitar), Gene Clark (vocals/tambourine), David Crosby (harmony vocals/rhythm guitar), Chris Hillman (bass) and Michael Clarke (drums). McGuinn, Clark and Crosby had all come from a folk background, and first got together as The Jet Set in L.A. during the early 60s. They were fans of both the folk music of Bob Dylan and his contemporaries, and The Beatles, who were becoming big in America at the time. They found a manager in Jim Dickson, added a drummer called Michael Clarke (admittedly hired for his good looks rather than his musical ability), and changed their name to The Beefeaters. Under this name they released one single, but it did not chart.
In late 1964 they found a bassist in Chris Hillman, who was already an established bluegrass mandolin player before he was persuaded to play bass for the group (see The Hillmen). They were then working on a Beatles-style cover of Dylan's then-unreleased song "Mr Tambourine Man", and when they had it down they changed their name to The Byrds and were signed to Columbia Records. "Mr Tamborine Man" was released in 1965, and made it to the #1 spot. The song established their trademark sound, built around McGuinn’s 12-string guitar and the vocal harmonies of McGuinn, Clark and Crosby. It is often cited as the first example of folk-rock, and is generally considered the song that catapulted the emerging genre into the pop market.
They released their first LP the same year, and it followed the "Mr Tambourine Man" formula from start to finish. It contained three other Dylan compositions, a Pete Seeger tune, a couple of other covers and originals by band member Gene Clark, who was at the time their only songwriter (though McGuinn gets himself a co-writing credit on two of these tunes). With its electrification of the folk repertoire, the album is considered a vital early milestone in the folk-rock movement of the mid 60s (this was also the same year that Dylan famously went electric).
The album got to #6, and the turbulent flight of The Byrds had begun. It is this early folk-rock sound which they are best remembered for today, and it remains their biggest commercial success.

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