The Byrds Biography

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The Byrds
Pop Music | 3 CD Set
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If nothing else, the 21st century has given the public quite a bit of musical gum to chew on. Girls swoon over new boy bands like the Backstreet Boys; boys are all agog over young females like Britney Spears. Country music is more pop than ever and rap is all the rage. Rock Well, the arenas, theaters, clubs and smaller-than-stadium venues continue to be populated by bands popular decades ago. Stars of the 60s and 70s fill the ad pages bugling tours coming your way. Many of them are sporting not long-haired images of psychedelia but short, white or gray hair. Spinal Tap has applied for Social Security. But most of the bands that played for the "flower and bell-bottomed generation" have moved aside. Still, the Rolling Stones live on, Ringo Starr is well and Bob Dylan has won an Oscar. Kiss just retired, the Moody Blues are still at it and David Crosby enjoys being a surrogate daddy when Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young don't call. If Dylan, the Beatles, and the Stones are prima facie cases of the origins of mid-to-late 20th century pop music, their immediate successor in the mid- 60s had to be the band that became the Byrds. The Byrds were as famous as the above acts for a while and their influence on other aspects of rock over the years bore fruit in later bands. And Crosby honed his harmonic skills with that group before becoming one-fourth of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The Byrds became a superbly creative, evolving band that began as a trio called the Jet Set in 1964. Jim (later named Roger) McGuinn, born 1942, and Gene Clark (1941) joined forces to perfect their folk-oriented music. Soon, Crosby (1941) joined and when they managed to get an agreement to record a single at Elektra Records, the trio became the Beefeaters. The single, "Please Let Me Love You," went nowhere, although looking back the listener can hear the beginnings of what would become folk-rock. Later in 1964, the trio enlarged to a quintet with the addition of one-time bluegrass mandolinist, Chris Hillman (1942) to play bass, which he had not actually played before and drummer Michael Clarke (1944). It now was called the Byrds and after a lot of work in the studio perfecting what they perceived as new music, the band signed with Columbia. What the band was up to was forging a sound that welded parts of Dylan's folk styles to the rock begun by the Beatles. The first single was Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man," from their debut CBS album, and the Byrds were off, nailing down the No. 1 spot on the chart. It featured McGuinn's jangling 12-string (Rickenbacker) guitar style and tight harmony. The band was an overnight success story. Within two months, another single made the charts, "All I Really Want To Do," although it only rose to No. 40. Apparently a cover by rival singer Cher got in the way. The album included Dylan and Pete Seeger music. But the Byrds shot right back up to No. 1 a few months later with their classic "Turn! Turn! Turn!" single, a part of the same-titled album. The song was by folkie Pete Seeger and it has become a classic. A tour of the United Kingdom prior to the "Turn!" album was not as great as they thought it would be, mainly because of overabundant hype about "America s answer to the Beatles" backfired. But back in the studio in 1966, the Byrds released another song that would become a classic, "Eight Miles High." However, narrow-thinking censorship resulted in a radio ban because some thought it was a drug song; it was actually written in response to their trip to England and the ensuing culture shock they experienced. "Eight Miles High" did get to No. 14 and was the last big hit for the band, although other singles made the lower rungs of the Top 40 chart. These were "Mr. Spaceman," "So You Want To Be a Rock n' Roll Star" and "My Back Pages" from later albums. After "Eight Miles High," Gene Clark, major songwriter and co-lead vocalist with McGuinn, left the band, giving one reason his fear of flying. The next album was "Fifth Dimension," and the band slowed down its tours, causing some to think it was on the verge of breaking up. Album No. 4 was 1967's "Younger Than Yesterday," a collection of songs written by Crosby, McGuinn and Hillman which ranged from rock to reggae to country and even included another Dylan tune, "My Back Pages." Things changed dramatically in 1967. Unable to get along with his mates, Crosby left the band, Gene Clark came back but left after only three weeks, and then Michael Clarke was dismissed as 1967 ended. The "Notorious Byrd Brothers" meanwhile became the band's next album, again offering some creative sound effects. The band hired Gram Parsons to play keyboards in 1968 and eventually his presence saw the group that seemed headed for more progressive sounds move into a rock-oriented country style. With the addition of Kevin Kelly on drums, the group recorded album "Sweetheart of the Rodeo," and country-rock was pretty much what it was about, probably the first album in that new genre. Parsons left in the summer of 1968 when he decided he did not want to go with the band on a tour of South Africa. Then early member Hillman left, joining Parsons in the Flying Burrito Brothers, which became a popular band. With McGuinn the lone founder of the Byrds, he continued with new members for another five years, releasing albums that reflected his intense artistry but not always as reminiscent of the classic Byrds LPs of the 60s. The original band actually got back together for a one-time shot at an album in 1973 but the resulting album, "Byrds," got mixed reviews, had somewhat respectable sales and made the Top 20 album chart but all went back to solo and other band ventures. Super-stardom avoided all but Crosby as his fortunes went up with Crosby, Stills and Nash and then Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. The band's recordings have been made into several greatest hits packages in the 80s and 90s. Clark, Clarke and Parsons have died and bands sporting the name "Byrds" have come and gone as legal pursuits waxed and waned. But the 60's Byrds are still remembered as one of the most original, creative and artistic bands in an era that held much musical promise.

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