McGuinn, Roger

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Roger McGuinn

Guitarist, singer, songwriter

Roger McGuinn will always be known first and foremost as the founder of perhaps the greatest American folk-rock band, the Byrds. The ringing of his 12-string electric guitar on classics like “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “Mr. Tambourine Man” and the ethereal beauty of self-penned ballads like “Chestnut Mare” are unforgettable. Considered by many to be the American equivalent of the Beatles, the Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. While McGuinn played a central role in the birth and development of the band, his musical explorations started before the famous group debuted and continued long after its demise.

James Joseph McGuinn III grew up in a comfortable Chicago neighborhood in the 1940s and 1950s. His parents, James and Dorothy McGuinn, became minor celebrities when they published the humorous bestseller Parents Can’t Win in 1948. Young Jim McGuinn came of age during the heady days of the folk revival, and Chicago, like New York, had a lively local scene. At coffeehouses and at Albert Grossman’s Gate of Horn one could see folk performers like Bob Gibson and Hamilton Camp. McGuinn attended the Old Town School of Folk Music from 1957 to 1960 and became proficient on the banjo and guitar. A few weeks after he graduated from high school, he received an offer to go on the road with the popular folk group the Limeliters. His parents made no objections. “[W]hen I decided to become a professional musician at age 17,” McGuinn recalled to Dan Epstein of the Backstage Pass website, “they said, ‘Go for it, kid!’ They were just happy that I knew what I wanted to do in life.”

During the early 1960s McGuinn’s musical Odyssey took a number of twists and turns. After playing for a short time with the Limeliters, he moved to Los Angeles and performed as a solo act. After another move, this time to San Francisco, he joined the Chad Mitchell Trio and remained with the group for two years. He was approached by the New Christy Minstrels but opted instead to work for several months with Bobby Darin. McGuinn also played on a number of recording sessions, including one with Judy Collins, accompanying her on a Pete Seeger song called, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” At the end of 1963, he moved back to Los Angeles and continued his solo career.

McGuinn, however, had changed. Like many of his peers in 1963, he began to re-examine his commitment to folk music in the wake of the Beatles’ success. He continued to play acoustic music but adapted a rock beat and began to search for like-minded musicians. He formed a duo with former New Christy Minstrel Gene Clark, and later they added David Crosby. Calling themselves the Jet Set, they quickly supplemented their lineup with drummer Michael Clarke and bassist Chris Hillman. Still, something was missing from the acoustic group. This “missing” element was revealed when McGuinn saw George Harrison playing

For the Record…

Born James Joseph McGuinn III on July 13, 1942, in Chicago, IL; son of James and Dorothy McGuinn. Education: Attended Old Town School of Folk Music, 1957-60.

Began playing with the Limeliters, age 17; worked with Chad Mitchell Trio for two years, appearing on Mighty Day on Campus, 1961; joined Bobby Darin for several months, appeared on recording sessions with Judy Collins and Hoyt Axton, early 1960s; performed as solo artist in Los Angeles, formed several short-lived groups, early to mid-1960s; formed the Byrds with David Crosby, Gene Clark, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke, 1964; led Byrds through numerous personnel changes, 1965-73; recorded self-titled debut, 1973, followed by Peace on You, 1974; released critically acclaimed Cardiff Rose, 1976; recorded and performed, 1980s; released Back from Rio, 1990, Born to Rock & Roll, 1992, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band—Roger McGuinn Live, 1994, Live from Mars, 1996; began posting MP3 files of traditional folksongs on Internet, mid-1990s; released traditional folksongs on Treasures from the Folk Den, 2001.

Addresses: Record company —Appleseed Records, P.O. Box 2593, West Chester, PA 19380, phone: (610) 701-5755, website: http://www.appleseedrec.com.

an electric, 12-string Rickenbacker in A Hard Day’s Night. The band, briefly calling themselves the Beefeaters, combined their resources and bought a 12-string guitar and a bass, and by Thanksgiving 1964, the electrified group decided to call themselves the Byrds. In January of 1965, McGuinn cut a version of “Mr. Tambourine Man” with studio musicians at Columbia Records. When it became a hit six months later, the Byrds had arrived.

Between 1965 and 1973 McGuinn stood at the helm of the Byrds, forging new sounds and creating a series of groundbreaking albums. First dubbed folk-rock, the band also dabbled in psychedelic rock and pioneered country-rock. McGuinn changed his name from Jim to Roger after a short involvement with the Subud religion. Early albums like Mr. Tambourine Man in 1965 and Turn! Turn! Turn! in 1966 were noted for the close three-part harmony, Bob Dylan songs, and the ringing sound of McGuinn’s 12-string Rickenbacker. The lineup of the band changed constantly. In 1968, with the addition of Gram Parsons, the band recorded Sweetheart of the Rodeo, drawing heavily from country music. The 1970 album Untitled presents both live and studio material, including one of McGuinn’s most beloved songs, “Chestnut Mare.” While the Byrds seemed to run out of steam by the time they disbanded in 1973, their influence has continued to be immense. “The Byrds’ innovations have echoed nearly as strongly through subsequent generations,” wrote Richie Unterberger in All Music Guide, “in the work of Tom Petty, R.E.M., and innumerable alternative bands of the post-punk era that feature those jangling guitars and dense harmonies.”

Complications ensued for McGuinn in 1973. After disbanding the Byrds, he recorded an unsatisfying album with the original members. In the midst of this chaos, in the summer of 1973, he released his self-titled debut. While Roger McGuinn and the 1974 follow-up Peace on You received some good reviews, many critics thought the recordings lacked the vigor of earlier Byrds material. In 1975, after another lackluster album, McGuinn joined the Rolling Thunder Revue, a high-profile rock show put together by Bob Dylan. The touring and camaraderie of the revue energized McGuinn, leading to the recording of Cardiff Rose, an album many saw as his best work since 1970’s Untitled. Despite this success, life as a rock star was taking its toll. In retrospect, he believed that the fog of alcohol and drugs had led to a number of less-than-satisfying albums. He proceeded to clean up his act, get married, and become a Christian.

While McGuinn continued to perform for the next 12 years, he kept a lower profile and did not release another solo album until 1990. He played several live dates and recorded with Gene Clark and Chris Hillman in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While live shows, occasionally including David Crosby, garnered accolades, the critical response to the studio recordings was lackluster. During the remainder of the 1980s McGuinn returned to solo performing while continuing to make intermittent guest appearances. In 1990 Colombia released a boxed set of Byrds albums and in 1991 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The recognition of his former work re-invigorated McGuinn at the beginning of the 1990s. He continued his solo career, began a number of new projects, and seemed comfortable in his role as a rock ‘n’ roll icon. For 1990’s critically acclaimed Back to Rio, he wrote nine new songs and was joined by guests including Tom Petty and Elvis Costello. In 1993 he performed “Mr. Tambourine Man” at Bob Dylan’s thirtieth anniversary celebration and then joined in an all-star finale of “My Back Pages.” The 1996 album Live from Mars included new and old songs, accompanied by autobiographical monologues. McGuinn also began storing traditional folksongs on MP3 files in the mid-1990s, making them easily available to Internet users. He extended this project with the release of Treasures from the Folk Den in 2001, recording old songs like “John the Revelator” and “The Virgin Mary” with the help of Joan Baez and Judy Collins. When asked in 1996 by Paul Kitchen in Dig Magazine about his plans for the future, McGuinn said, “Andres Segovia was scheduled to play Carnegie Hall the month he died. He kept doing what he loved until he couldn’t do it any longer. That’s what I plan to do!”