Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Year Formed: 1964

Members:
Roger McGuinn -guitar, banjo
Chris Hillman - bass, mandolin
Gram Parsons -guitar
Kevin Kelley -drums
Others:
Earl Ball -piano
Lloyd Green -steel guitar
John Hartford -banjo, guitar
Clarence White -guitar
Roy Huskey -bass

Bands In The Family:
Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Flying Burrito Brothers, Desert Rose Band

Notes:
Blending Dylan's folk with The Beatles' energetic rock, The Byrds (essentially Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Gene Clark, and Chris Hillman)influenced scores of bands to follow. Their electric 12-string jangle defined the folk-rock sound and even influenced The Beatles themselves. The Byrds went on to help pioneer other styles including psychedelic rock (1966) and country rock (1968), despite numerous lineup changes. Crosby left for CSN in 1968. Gram Parsons pushed the band in a country direction before taking Hillman with him to form the Flying Burrito Brothers. Adding country and folk influences to their music made them one of the first "roots-rock" bands to make an impact.

Links:
Byrdwatcher
The definitve and comprehensive "field guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles."
Byrds' FAQ
Compiled and edited by Roger McGuinn himself!
Byrds' Online Appreciation Society

One of the seminal albums of country-rock, this classic remains a blueprint for the currently popular alternative scene. Gram Parsons wrote only two of the cuts, but he brought with him an entire aesthetic: pared-down, earthbound country music. No more 12-string folk-rock, no more whirling psychedelia. At roughly the same period, rock stalwarts ranging from Bob Dylan to the Grateful Dead to Jefferson Airplane all moved in a similar path as the excesses of the late-1960s gave way to simplicity, honesty, and direct musical communication.

Steel guitar rings out on Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" while fiddle and banjo carry the traditional "I Am a Pilgrim." Honorary Byrd Clarence White offers potent twang on the Louvin Brothers' "Christian Life" while "You're Still on My Mind" enters unadulterated honky-tonk territory. The band even countrifies "You Don't Miss Your Water," which had been a hit for Otis Redding.

Parsons' tunes discuss weightier concerns than had been the norm in rock music. "Hickory Wind" is an aching memory of simple childhood while "One Hundred Years from Now" tries to put the turbulence of the day in perspective. Also included are covers of Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd" and Merle Haggard's "Life in Prison." Buttressed by a cadre of Nashville studio aces and inspired by Parsons' vision, The Byrds turned out a landmark album that's had a lasting influence on any musician who likes a dose of twang in their rock.