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Jingle-Jangle Man
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By Lissy Abraham
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Roger McGuinn of the Byrds on folk music, songwriting, the Web, and touring solo
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Byrds founder Roger McGuinn is best known for the “jingle jangle” electric 12-string work that became his trademark and virtually defined the emerging folk-rock sound of the mid-’60s. Born James McGuinn in Chicago in 1942, he started playing six- and 12-string guitar and five-string banjo in his early teens, inspired by Leadbelly, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Bob Gibson, and Pete Seeger. McGuinn jumped right into the burgeoning folk music business right after high school, touring and recording first with the Limeliters and then the Chad Mitchell Trio, Bobby Darin, Hoyt Axton, and Tom and Jerry (later known as Simon and Garfunkel).
In 1964, while playing a solo gig at a folk club in Los Angeles, McGuinn met Gene Clark, formerly of the New Christy Minstrels. They began writing songs together and soon added David Crosby on vocals, first calling the group the Jet Set and then the Beefeaters. After bassist Chris Hillman and drummer Michael Clarke joined, the band became the Byrds. Their debut single, McGuinn’s arrangement of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” was a Number One hit in 1965, and other co-written Byrds songs—notably “Eight Miles High” and “So You Want to Be a Rock ’n’ Roll Star”—have become folk-rock classics.
The first lineup of the Byrds lasted only for three albums, but various configurations of the band (always including McGuinn) continued to perform and record until 1973, releasing such classic discs as Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968) and Untitled (1970). In recognition of their contribution to pop-rock history, the Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.
Shortly after dissolving the Byrds, McGuinn recorded the first of many solo albums, Roger McGuinn (Columbia, recently reissued on BGO Records with his second album Peace on You), and in late 1977, he reunited with original Byrds Hillman and Clark for three albums. His solo albums since then have included appearances by Hillman and Crosby as well as collaborations with Tom Petty.
A self-professed “techie,” McGuinn has had his own website since 1994, and in 1995, he launched a project to help preserve traditional folk songs. Each month he records a tune and offers it as a free download on his Folk Den website (www.folkden.com), and the CD Treasures from the Folk Den, which included folk icons like Pete Seeger and Odetta, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album in 2002.
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What they Play:
Roger McGuinn's guitars and equipment
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Guitar Salon International
The World’s Largest Selection of Classical and Flamenco Guitars and products.
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