The Byrds facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Byrds
The Byrds in 1970
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Folk rock, country rock, psychedelic rock, pop music
Years active	1964–1973; 1989-1991; 2000
Labels	Columbia
Past members	Roger McGuinn Gene Clark David Crosby Chris Hillman Michael Clarke Kevin Kelley Gram Parsons Clarence White Gene Parsons John York Skip Battin John Guerin

The Byrds were a famous folk rock band from California. They started making music in 1964. The band was known for mixing folk music with rock and roll.

The first members of The Byrds were Jim McGuinn (who later changed his name to Roger), David Crosby, Gene Clark, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke. Over time, other talented musicians joined the band. These included Gram Parsons, Clarence White, and Gene Parsons.

The Byrds' Music Style

The Byrds helped create a new sound called folk rock. This style blended the storytelling of folk music with the energy of rock and roll. They often took folk songs and gave them a rock beat.

One of their first big hits was "Mr. Tambourine Man" in 1965. This song was originally written by Bob Dylan. The Byrds made it their own with their unique sound. They also had a hit with "Turn, Turn, Turn". This song was adapted by Pete Seeger from an old text in the Bible.

Songs and Other Bands

The Byrds wrote a song called "So You Wanna Be a Rock'N'Roll Star?". This song was about how quickly some bands became famous. It talked about the music business and how it could create stars overnight.

At first, the band members were a bit critical of groups like The Monkees. But after meeting them, they realized The Monkees had real musical talent. Members of The Byrds even played on some of The Monkees' recordings. Later, meetings at Peter Tork's house helped form another famous band, Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Another song by The Byrds, "You Showed Me", became a hit for the band The Turtles in 1968. The Byrds' members changed many times over the years. The band stopped performing in 1972. Later, the original members got back together to record one last album, which they simply called Byrds.

Albums by The Byrds

The Byrds released many albums during their time together. Here are some of their most well-known ones:

• Mr. Tambourine Man
• Turn! Turn! Turn!
• Fifth Dimension
• Younger Than Yesterday
• The Notorious Byrd Brothers
• Sweetheart of the Rodeo
• Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde
• Ballad of Easy Rider
• (Untitled)
• Byrdmaniax
• Farther Along
• Byrds

Images for kids

• 

  A Rickenbacker 360 12-string guitar like the one Jim McGuinn used.

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  Producer Terry Melcher (left) with Gene Clark (center) and David Crosby (right) in 1965.

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  Clarence White and Roger McGuinn performing in 1972.

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  David Crosby in 1976.

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  Roger McGuinn performing in 2009.

See also

In Spanish: The Byrds para niños