Folk rock | |
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Stylistic origins | |
Cultural origins | Early to mid-1960s, United Kingdom and United States |
Typical instruments | |
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Other topics | |
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the United Kingdom around the mid-1960s. The genre was pioneered by the Los Angeles band the Byrds, who began playing traditional folk music and songs by Bob Dylan with rock instrumentation. The term "folk rock" was coined by the U.S. music press to describe the Byrds' music in June 1965, the month in which the band's debut album was issued.
A distinct, eclectic style of electric folk was created in Britain and Europe in the late 1960s by Pentangle, Fairport Convention and Alan Stivell. Inspired by British psychedelic folk and the North American style of folk rock, Pentangle, Fairport, and other related bands began to incorporate elements of traditional British folk music into their repertoire. Fairport bassist Ashley Hutchings formed Steeleye Span with traditionalist folk musicians who wished to incorporate overt rock elements into their music, and this led to other variants, including the overtly English folk rock of the Albion Band (also featuring Hutchings) and the more prolific current of Celtic rock.
In a broader sense, folk rock includes later similarly inspired musical genres and movements in the English-speaking world.
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the United Kingdom around the mid-1960s. The genre was pioneered by the Los Angeles band the Byrds, who began playing traditional folk music and songs by Bob Dylan with rock instrumentation, in a style heavily influenced by the Beatles and other British bands. The term "folk rock" was coined by the U.S. music press to describe the Byrds' music in June 1965, the month in which the band's debut album was issued. The release of the Byrds' cover version of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" and its subsequent commercial success initiated the folk rock explosion of the mid-1960s. Dylan also contributed to the genre, particularly with his recordings with rock instrumentation on the albums Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde. Dylan's appearance at the Newport Folk Festival on 25 July 1965, with an electric band backing him, was a pivotal moment in the development of folk rock.