McGuinn, Clark & Hillman

The Byrds
The Byrds in 1965 From left to right: David Crosby, Gene Clark, Michael Clarke, Chris Hillman, and Jim McGuinn
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Rock pop folk rock psychedelic rock raga rock country rock jangle pop
Years active	1964–73; 1989–91; 2000
Labels	Columbia, Asylum, Elektra
Associated acts	The Jet Set, the Beefeaters, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Manassas, Firefall, McGuinn, Clark & Hillman, the Desert Rose Band, Souther–Hillman–Furay Band
Website	www.thebyrds.com
Past members	Roger McGuinn Gene Clark David Crosby Michael Clarke Chris Hillman Kevin Kelley Gram Parsons Clarence White Gene Parsons John York Skip Battin

The Byrds /bɜːrdz/ were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole consistent member, until the group disbanded in 1973. Although they only managed to attain the huge commercial success of contemporaries like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Rolling Stones for a short period in the mid-60s, the Byrds are today considered by critics to be one of the most influential bands of the 1960s. Their signature blend of clear harmony singing and McGuinn's jangly twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar was immediately absorbed into the vocabulary of popular music and has continued to be influential up to the present day.

Initially, the band pioneered the musical genre of folk rock on their album Mr. Tambourine Man (1965), by melding the influence of the Beatles and other British Invasion bands with contemporary and traditional folk music. As the 1960s progressed, the band was influential in originating psychedelic rock and raga rock, with their song "Eight Miles High" and the albums Fifth Dimension (1966), Younger Than Yesterday (1967) and The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968). They also played a pioneering role in the development of country rock, with the album Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968) representing their fullest immersion into the genre.