The Byrds

It was in 1965 that the Byrds heard a demo of a new Bob Dylan song, Mr Tambourine Man, and decided to cover it. The results had profound effects for both the band and Dylan, rocketing the Byrds to the top of both the US and UK charts and in effect giving birth to a new genre of music called folk-rock; which helped accelerate Dylan's transition into rock territory. The group had been formed in LA the previous year with Jim McGuinn on lead guitar, David Crosby (rhythm guitar), Chris Hillman (bass) and Michael Clarke (drums) and the blend of McGuinn's jangly 12-string guitar and their tight harmony vocals made a great radio sound that inspired a whole new generation of groups. Their highly distinctive style produced a series of other hits in the next couple of years, including All I Really Want To Do, Turn! Turn! Turn!, Eight Miles High, So You Want To Be A Rock'n'Roll Star, You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, Ballad Of Easy Rider and Chestnut Mare. After a series of personnel changes, they split in 1973, with most of the original line-up going on to success in other incarnations. However, taking legal action against some of their former colleagues attempting to tour under their name, McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman initiated an original Byrds reunion in 1988, recording four new tracks for a box set. They played a series of concerts before disbanding again in 1991, when they were inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame.