Pop/Rock  •  Folk/Country Rock

Folk-Rock

Overview Artists Albums Songs

Folk-Rock takes the simple, direct songwriting style of folk music and melds it to a prominent rock & roll backbeat. One of the most distinctive elements of folk-rock is the chiming, ringing guitar hooks, coupled with clear vocal harmonies. Folk-rock was pioneered in the mid-'60s by the Byrds, who played Bob Dylan songs as if they were from the British Invasion. The Byrds established the blueprint that many bands followed. As the '60s winded down, more folk-rock groups emphasized the acoustic origins of folk and backed away from the ringing electric arrpeggios of the Byrds. In the next three decades, both the acoustic and electric folk-rock sounds were commonplace in rock & roll.