Folk Rock
tagStarted 1965Peak 1965-1972Last big hit still active
Located in 2 routes
The foundational electrified-folk sound: chiming 12-string Rickenbacker guitars, a steady rock backbeat under acoustic strum, tight vocal harmonies, and literate, often topical lyrics. It marries the melodic clarity of folk balladry to amplified band arrangements, favoring jangle and verse-heavy storytelling over solos.
History
Crystallized in 1965 when The Byrds electrified Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man' and Dylan plugged in at the Newport Folk Festival. The Greenwich Village and Laurel Canyon scenes powered its spread, fusing the protest-folk revival with British Invasion punch. It became the template every later folk-rock offshoot grew from, and remains a constant catalog touchstone.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Mr. Tambourine Man — The ByrdsSpotifyYouTube
- The Sound of Silence — Simon & GarfunkelSpotifyYouTube
- California Dreamin' — The Mamas & the PapasSpotifyYouTube
- Subterranean Homesick Blues — Bob DylanSpotifyYouTube
- For What It's Worth — Buffalo SpringfieldSpotifyYouTube
- Do You Believe in Magic — The Lovin' SpoonfulSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_rock
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/folk-rock-ma0000002762
- https://www.britannica.com/art/folk-rock