Folk Rock / Acoustic Rock
The bridge where acoustic folk meets electric rock: ringing 12-string guitars, close harmonies, fingerpicked or strummed acoustics under a rhythm section, and lyrics that prize storytelling, conscience, and craft over riffage. Spans jangling 60s electrification, hushed singer-songwriter intimacy, fiddle-and-mandolin Americana, and orchestral chamber arrangements.
History
Born in 1965 when The Byrds plugged Bob Dylan into Rickenbackers and Dylan went electric at Newport. It splintered fast: British traditionalists electrified ballads, Laurel Canyon refined the singer-songwriter, and waves of indie folk, Americana, and Celtic rock revivals followed. The family remains a durable catalog and modern crossover spine for rock, Americana, and adult alternative.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_rock
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_folk_rock
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/folk-rock-ma0000002762