Soft Folk Rock
tagStarted 1969Peak 1971–1978Last big hit 1981
Located in 1 route
Soft folk rock smooths the electric-acoustic blend of folk-rock into gently melodic, radio-friendly songs with warm chord movement, light drums, and often immaculate vocal production. It is less confrontational than classic folk rock and more domestic, reflective, and adult.
History
As the original folk-rock explosion matured, some writers turned away from jangling urgency and toward a softer, more polished song form that still retained acoustic guitar and folk-rooted melodic phrasing. James Taylor, America, Seals & Crofts, Dan Fogelberg, Gordon Lightfoot, and Jackson Browne became essential names in this softer branch, which fed directly into adult contemporary radio.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "folk rock"
- MasterClass, "Folk Rock Music Guide"
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Bob Dylan." citeturn0search16turn2search4turn1search16