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As
the frontman of the Byrds, Roger McGuinn and his trademark 12-string
Rickenbacker guitar pioneered folk-rock and, by extension, country-rock,
influencing everyone from contemporaries like the Beatles to acolytes
like Tom Petty and R.E.M. in the process. James Joseph McGuinn was born
on July 13, 1942 in Chicago, where by his teenage years he was already
something of a folk music prodigy. After touring with the Limelighters,
in 1960 he signed on as an accompanist with the Chad Mitchell Trio,
appearing on the LPs Mighty Day on Campus and Live at the Bitter End;
frustrated with his limited role in the group, he soon joined Bobby
Darin's group when the singer moved from pop to folk. Under the direction of McGuinn--who had changed his first name to Roger after a flirtation with the Subud religion--the Byrds soldiered on, delving further and further into country and roots music before finally dissolving in February 1973. That same year, McGuinn issued his self-titled solo debut, an ambitious, eclectic affair which explored not only folk and country but surf and even space rock. 1974's Peace on You and 1975's Roger McGuinn and Band preceded a stint with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue which helped revitalize his standing within the musical community. 1976's Cardiff Rose was regarded as his best solo effort to date, but the next year's Thunderbyrd, which featured a cover of Tom Petty's "American Girl," failed to connect with audiences. In late 1977, McGuinn reunited with Byrds mates Chris Hillman and Gene Clark; the resulting LP, 1979's McGuinn, Clark & Hillman, notched a Top 40 pop hit with the McGuinn-penned "Don't You Write Her Off." Midway through recording the follow-up, 1980's Home, Clark departed, and the album was released under the name Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman Featuring Gene Clark. Following another effort, 1981's McGuinn/Hillman, they went their separate ways. After undergoing another religious conversion, this time becoming a born-again Christian, McGuinn spent the remainder of the 1980s without a recording contract and performing solo dates. The appearance of a faux-Byrds led by Michael Clarke prompted McGuinn to reform the group with Hillman and David Crosby in 1989, resulting in a series of club performances, an appearance at a Roy Orbison tribute, and a handful of new recordings for inclusion on a box set retrospective. In 1991--the same year the Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame--McGuinn issued his first new solo recordings in over a decade, the all-star Back to Rio, which was met with great public and critical acclaim. Live From Mars, a retrospective of songs and stories, appeared in 1996.
~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
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