Folk Rock Facts

Origins and early development

Folk rock arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S. it emerged from the folk music revival, with performers such as Bob Dylan and the Byrds attempting to blend the sounds of rock with their pre-existing folk repertoire, adopting the use of electric instrumentation and drums. Dylan's recordings with rock instrumentation on Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde, and his controversial appearance at the Newport Folk Festival on 25 July 1965 backed by an electric band, were pivotal moments in the development of the genre. The term "folk rock" was used in the U.S. music press in June 1965 to describe the Byrds' music.

Evolution or diversification

During the late 1960s in Britain and Europe, a distinct British folk rock style was created by Pentangle, Fairport Convention and Alan Stivell. Inspired by British psychedelic folk and the North American style of folk rock, British folk rock bands began to incorporate elements of traditional British folk music into their repertoire, leading to other variants, including the overtly English folk rock of the Albion Band and celtic rock.

Cultural or musical significance

The commercial success of the Byrds' cover version of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" and Dylan's recordings with rock instrumentation encouraged other folk acts, such as Simon & Garfunkel, to use electric backing on their records and new groups, such as Buffalo Springfield, to form. Earlier antecedents such as the Weavers and the Kingston Trio set the stage for the folk revival by bridging the gap between folk, popular music, and topical song.