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The Folk-Rock Revolution: Bob Dylan, The Byrds and the Birth of Folk Rock Music

The Beatles influenced Bob Dylan to “go electric” and starting with his historic Newport Folk Festival performance on July 25, 1965, he outraged the folk music world by performing with an electrified rock and roll band. Soon after, the California-based band The Byrds followed Dylan’s lead and pioneered a sound that bridged the gap between traditional American folk music groups like The Kingston Trio and the modern rock and roll music of the day. In this lecture, we will examine the evolution of the early 1960s folk music scene in the U.S., from the impact of the Beatles on American folk musicians to the explosion of the folk rock music scene in the U.S. and Great Britain that would eventually result in the huge commercial success of country music and folk rock in the late 1960s into the 1970s. We will end by looking at the influence of folk rock on current artists including Taylor Swift and Mumford & Sons.

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