Folk Rock is a fusion genre of Rock music with heavy influences from Pop, English, and American Folk music. It typically combines elements of Folk and Rock music together. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., Folk Rock emerged from the Folk music revival. Folk Rock is a dynamic genre that marries the storytelling and acoustic beauty of folk music with the energy and instrumentation of rock, creating a unique sound that has left a lasting impact on the music landscape.
The style was arguably pioneered by releases such as The Beau Brummels’ “Laugh, Laugh” and Bob Dylan’s “Mixed Up Confusion” singles, and was also pioneered by the Los Angeles band The Byrds, who began playing traditional folk music and Bob Dylan-penned material with rock instrumentation, in a style heavily influenced by The Beatles and other British bands.
The term “Folk Rock” was first coined by the U.S. music press to describe The Byrds’ music in June 1965, the same month that the band’s debut album was issued. The release of The Byrds’ cover version of Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and its subsequent commercial success initiated the Folk Rock explosion of the mid-1960s. The success of the Byrds’ cover version of Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and their debut album of the same name, along with Dylan’s own recordings with rock instrumentation – on the albums Bringing It All Back Home (1965), Highway 61 Revisited (1965), and Blonde on Blonde (1966) – encouraged other folk acts, such as Simon & Garfunkel, to use electric backing on their records and forms new groups, such as Buffalo Springfield, The Band, The Leaves, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Tim Buckley. Dylan’s controversial appearance at the Newport Folk Festival on 25 July 1965, where he was backed by an electric band, was also a pivotal moment in the development of the genre.
During the late 1960s in Britain and Europe, a distinct, eclectic 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. Folk Rock has also produced regional variations like Anatolian Rock and Nordic Folk Rock.
Folk Rock also shared close ties with Folk Pop, artists such as Simon & Garfunkel, who blended poetic lyrics with rich harmonies and folk instrumentation, producing classics like “The Sound of Silence,” and Donovan have been considered part of both styles. The genre would also serve as a precursor to similarly-minded movements that had their basis in both Rock (such as Country Rock, Roots Rock, and Folk Punk) and Folk (exemplified by Psychedelic Folk). Folk Rock was also influential to the sound of Psychedelic Rock bands like Love and Jefferson Airplane. In the United Kingdom, figures such as Van Morrison and Cat Stevens, associated with the Singer-Songwriter genre, would also become connected with the movement. A British Folk Rock style, which mixed Rock and elements of British Folk, would also emerge, represented by bands such as Fairport Convention, The Pentangle, and Steeleye Span.
Folk Rock continues to influence various music genres and is still relevant today, with modern artists incorporating Folk Rock elements into their music.
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