Roger McGuinn

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Roger McGuinn, 2009

Roger McGuinn , known as Jim McGuinn until 1968 , actually James Joseph McGuinn (born July 13, 1942 in Chicago , Illinois ) was one of the most influential figures on the American folk rock scene in the 1960s and 1970s . He was best known as a founding member and front man of the Byrds .

Life

Beginnings

McGuinn's parents were journalists and book authors. Fascinated by Elvis Presley , he began playing the guitar at the age of 14. He was introduced to folk music through a teacher. In 1958 he attended the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, where he perfected his guitar and learned the five-string banjo. He made his first public appearances in local coffee houses and clubs. The Limeliters became aware of the talent and invited him to Hollywood .

After he made a name for himself in the scene (still as Jim McGuinn, he didn't take the name Roger until 1968), he was hired by the Chad Mitchell Trio . He stayed with the group for more than two years and participated in several recordings. In 1962 he joined Bobby Darin . During these years he started writing songs. As a session musician, he took part in recordings by well-known musicians such as Judy Collins , Hoyt Axton and Tom & Jerry (who later became Simon & Garfunkel ).

In 1963 there was a musical reorientation. He was irresistibly cast under the spell of the Beatles and even performed as an impersonator of the Liverpool Quartet for a while.

The time with the Byrds

His next stop was Los Angeles , where he performed in the Troubador Club. Here he met Gene Clark and David Crosby in early 1964 , who also had a folk background and were enthusiastic about the Beatles. A little later the group Jet Set was founded , to which Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke soon joined. At the end of 1964, the name was changed to The Byrds . The single Mr. Tambourine Man , recorded two months later, reached number one on the charts and made the Byrds known worldwide.

McGuinn contributed significantly to the sound of the Byrds with his 12-string Rickenbacker guitar. He was considered the leading head of the band, but often struggled to assert himself against Clark and Crosby. In 1968 he was temporarily marginalized by the musically highly talented and equally self-centered Gram Parsons . Quarrels and frequent staff changes were characteristic of the group, which, despite declining sales and hit parade successes, played a leading role in the folk rock scene for many years and were considered musical trendsetters. From 1968, after Hillman's departure, McGuinn was the last remaining founding member and sole owner of the naming rights.

In 1969 he contributed two songs to the soundtrack of the cult film Easy Rider : On the one hand, a cover version of the Bob Dylan song It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) (the Dylan 's original version could not be used for legal reasons on the other hand the piece Ballad of Easy Rider , which forms the swan song in the film. Both songs were not as well known as Steppenwolf's hymn Born to Be Wild , but are more dramatic for the film, as they accompany and convey the tragic end and thus the message of the film. In addition, Ballad of Easy Rider is the only original song in the film, i.e. the only one that was not previously released but was written especially for the film. The song was eventually also released by the Byrds in October 1969 on the Ballad of Easy Rider album. In addition to the two McGuinn songs, the soundtrack also contained the Gerry Goffin / Carole King composition Wasn't Born to Follow , which the Byrds released in January 1968.

At the beginning of 1973 the Byrds finally disbanded, but shortly afterwards came together for a short time to produce another album.

Failed solo career

His first solo album, the self-produced Roger McGuinn , was released in August 1973. It sold extremely poorly and only reached number 137 on the Billboard album charts. In the following year he went on a three-month tour, during which he performed his own songs and Byrds classics without a backing band. In mid-1974 he put together his own band, with whom he toured Europe. His second album, Peace On You , came out in July and sold a little better. The low point was reached a year later with his third album Roger McGuinn And Band , which contained mostly inferior song material. There were also problems privately: his third marriage failed. As always, he struggled with alcohol and drug problems and sought religious enlightenment.

By chance he met Bob Dylan in a New York club in 1975 , who invited him to take part on his next tour. On the spur of the moment, McGuinn fired his band and joined Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue , which began its legendary tour in October of the same year. Contributors included Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell . For the first time in a long time, McGuinn was able to celebrate successes again. However, his fourth solo album, Cardiff Rose , released in 1976 , was again a commercial failure, despite being of recognized musical quality.

In 1977 he founded the band Thunderbyrd , which only harmonized musically after several personnel changes. The final line-up included guitarist and singer Rick Vito , drummer Greg Thomas, and bassist and singer Charlie Harrison. With Thunderbyrd he expired on 23 July of the same year for the first Rockpalast night of WDR on.

McGuinn, Clark & ​​Hillman

In September 1977 Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark decided to work together as a duo. Chris Hillman joined at the end of the year. After several international tours, their first album together, McGuinn, Clark & ​​Hillman , was released in February 1979 . It had little in common with the sound of the Byrds and was well received by the audience. After the production of the second album, Clark dropped out and McGuinn and Hillman worked as a duo for a short time.

Again as a soloist

In the 1980s McGuinn had no record deal, but was active on stage with Bob Dylan or as a soloist, among others. He also took part in several recordings of musicians he was friends with. After years of religious wandering, he finally turned to Christianity. A long-planned gospel album did not materialize. With his fourth wife Camilla, whom he met in 1978 while taking acting classes, he was able to enter into a permanent relationship for the first time.

After Gene Clark had used the name "Byrds" without consulting, Crosby, McGuinn and Hillman came together again for a brief reunion. In 1991 McGuinn released a remarkable solo album called Back From Rio , on which he was supported by numerous famous musicians, including Hillman and Crosby, and which was a throwback to the sound of the Byrds. In his 2004 album, Limited Edition , he relied on the music with which he was successful in the 1960s.

In 1995 he started an extensive collection of folk songs on the Internet, some with explanations, history or anecdotes.

In 2011, Rolling Stone listed McGuinn as 95th of the 100 best guitarists of all time .

equipment

As already mentioned, Roger McGuinn mainly plays a 12-string Rickenbacker (360/12 or later 370/12). He bought the guitar after seeing Beatles guitarist George Harrison with it in the movie A Hard Day's Night . Their characteristic sound shaped some tracks on the album A Hard Day's Night (such as the title track). The intensive use of a (tube) compressor is also important for McGuinn's sound . With this signal he goes straight to the mixer in the studio , he amplified himself live initially with an Epiphone jazz combo amplifier , later with a Fender Dual Showman or with a Roland Jazz Chorus JC-120 . How many jazz guitarist draws McGuinn Flatwound - guitar strings on. He strikes them with a pick and also with finger picks on the middle and ring fingers. As an acoustic guitar , McGuinn uses a 7-string Martin (Martin HD-7) specially built for him .

Discography

The Limeliters: Tonight in Person (1961)
Chad Mitchell Trio: Mighty Day on Campus (1962) - The Chad Mitchel Trio at the Bitter End (1962)
The Byrds: Mr. Tambourine Man (1965) - Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965) - Fifth Dimension (1966) - Younger Than Yesterday (1967) - The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968) - Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968) - Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde (1969) - Ballad of Easy Rider (1969) - (Untitled) (1970) - Byrdmaniax (1971) - Farther Along (1971) - Byrds (1973)

  • 1973 - Roger McGuinn (Columbia)
  • 1974 - Peace on You (Columbia)
  • 1975 - Roger McGuinn and Band (Columbia)
  • 1976 - Cardiff Rose (Columbia)
  • 1977 - Thunderbyrd (Columbia)

McGuinn, Clark & ​​Hillman: McGuinn, Clark & ​​Hillman (1979) - City (1980)
McGuinn & Hillman: "McGuinn-Hillman" (1981)

  • 1991 - Back From Rio (Arista)
  • 1991 Born To Rock And Roll (Columbia)
  • 1996 - Live From Mars (Hollywood)
  • 2002 - Treasures from the Folk Den (Hypertension)
  • 2004 - Limited Edition
  • 2011 - CCD

literature

  • Heinz Dirk Zimmermann: Time Between - The History of the Byrds , Star Cluster, Balve, 208 pp. ISBN 3-925005-69-2
  • Johnny Rogan: The Byrds - Timeless Flight Revisited, The Definitive Biography of the Byrds , London 1997 Linen, 720 pages, approx. 50 ills.
  • Heinz Dirk Zimmermann: Here Tonight - The story of the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers ..., London 1997, linen, discography, bibliography, 720 p., 50 ills.

Web links

Commons : Roger McGuinn  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ibiblio.org: Roger McGuinn in the folk tradition
  2. ↑ 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Rolling Stone , December 18, 2015, accessed August 8, 2017 .
  3. ↑ guitar heros 2, PPVMedien, Bergkirchen, 2007 (special issue of the guitar magazine), p. 28
personal data
SURNAME McGuinn, Roger
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McGuinn, James Joseph (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American musician
DATE OF BIRTH July 13, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago , Illinois, United States