What Happened to The Byrds?

It is hard to summarize a band’s career in under 15 minutes, but I did my best.

[basswars]

I had the good fortune to meet Gene Clark. He played Lulu's in Kitchener with his "tribute Byrds" in the 80s. On the 2nd night of their show, he came out between his sets to speak to me. I was sitting up front, by myself, and he was impressed I attended both nights. He was a real gentleman and spent most of his break talking to me. 100% pure class.

[derekstocker]

Brilliant group, fantastic songs and these songs still sound fresh today. Thanks for this trip back in time.

[dennisdemark]

The BYRDS forevermore 🙏🏼
never to be forgotten 🎤🎶🎶🎶🎸🎸🎸🥁

[RAV]

The Byrds, (especially My Back Pages) were fantastic....the music still gives me goose bumps. Grew up on their music, the mid to late 60s were as good as it gets!

[JamesMcGillis]

I had their first two Columbia LPS in monophonic "Hi Fidelity." Even with those limitations, their music was exceptional. Learning that the Wrecking Crew also did studio work for The Beach Boys, The Monkeys and many of the top groups of the day did diminish the Byrds' effect on a whole generation. Always my all-time favorites.

[hmao]

Love their look... Love their sound...Love the Byrds forever.

[larrypaul]

Younger Than Yesterday marked the beginning of Chris Hillmans career as a topflight song writer and front man.

[j.dragon]

McGuinn, White, Parsons, and Battin was the best line up. I have played for over fifty years and have seen a ton of guitarist. Clarence White was by far, the best guitarist I ever saw. If he hadn't been killed I can only imagine what he would have become.

[munimathbypeterfelton]

Latter-day era Byrds members Clarence White and Skip Battin also died. White died in 1973 after being hit by a speeding truck when loading performing equipment into his car after a gig. Battin died in 2003 of Alzheimer’s. Also Kevin Kelley who was hired by The Byrds as a session drummer on Sweetheart of the Rodeo only, died in 2002.

[harvey]

This glosses over some important points. They were trying to capture lightnin' in a bottle by making the second 45 another Dylan tune. However, Sonny and Cher also covered "All I Really Want To Do" and shut down the Byrds' version. For their third single, "Turn Turn Turn", came from McGuinn who had recorded it a few years earlier when he backed up Judy Collins on the tune.

[carriedebehnke]

The Byrds was my first ever concert back in 1968. The music still holds up.

[WC_Beer_Reviews]

I remember buying a Live Setlist hits of the Byrds. It largely contained they Columbia edition of the Byrds with White, Parsons, and Skip. They're extended jam of Eight Miles High is quite the trip to listen to!🤘

[thesurfhotrodscene]

Thanks for this. For more and deeper info check out the 2 great Gary Usher Byrds interviews on Youtube. Amazing stuff revealed by Gary of what really happened.

[eugenedegeorge]

The Byrds rendition of Tambourine Man is my favorite song of all time. I sometimes wish they would have cut a cover using all four verses of the song. I remember having a pair of Granny glasses when I was in Grammar School. I have a CD entitled The Byrds: the preflyte sessions. It contains lots of earlier Studio outtakes as they were trying to develop that unique Byrd sound.

[drums]

Lots of inaccuracies . No excuse, plenty of sources to get the correct info from.

[samburkes]

Out of all the mid-sixties guitar, bass, vocals, drums groups, The Byrds were right behing the Beatles with that look, sound, musicianship, etc. Loved them dearly. McGuinns use of that iconic, jangly, chimy, Rickenbacker elect 12-string (along with George Harrison's use of the same 360/12 guitar) prompted thousands of young guitarists to buy/play one!! I was one of them, must admit. Had three altogether, chagrinely had to sell 2..Still have my orig. FireGlo 360/12!!That's a keeper!! The Byrds will, if not already, go down in history as one of the seminal pop/folk rock groups to make inroads into the 60's rock scene!! Will always love their orig. sound, 1965-66!!

[pretorious]

My little local blues band got onto the mid 70's outdoor festival circuit on the east coast. It evolved from the bluegrass festivals, and musicians from other genres began to be included. It was strange, there were no "headliners", just a mish mash of different bands and performers from noon to late for 3 days. We actually had to follow Roger McGuinn once. Also, many many years later, another band I was in opened up for "The Byrds" in a club in Charlottesville, Va. Drummer Mike Clark was the only original Byrd, and half of the songs they did were not even Byrds' material.

[joetaylor]

Without Jim / Roger McGuinn, there would have been no Byrds. His instrumental prowess and musicianship really "made" the group.

[ThatsMrPencilneckU]

I grew up listening to the Beatles, Yes, and Iron Maiden. I had a fond memory of the Byrds, from my childhood, with "Turn, Turn, Turn" and "Mr. Tambourine Man, " but they were old, and forgotten, by the time I was a teen. We still got into late 60's stuff, like Zeppelin and Sabbath, and I thought I saw a 1969 copyright on ELP's debut album. Most 60's pop was patently uncool, so no Byrds in my collection.

Now that I'm old enough that "uncool" is defined as anything I approve of, I can listen to whatever I want, without worrying what anybody thinks. I found a Byrds greatest hits album on CD. They're not the Beatles or the Moody Blues. It didn't hurt to listen to, but it wasn't that great, either. Maybe, it's because it was a GM album. The only GH album I ever enjoyed was the Van Morrison album, with the big chrome microphone on the cover.

[roccidisopa]

The club was simply called Ciro’s (sih-rohs). It’s been The Comedy Store for 40 years now.