Folk rock is a hybrid music genre combining elements of folk music and
rock music, which 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 and the influence that the Beatles and other British
Invasion bands had on members of that movement. Performers such as Bob
Dylan and the Byrdsâ€"several of whose members had earlier played in
folk ensemblesâ€"attempted to blend the sounds of rock with their
pre-existing folk repertoire, adopting the use of electric
instrumentation and drums in a way previously discouraged in the U.S.
folk community. The term "folk rock" was initially used in the U.S.
music press in June 1965 to describe the Byrds' music.The commercial
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 instrumentationâ€"on the albums Bringing It All
Back Home (1965), Highway 61 Revisited (1965), and Blonde on Blonde
(1966)â€"encouraged other folk acts, such as Simon & Garfunkel, to use
electric backing on their records and new groups, such as Buffalo
Springfield, to form. 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.
rock music, which 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 and the influence that the Beatles and other British
Invasion bands had on members of that movement. Performers such as Bob
Dylan and the Byrdsâ€"several of whose members had earlier played in
folk ensemblesâ€"attempted to blend the sounds of rock with their
pre-existing folk repertoire, adopting the use of electric
instrumentation and drums in a way previously discouraged in the U.S.
folk community. The term "folk rock" was initially used in the U.S.
music press in June 1965 to describe the Byrds' music.The commercial
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 instrumentationâ€"on the albums Bringing It All
Back Home (1965), Highway 61 Revisited (1965), and Blonde on Blonde
(1966)â€"encouraged other folk acts, such as Simon & Garfunkel, to use
electric backing on their records and new groups, such as Buffalo
Springfield, to form. 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.
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