And that is critically important to Roger and his business-partner and wife of 40 years, Camilla. It is largely secular music recorded before Roger accepted Jesus as his guide and master, but there is plenty of faith to be found in the show, with “I am a Pilgrim,” my personal favorite.Īlso notable about the Sweetheart’s tour, all three performers on the Rodeo stage are professing believers. Roger’s work today includes touring with original Byrd’s band mate Chris Hillman along with Marty Stuart in a 50 th anniversary “ Sweetheart of the Rodeo” tour, where they perform songs from the original Byrds’ album recorded in 1968, like this one “Hickory Wind.” I check my bags at the gate like everybody else,” he humbly says to me. While famed in rock circles, Roger downplays his celebrity. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Byrds in 1991 which coincided with the release of a solo album entitled Back from Rio, Roger is arguably the most prominent rock legend who also claims fraternity in the family of faith. Roger McGuinn lived through it and came out the other side healthy, happy with a loving devoted wife, Camilla, and most profoundly with a deep and abiding faith in God the Father, Jesus His only begotten son and the Holy Spirit. Perhaps nothing could be more antithetical to the Christian than the “rock ‘n roll” lifestyle of the 1960s and beyond. Pam Danziger interviewed Roger and Camilla via phone in November, 2018, while they were in Dallas.īy Jeremiah Nighthawk Taylor Meet the Real Roger McGuinn As he introduces the song “I Like the Christian Life” in the show, Roger says, “When I sang this song in 1968, I didn’t know what it meant…Now I do!” On stage they performed some of the Byrds’ greatest hits, along with every song on the Sweetheart’s album. Recently Roger was on tour with another founding member of the Byrds, Chris Hillman, along with Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives in a 50 th anniversary tour celebrating the release of the Byrd’s Sweetheart of the Rodeo album. He and his wife, Camilla, have been Christians since the late 1970s, and, when we reached out to them, they were eager to share their faith with us. The Byrds brought many influences together, exploring and expanding from Folk Rock to Psychedelic to Country Rock.īut Roger McGuinn is of interest to us chiefly because of his faith. The Byrds became luminaries, as the overlapping genres within top-40 pop music developed and morphed and new styles were created. Roger McGuinn, whose distinctive electric 12-string guitar and vocals fronted the Byrds, is a seminal figure in the music of that vital period. The Byrds were widely acclaimed as “America’s answer to the Beatles,” recognized by their harmonic sound and innovative contribution to pop-rock music. It was the Byrds’ recording of “Tambourine Man,” written by Bob Dylan, that brought Dylan to the attention of pop audiences. Folk Rock was introduced by the Byrds when their recording of “Tambourine Man” reached the top ten in 1965. Very soon, American bands responded with music grounded in American folk music. After the Brits landed in 1964, homegrown American music faded off the radar of many young U.S. The Brits took much of what America sent them – Blues, Rock ‘n Roll and Jazz – and gave it their own spin. Soon the British Invasion brought the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Animals and many, many others. Popular music in the late 1950s and early 1960s became massively popular as the growing music industry kept inspiring young listeners with new sounds coming from Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and others. McGuinn changed his own name from Jim to Roger in 1967 after joining the Subud spiritual association, when he was told a name beginning with R would better “vibrate with the universe.In the post-World War II years, mass culture exploded as radio sent out new music created by artists tuned to teen-aged ears. The Jet Set had changed their name to the Byrds by the time the song was released on April 12, 1965, launching the folk-rock movement. Invited to hear the band perform his song in the studio, Dylan raved, “Wow, man! You can dance to that!” Tambourine Man” that summer, the group, following McGuinn’s lead, recast the tune with a rock-band arrangement. His technique of giving traditional folk songs a rock and roll treatment caught the ears of fellow folkie Gene Clark, and they formed the Jet Set with fellow guitarist David Crosby, bassist Chris Hillman and drummer Michael Clarke.Īfter hearing an acetate of Bob Dylan’s then-unreleased “Mr. In 1964, McGuinn relocated to Los Angeles and began performing at the Troubadour. When pop singer Bobby Darin jumped on the folk bandwagon in 1963, he took on McGuinn as guitarist and backup singer, and eventually hired him to write songs for his publishing company in New York City’s Brill Building.
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