Roger McGuinn
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of
the Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole con ...
. He was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...
for his work with the Byrds. As a solo artist he has released 10 albums and collaborated with, among others,
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
,
Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...
and Chris Hillman. The 12-string
Rickenbacker Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. The company is credited as the first known maker of electric guitars – a steel guitar in 1932 – and today produces a range ...
guitar is his signature instrument.


Early life

McGuinn was born and raised in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...
, United States, son of James Joseph McGuinn Jr (b. 1909) and Dorothy Irene (b. 1911), daughter of engineer Louis Heyn. His parents worked in journalism and public relations, and during his childhood, they had written a bestseller titled ''Parents Can't Win''. He attended the Latin School of Chicago. He became interested in music after hearing
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
's "
Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being ...
", and asked his parents to buy a guitar for him. (During the early 1980s, he paid tribute to the song that encouraged him to play guitar by including "Heartbreak Hotel" in his autobiographical show). Around the same time, he was also influenced by country artists and/or groups such as
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...
,
Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...
, Gene Vincent, and
the Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...
. In 1957, he enrolled as a student at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, where he learned the five-string
banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
and 12-string guitar. After graduation, McGuinn performed solo at various
coffeehouse A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...
s on the
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
circuit where he was hired as a
sideman A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform live with a solo artist, or with a group in which they are not a regular band member. The term is usually used to describe musicians that play with jazz or rock artists, whether solo ...
by the Limeliters,
the Chad Mitchell Trio The Chad Mitchell Trio, later known as The Mitchell Trio, were an American vocal group who became known during the 1960s. They performed traditional folk songs and some of John Denver's early compositions. They were particularly notable for per ...
, and
Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning seven decades. An Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, she is known for her ec ...
and other folk music artists in the same vein. He also played guitar and sang backup harmonies for
Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music. He started his career as a songwriter for Connie ...
. Soon after, he relocated to the West Coast, eventually
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
, where he eventually met the future members of
the Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole con ...
. In 1962, after he ended his association with the Chad Mitchell Trio, McGuinn was hired by Darin to be a backup guitarist and harmony singer; at that approximate time, Darin wanted to add some folk roots to his repertoire because it was a burgeoning musical field. About a year and a half after McGuinn began to play guitar and sing with Darin, Darin became ill and retired from singing. Subsequently, Darin opened T.M. Music in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
's Brill Building, hiring McGuinn as a songwriter for $35 a week. During 1963, just one year before he co-founded the Byrds, McGuinn worked as a studio musician in New York, recording with Judy Collins and
Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of ...
. At the same time, he was hearing about
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
(whose first American appearances would come in February 1964) and wondering how
Beatlemania Beatlemania was the fanaticism surrounding the English rock band the Beatles in the 1960s. The group's popularity grew in the United Kingdom throughout 1963, propelled by the singles " Please Please Me", " From Me to You" and " She Loves You" ...
might affect folk music. When he saw George Harrison play a 12-string Rickenbacker in the film '' A Hard Days Night'', it inspired McGuinn to buy the same instrument. By the time
Doug Weston Alexander Douglas Weston (December 13, 1926 – February 14, 1999) was an American nightclub owner, known as the owner of The Troubadour nightclub in Los Angeles which in the 1960s and 1970s was particularly responsible for promoting many successf ...
gave McGuinn a job at the Troubadour nightclub in Los Angeles, he had begun to include Beatles' songs in his act. He gave rock style treatments to traditional folk tunes and thereby caught the attention of another folkie Beatle fan,
Gene Clark Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best ...
, who joined forces with McGuinn in July 1964. Together they formed the beginning of what was to become the Byrds.


The Byrds

During his time with the Byrds, McGuinn developed two innovative and very influential styles of electric guitar playing. The first was " jingle-jangle" – generating ringing
arpeggio A broken chord is a chord broken into a sequence of notes. A broken chord may repeat some of the notes from the chord and span one or more octaves. An arpeggio () is a type of broken chord, in which the notes that compose a chord are played ...
s based on
banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
finger picking Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with a single plect ...
styles he learned while at the Old Town School of Folk – which was influential in the
folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk 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. Performers s ...
genre. The second style was a merging of saxophonist
John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...
's free-jazz atonalities, which hinted at the droning of the
sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...
– a style of playing, first heard on the Byrds' 1966 single " Eight Miles High", which was influential in
psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound effects and recording te ...
. While "tracking" the Byrds' first single, " Mr. Tambourine Man", at
Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...
studios, McGuinn discovered an important component of his style. "The 'Ric' 12_string_Rickenbacker_guitar.html" ;"title="Rickenbacker#Rickenbacker guitars and 1960s rock and roll">12 string Rickenbacker guitar">Rickenbacker#Rickenbacker guitars and 1960s rock and roll">12 string Rickenbacker guitar/nowiki> by itself is kind of thuddy," he notes. "It doesn't ring. But if you add a
compressor A compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. An air compressor is a specific type of gas compressor. Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can tr ...
, you get that long sustain. To be honest, I found this by accident. The
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...
, Ray Gerhardt, would run compressors on everything to protect his precious equipment from loud rock and roll. He compressed the heck out of my 12-string, and it sounded so great we decided to use two tube compressors (likely Teletronix LA-2As) in series, and then go directly into the
board Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a ty ...
. That's how I got my 'jingle-jangle' tone. It's really squashed down, but it jumps out from the radio. With compression, I found I could hold a note for three or four seconds, and sound more like a wind instrument. Later, this led me to emulate John Coltrane's saxophone on " Eight Miles High". Without compression, I couldn't have sustained the riff's first note." "I practiced eight hours a day on that 'Ric,'" he continues, "I really worked it. In those days, acoustic 12s had wide necks and thick strings that were spaced pretty far apart, so they were hard to play. But the Rick's slim neck and low action let me explore
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
and
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...
scales up and down the
fretboard The fingerboard (also known as a fretboard on fretted instruments) is an important component of most stringed instruments. It is a thin, long strip of material, usually wood, that is laminated to the front of the neck of an instrument. The str ...
, and incorporate more hammer-ons and pull-offs into my solos. I also translated some of my banjo picking techniques to the 12-string. By combining a flat pick with metal finger picks on my middle and ring fingers, I discovered I could instantly switch from fast single-note runs to banjo rolls and get the best of both worlds." Another sound that McGuinn developed is made by playing a seven string guitar, featuring a doubled G-string (with the second string tuned an octave higher). The C. F. Martin guitar company has even released a special edition called the ''HD7 Roger McGuinn Signature Edition'', that claims to capture McGuinn's "jingle-jangle" tone which he created with 12 string guitars, while maintaining the ease of playing a 6-string guitar. After ''Mr. Tambourine Man'' in 1965, " Turn! Turn! Turn!", written by
Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notabl ...
with the lyrics drawn from
Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes (; hbo, קֹהֶלֶת, Qōheleṯ, grc, Ἐκκλησιαστής, Ekklēsiastēs) is one of the Ketuvim ("Writings") of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament. The title commonly us ...
in the Old Testament, was the Byrds' second Number One success in late 1965. In 1966, “ Eight Miles High” peaked at no. 14 on the U.S. charts, belying its enduring classic status, but the song was subject to a U.S. radio ban due to its alleged reference to recreational drug use. 1967 found the Byrds sliding still further in the charts, while maintaining their musical excellence, with “ So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star” which peaked at no. 29. “ My Back Pages”, another Bob Dylan cover, was released later the same year and was to be their last top 40 hit. In 1969, McGuinn's solo version of the "Ballad of Easy Rider" appeared in the film ''
Easy Rider ''Easy Rider'' is a 1969 American independent drug culture road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda, and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American So ...
'', while a full band version was the title track for the album released later that year. McGuinn also performed a cover of Bob Dylan's "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" for the ''Easy Rider'' soundtrack. 1970's '' Untitled'' album featured a 16-minute version of the Byrds' 1966 hit "Eight Miles High", with all four members taking extended solos representative of their "jam-band" style of playing during that period. In 1968, McGuinn helped create the groundbreaking album '' Sweetheart of the Rodeo'', to which many attribute the rise in popularity of
country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal ...
. McGuinn originally conceived the album as a blend of rock, jazz, folk and other styles; but
Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) who was known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist who recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, ...
's and Chris Hillman's bluegrass-western-country influences came to the forefront.


Post-Byrds

After the break-up of the Byrds, McGuinn released several solo albums throughout the 1970s. In 1973 he collaborated with Bob Dylan on songs for the sound track of the
Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic ''The Wild Bunch'' received an Academy Award nomination and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Institut ...
movie '' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' including " Knockin' on Heaven's Door". He toured with
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
in 1975 and 1976 as part of Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue, cancelling a planned tour of his own in order to participate. In late 1975, he played guitar on the track titled "Ride the Water" on
Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, inc ...
's ''The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll'' all-star album. In 1976, he released the album ''Cardiff Rose'' where he worked with Mick Ronson. In 1977, he released an LP titled ''
Thunderbyrd ''Thunderbyrd'' is American singer-songwriter and guitarist Roger McGuinn's 5th solo studio album, released in 1977 on the Columbia Records label. Following the success of his 1976 album '' Cardiff Rose'', McGuinn intended to make another album ...
'', which was also the name of his contemporaneous band. Other members included future John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epo ...
guitarist Rick Vito, future
Poco Poco was an American country rock band originally formed in 1968 after the demise of Buffalo Springfield. Guitarists Richie Furay and Jim Messina, former members of Buffalo Springfield, were joined by multi-instrumentalist Rusty Young, bassis ...
bassist Charlie Harrison and drummer Greg Thomas. In 1977, McGuinn joined fellow ex-Byrds Gene Clark and Chris Hillman to form McGuinn, Clark & Hillman. The trio recorded an album with
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...
in 1979. They performed on many TV rock shows, including repeated performances on '' The Midnight Special'', where they played both new material and Byrds hits. McGuinn's "Don't You Write Her Off" reached No. 33 in April 1979. While some believe that the slick production and disco rhythms didn't flatter the group, it sold well enough to generate a follow up. McGuinn, Clark and Hillman's second release was to have been a full group effort entitled "City", but a combination of Clark's unreliability and drug problems resulted in the billing change on their next LP ''City'' to "Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman, featuring Gene Clark". Since 1981, McGuinn has regularly toured (primarily playing clubs and small theaters) as a solo singer-guitarist. In 2018 he embarked on a tour with Chris Hillman, a fellow original Byrd, backed by Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Byrds' '' Sweetheart of the Rodeo'' album. Since then, he's been back to touring solo, weaving stories into songs. In 1987 Roger McGuinn was the
opening act A opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, or supporting act, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform again a ...
for Dylan and
Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...
and he performed at Farm Aid. After a decade without a recording contract, he released his comeback solo album, ''
Back from Rio ''Back from Rio'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter, guitarist and co-founder of the Byrds Roger McGuinn. It was released on January 8, 1991, more than a decade after McGuinn's previous solo album, ''Thunderbyrd''. The albu ...
i''n 1991. It included the hit single "King of the Hill", written together with, and featuring, Petty. He returned with a live-band featuring John Jorgenson, George Hawkins and
Stan Lynch Stanley Joseph "Stan" Lynch (born May 21, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the original drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for 18 years until his departure in 1994. Early years Lynch was born in ...
. On July 11, 2000, McGuinn testified before a
Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations ...
hearing on downloading music from the Internet that artists do not always receive the royalties that (non-Internet based) record companies state in contracts, and that to date, the Byrds had not received any royalties for their greatest successes, "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn, Turn, Turn" – they only received advances, which were split five ways and were just "a few thousand dollars" per band member. He also stated that he was receiving 50 percent royalties from MP3.com. He was also part of an author/musician band,
Rock Bottom Remainders The Rock Bottom Remainders, also known as the Remainders, was an American rock charity supergroup, consisting of published writers, most of them both amateur musicians and popular English-language book, magazine, and newspaper authors. The band ...
, a group of published writers doubling as musicians to raise proceeds for literacy charities. In July 2013, McGuinn co-authored an interactive ebook, ''Hard Listening'', with the rest of the group.


Folk Den

Roger McGuinn has used the Internet to continue the folk music tradition since November 1995 by recording a different folk song each month on his Folk Den site. The songs are made available from his Web site, and a selection (with guest vocalists) was released on CD as ''Treasures from the Folk Den'', which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2002 for Best Traditional Folk Album. In November 2005, McGuinn released a four-CD box set containing one hundred of his favorite songs from the Folk Den.


Personal life

When he originally started with the Byrds, he used the name Jim, which he thought to be too plain. McGuinn became involved in the
Subud Subud (pronounced ), acronym of Susila Budhi Dharma, is an international, interfaith spirituality, spiritual movement that began in Indonesia in the 1920s, founded by Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo (1901–1987). The basis of Subud is a spir ...
spiritual association in 1965 and began to practice the
latihan Latihan (from Indonesian ''latihan kejiwaan''; "spiritual exercise") is a form of spiritual practice. It is the principal practice of the Subud organization. Origin The origin of the practice is associated with Javanese "kebatinan" or "kejawen" ...
, an exercise in quieting the mind. He changed his name in 1967 after Subud's founder Bapak told him it would better "vibrate with the universe". Bapak sent the letter "R" to Jim and asked him to send back ten names starting with that letter. Owing to a fascination with airplanes, gadgets and science fiction, he sent names like "Rocket", "Retro", "Ramjet", and "Roger", the last a term used in
signalling protocol A signaling protocol is a type of communications protocol for encapsulating the signaling between communication endpoints and switching systems to establish or terminate a connection and to identify the state of connection. The following is a lis ...
over two-way radios, military and
civil aviation Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military and non-state aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work ...
. Roger was the only "real" name in the bunch and Bapak chose it. While using the name Roger professionally from that time on, McGuinn officially changed his middle name from Joseph to Roger. McGuinn married Susan Bedrick in 1963; however, the marriage was subsequently annulled. From December 1966 to November 1971, he was married to Dolores DeLeon. A fellow adherent of Subud, DeLeon changed her name to Ianthe in 1967 before reverting to her original name after the dissolution of their marriage. With DeLeon, McGuinn fathered two sons, filmmaker Patrick McGuinn and Henry McGuinn. Immediately following their divorce, McGuinn was married for a third time to Linda Gilbert in November 1971; this marriage also ended in divorce in June 1975. McGuinn left Subud in 1977, the same year that he met his fourth and current wife and business manager, Camilla; they married in April 1978. Since that time, the McGuinns have practiced
evangelical Christianity Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
. A registered member of the
Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...
, McGuinn donated $2,000 to the Ben Carson
presidential campaign President most commonly refers to: * President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
in 2015 and refused to endorse
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
. He also opposed Florida Amendment 1 (2016) (an initiative pertaining to the
solar energy Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essen ...
industry, of which McGuinn is a longtime advocate) and endorsed Florida Amendment 2 (2016) (a
medical marijuana Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restriction ...
legalization initiative).


Discography


Studio albums

* ''
Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a ...
'' (1973) US #137 * ''
Peace on You ''Peace on You'' was Roger McGuinn's second full-length solo album, released in 1974. The album peaked at number 92 in the US in October 1974. Track listing All tracks composed by Roger McGuinn and Jacques Levy except where otherwise noted. Side ...
'' (1974) US #92 * '' Roger McGuinn & Band'' (1975) US#165 * ''
Cardiff Rose ''Cardiff Rose'' is a solo studio album by American singer/songwriter and ex-The Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn, released in 1976. The album, produced by Mick Ronson, was recorded on the heels of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue 1975 tour, in which ...
'' (1976) * ''
Thunderbyrd ''Thunderbyrd'' is American singer-songwriter and guitarist Roger McGuinn's 5th solo studio album, released in 1977 on the Columbia Records label. Following the success of his 1976 album '' Cardiff Rose'', McGuinn intended to make another album ...
'' (1977) * ''
Back from Rio ''Back from Rio'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter, guitarist and co-founder of the Byrds Roger McGuinn. It was released on January 8, 1991, more than a decade after McGuinn's previous solo album, ''Thunderbyrd''. The albu ...
'' (1991) US #44 * '' Limited Edition'' (2004) * ''CCD'' (2011) * ''Sweet Memories'' (2018) *''Merry Christmas'' (2020)


Folk Den Project

* ''McGuinn's Folk Den, Volume 1'' ( MP3.com download and CD) (1999) * ''McGuinn's Folk Den, Volume 2'' (MP3.com download and CD) (1999) * ''McGuinn's Folk Den, Volume 3'' (MP3.com download and CD) (1999) * ''McGuinn's Folk Den, Volume 4'' (MP3.com download and CD) (2000) * ''Treasures from the Folk Den'' (2001) * ''In the Spirit of Love'' (MP3.com download and CD) (2002) * ''The Sea: Songs by Roger McGuinn'' (MP3.com download and CD) (2003) * ''The Folk Den Project, 1995 - 2005'' (4-CD set, 2005) * ''22 Timeless Tracks from the Folk Den Project'' (2008) * ''The Folk Den Project: Twentieth Anniversary Edition'' (4-CD set, 2016)


Live albums and compilations

* '' Born to Rock and Roll'' (1991) * ''From The Rock'N Roll Palace Live'' (McGuinn and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) (1994) * ''Live from Mars'' (1996) * ''3 Byrds Land in London'' (with Gene Clark and Chris Hillman, recorded 1977) (1997) * ''Live at the XM Studios May 27, 2004'' (download only) (2004) * ''Live from Spain'' (2007) * ''Stories, Songs, & Friends'' (2014) * ''Live at the Boarding House'' (with Clark, Hillman, and David Crosby, recorded 1978) (2014) * ''Live in New York: Eight Miles High'' (recorded 1974) (2015) * ''Turn Turn Turn'' (with Hillman, recorded 1980) (2015) * ''Bottom Line Archive Series: In Their Own Words'' (McGuinn and Pete Seeger, recorded 1994) (2015) * ''The Living Room Concert '76'' (with Thunderbyrd, recorded 1976) (2015) * ''Electric Ladyland 1991'' (recorded 1991) (2016) * ''Backstage Pass'' (with Clark and Hillman, recorded 1978) (2016) * ''Armadillo World Headquarters'' (with Clark and Hillman, recorded 1979) (2016)


Collaborations

* ''McGuinn, Clark & Hillman'' (1979) (with
Gene Clark Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best ...
and Chris Hillman) * ''City'' (1980) (with Chris Hillman, featuring Gene Clark) * ''McGuinn – Hillman'' (1981) (with Chris Hillman) McGuinn appears on Willie Nile's 1991 ''
Places I Have Never Been ''Places I Have Never Been'' is an album by the American musician Willie Nile, released in 1991. It was Nile's first album in 10 years, as legal and personal issues prevented him from putting out music. Nile supported the album with a North Americ ...
'' album. McGuinn also appears on the 1994
Arthur Alexander Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993) was an American country soul songwriter and singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for AllMusic, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and that, though largely unknown, "his music is the stuff ...
tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
''Adios Amigo: A Tribute to Arthur Alexander'', performing a cover version of "
Anna (Go to Him) "Anna (Go to Him)", or simply "Anna", is a song written and originally recorded by Arthur Alexander. His version was released as a single by Dot Records on September 17, 1962. A cover version was performed by the Beatles and included on their 196 ...
". He contributed two tracks, "Banjo Cantata" and "Ramblin' On", to a compilation of banjo pieces released by Davon as ''Banjo Greats'' (Volumes 1 & 2), re-issued on CD by Tradition in 1996 as ''Banjo Jamboree''. He has also performed the songs "
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and first released on his 1965 album ''Bringing It All Back Home''. It was written in the summer of 1964, first performed live on October 10, 1964, and recorded on ...
" and " Ballad of Easy Rider" which were included on the
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...
of the film ''
Easy Rider ''Easy Rider'' is a 1969 American independent drug culture road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda, and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American So ...
''. Another soundtrack that features McGuinn is the 1977 film ''Ransom''. McGuinn performed "Shoot 'Em" which appears on the anthology album ''Byrd Parts 2'', released on Australia's Raven Records label in 2003. McGuinn also appears with Bruce Springsteen on the live download "Magic Tour Highlights (Live)" singing "Turn! Turn! Turn!" He also did guitar work in The Beach Boys' version of "California Dreaming" video. McGuinn contributed 12 string electric and harmonies to
Will Dailey Will Dailey is an independent American recording artist, performer and producer. His sound has been described as having a rich vintage vibe while having a firm appreciation of AM rock, pop and big hooks. He has released albums with Universal, ...
's track "Peace of Mind" from '' Torrent, Volume 1: Fashion of Distraction''.


Singles


References


External links


Roger McGuinn
on
ibiblio ibiblio (formerly SunSITE.unc.edu and MetaLab.unc.edu) is a "collection of collections", and hosts a diverse range of publicly available information and open source content, including software, music, literature, art, history, science, politic ...

Roger McGuinn
on
BlogSpot Blogger is an American online content management system founded in 1999 which enables multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. Pyra Labs developed it before being acquired by Google in 2003. Google hosts the blogs, which can be accessed th ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGuinn, Roger 1942 births Living people American banjoists American bloggers American country singer-songwriters American folk guitarists American country guitarists American male guitarists American folk rock musicians American folk singers American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters Florida Republicans Latin School of Chicago alumni Lead guitarists Old Town School of Folk musicians Singers from Chicago The Byrds members Columbia Records artists Guitarists from Los Angeles Guitarists from Chicago 20th-century American guitarists American male bloggers American Christians The Limeliters members Singer-songwriters from Illinois Singer-songwriters from California