The fusion of folk and rock McGuinn embedded in his material piqued the interest of fellow Beatles fan, Gene Clark. The Byrdsīy the time Roger McGuinn was invited to work at a Los Angeles nightclub, he was already playing Beatles songs as part of his own musical act. It was enough for McGuinn to run off and buy the exact same instrument. McGuinn’s curiosity about Beatlemania’s influence on folk music was further heightened after witnessing George Harrison play a twelve-string Rickenbacker in the movie, A Hard Days Night. This allow occurred at the same time McGuinn learned about some popular UK band known as the Beatles. He recorded material with Judy Collins and the musical dynamic duo, Simon & Garfunkel. For thirty-five dollars a week, McGuinn served as a songwriter while there.ġ963 not only saw Roger McGuinn work as a songwriter but as a studio musician. Instead of letting McGuinn face the unemployment line, Darin opened T.M. However, a year later Darin retired from singing due to medical issues. It was Darin’s desire to add folk music to his recording repertoire. In 1962, McGuinn was hired by Bobby Darin to serve as his backup guitarist and harmony singer. Not long after graduation and performing, McGuinn moved to the West Coast before eventually settling in Los Angeles. He often performed as a sideman for a variety of folk music artists during this time frame. After he graduated, he performed in coffeehouses and on the folk music circuit. This is where he learned how to play the five-string banjo and a twelve-string guitar. Elvis Presley, along with Johnny Cash, The Everly Brothers, Carl Perkins, and Gene Vincent was also credited as the inspiration that fueled McGuinn to embark on a musical career of his own.Īt fifteen years old, McGuinn became a student of Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music. Elvis Presley was the key influencer as “Heartbreak Hotel” triggered the young man to ask his parents for a guitar. While growing up in Chicago, McGuinn was exposed to the music scene that featured post-WWII blues and the emergence of a new genre called rock and roll. This is the same McGuinn that co-founded the Byrds in 1964 with Gene Clark. Technically, he was born James Joseph McGuinn III on July 13, 1942, before he became better known as James Roger McGuinn.

Feature Photo: Eugene Powers / Shutterstockīefore collaborating with a long and impressive roster of recording greats, Roger McGuinn was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois as the son of a journalist and public relations specialist.

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