Folk Rock #4
Simon & Garfunkel
Late in 1965, a song written by a struggling artist originally from NYC and then struggling in the UK hit the number one spot on the Billboard charts at the start of 1966. The song was unique in that it was an original folk song using acoustic guitar only and then months later overdubbed with a rock band accompaniment. Paul Simon recorded the song before he left for Britain in 1964. Simon & Garfunkel went on to dominate the pop charts until the end of the decade with multiple hit singles and albums.
Other Folk Rock bands
Starting with the British invasion’s “The Animals” rendition of “House of the Rising Sun”, an anonymous song off of Dylan’s debut album became a number one hit in the summer of 1964. The Beau Brummels early hits of “Laugh, Laugh” and “Just A Little” were also precursors to the 1965 rush of folk rock music.
After “Mr. Tambourine Man” hit in early 1965, a whole new wave of folk-rock bands appeared. Among them were The Lovin’ Spoonful with “Do You Believe In Magic?”; there was The Mamas & the Papas with “Monday, Monday” and “California Dreaming”; then The Turtles with “It Ain’t Me Babe” along with multiple pop hits; along with Barry McGuire and his Vietnam war protest song “Eve Of Destruction”.
Also in California but north of Los Angeles, a new Mecca of music was starting in San Francisco with Jefferson Airplane and Grace Slick’s two rock anthems the truthful seeking “Somebody To Love” and the psychedelic anthem “White Rabbits”; the group We Five’s remake of Sylvia Fricker’s “You Were On My Mind” which was a hit at #3 in the summer of 1965; the San Franciscan group Love with their #52 hit “My Little Red Book” and their “7 and 7 is” a number 33 hit; Sonny & Cher number 1 hit with ” I Got You, Babe”, then The Monkees “Last Train To Clarksville” and “I’m A Believer” shot up to the top of the charts in 1966; Donovan had his hits later in 1967 with “Mellow Yellow” and “Sunshine Superman”
Then there was Dylan’s previous touring band originally called the Hawks but ultimately known as The Band (Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson), began their rise to the top of the folk-rock pantheon with their 1968 “Songs From Big Pink” and their second album simply titled “The Band”.
Other notable groups in the folk-rock scene were the electric (British) Folk groups, Pentangle, The Fairport Convention, Alan Stivell, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band which would keep the genre alive, years after the mainstream heyday had died out.
Folk rock had a long-lasting effect on rock music. It kept the folk American ethos alive in rock music which would manifest itself later in genres of “country rock”, “southern rock” and later “singer/songwriter” forms of rock music. Lyrics became very complex, with topics ranging from protest songs to songs of morality and poetry. It was a time of experimentation.
The mix of acoustic instruments with electric rock & roll instruments and song elements were very innovative for the day and even up until today. There was a lot of thought that went into the music of the mid-1960s in all genres but most particularly in the words and the messages of the songs. Folk rock had it all, questioning, observing, and then questioning again very much in the spirit of rebellion in the face of tyranny. Folk-rock said it like it was, warts and all, no soft soaping, no glad-handing. The spirit of the 60s came out when the rebel (rock) found a cause and that cause was true freedom expressed in “Folk Rock”, which would later resurface in other genres, funk and hip-hop.