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The word “legend” is floated around a lot these days but it applies to Roger McGuinn, founding member of The Byrds. He invented a guitar sound in 1964 that continues to be copied to this day by numerous bands.
It’s been described as the “jingle-jangle” guitar sound based on a lyric in the song in which it was first heard, “Mr. Tambourine Man,” the Byrds’ first hit.
McGuinn’s roots are in folk music where 12-string guitars are common. While watching the Beatles movie “A Hard Day’s Night,” he noticed George Harrison playing a 12-string electric Rickenbacher guitar and rushed out to purchase one.
“The jingle-jangle sound, if you want to analyze it, is kind of a banjo roll, from my banjo playing days,” said McGuinn. “I’m doing arpeggios.”
He said Harrison was more of a flat pick player, while he is a fingerpicker. McGuinn said the sound also uses some suspensions he learned from Pete Seeger.
While Tom Petty and R.E.M. have written hit songs using The Byrd’s sound, McGuinn remains the originator.
Rickenbacher has produced a line of Roger McGuinn 12-string electric guitars. He said it is a semi-hollow body guitar made of solid maple and it is strung differently from a standard 12-string, which gives it more of a ring.
As a teenager, he attended the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and was hired by The Limelighters. He also worked with The Chad Mitchell Trio and was musical director on Judy Collin’s third album in 1962.
McGuinn also worked with Bobby Darin who introduced him to his first electric guitar by telling him rock n’ roll would give him the biggest career opportunity. He said the folk music scene had run its course by the time The Beatles came along in 1963.
McGuinn said he loved The Beatles sound. “They were incorporating folk music chord changes into their work,” he said. McGuinn combined folk music with a Beatle beat and began playing in Greenwich Village.
He moved to Los Angeles, appearing at The Troubadour nightclub as a solo artist. That is where he met Gene Clark who asked him to collaborate on songwriting, and the Byrd’s were formed. David Crosby joined the band along with Chris Hillman and drummer Michael Clarke.
The Byrds had three hit singles from songs written by Bob Dylan. McGuinn said The Byrds’ first manager Jim Dixon was a friend of Dylan.
“Mr. Tambourine Man,” was an outtake that did not make it to a Dylan album. McGuinn rearranged the song, added a Beatle beat and wrote a new guitar intro.
The Byrd’s had a huge hit with “Turn, Turn, Turn,” from a folk song written by Pete Seeger, also rearranged by McGuinn.
He said his song “Eight Miles High,” came from listening to a cassette over and over again on The Byrd’s tour bus that had jazz artist John Coltrane on one side and sitar player Ravi Shankar on the other side.
“By the time we got back to the recording studio, we were totally steeped in it,” said McGuinn.
Besides his unique guitar stylings, McGuinn may be remembered for the small, Benjamin Franklin style glasses he wore on his nose on numerous television appearance in the 1960s with The Byrds.
McGuinn will be in concert with John Sebastian July 16 at Ocean City Music Pier. For ticket information: call 609-652-9000 or go to www.stockton.edu/pac.