Legendary former Byrds front man and founding member, Roger McGuinn, will shortly visit Cardiff as part of his current UK tour.
The UK tour coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of The Byrds arrival in the UK, following topping the charts with the Bob Dylan composition Mr Tambourine Man.
Roger McGuinn recalls the historic tour to Andy Howells:
“It was a big thrill back then. I got to meet the Beatles. Paul McCartney took me for a ride in his Aston Martin DB5 through London.
The next night, I got to meet him at his private club and we hung out together. I remember going to a party with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. It was incredible.”
At the time, The Byrds were storming the charts with defining songs like Eight Miles High and Turn, Turn, Turn. Such songs would become classics of the new folk rock sound. The Byrds first visit coincided with a visit to the Top of the Pops studio in London to perform their hit All I Really Want to Do.
Roger remembers:
“There were screaming girls. It was just like A Hard Days Night!”
The Byrds had formed only a year earlier.
“I was working at the Troubadour folk club in LA and I’d been listening to the Beatles,” I loved what I was hearing, so I tried to take folk songs and make them sound more like a Beatles song.
Gene Clark came along and he liked my approach. He said, “Lets write some songs together.” So, Gene and I started writing songs and then David Crosby came in and started singing harmony with us. He introduced us to Jim Dixon who was a producer/engineer in Hollywood and World Pacific records. Jim kind of put the whole thing together and got us a bass player and a drummer and a record deal. It all fell together after that.”
McGuinn’s trademark Rickenbacker 12 string sound has influenced generations of musicians although he admits another Liverpool band besides The Beatles were also influential to The Byrds sound.
“The Searchers were definitely an inspiration. They did Needles and Pins and that “dee dah dah dah” sound that we used in a Gene Clark song, I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better When You’re Gone”
Roger McGuinn toured the UK during 2014.
Another Byrds classic The Bells of Rhymney, will also come to life when Roger plays Wales.
“When we are over, we go, “Oh there’s Cardiff! There’s Rhymney , Swansea! All the towns are mentioned in the song.”
Although the original Byrds eventually went their separate ways, Roger has continued to record and tour as a solo musician. This year saw the release of his most recent project ‘Stories, Songs & Friends, a live recording where Roger takes the audience on a fifty year journey through his career.
Roger reveals:
“It was recorded for my mother. She had broken her hip and was turning 102. We wanted her to hear the concert but she was in bed so we recorded it with 8 microphones as a high fidelity recording. She got to hear it and lived to be a 102 and three days. After she passed on, we listened to the concert and it sounded pretty good so I thought, “You know what? Lets release it and so we did.”
Roger’s latest show will draw from his huge back catalogue, including his Grammy-nominated project, Treasures From The Folk Den his critically acclaimed 4 CD Box Set, The Folk Den Project and 22 Timeless Tracks From The Folk Den Project. Roger explains:
“I’m just solo by myself. I don’t know if you ever saw Pete Seeger, but he would come out and play a banjo and a 12 string guitar and tell stories and that’s what I do between the songs.
“I’ll be doing a bit of everything some of the hits from the Byrds, some songs from my solo albums like Cardiff Rose, Back from Rio and some songs from my folk project which is coming up for 20 years putting songs up on the internet for free download.”
Is there’s a big difference to performing live as a solo artist as opposed to been in a band? Roger responds:
“Well, its something you have to get used to. When you’re in a band you’ve got all these other guys up there too and they’ll back you up. You can stop playing for a minute and the music will still go on, but when you’re solo you have to carry the whole thing by yourself and its a bit more pressured.
“I’ve been doing it for thirty years, its a lot of fun for me now.”
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Roger McGuinn plays Cardiff Glee Club on November 4.
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A version of this interview by Andy Howells was published in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on October 31, 2014