Roger McGuinn, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame lead singer and co-founder of the iconic 1960s band, The Byrds, will be performing two shows on the Big Island this month.
McGuinn last played the islands back in 1978 — nearly 40 years ago — and says he is “very excited to be returning to Hawaii.”
At the time, The Byrds were touring with a group called the Dead Rascal, and while the group only played a couple of shows on Oahu, they did visit a few of the islands, including the Big Island.
McGuinn had just married his wife, Camilla, to whom he is still married and is his manager and perennial roadie.
“I remember that trip very fondly. My wife and I toured the Big Island on motorbikes, and our time on Hawaii was basically our honeymoon,” he said.
McGuinn and The Byrds were heavily influenced by musicians such as Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Pete Seeger. It was The Byrds’ version of Seeger’s song, “Turn Turn Turn” that brought the group its greatest commercial success, hitting No. 1 on the pop charts in 1965. The Byrds also had major hits with such songs as “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Eight Miles High,” “Mr. Spaceman,” and “So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star.”
But more than just scoring a few pop hits, McGuinn and The Byrds revolutionized the musical sound of the time by being the first to combine electric rock and folksy blues. Bob Dylan would become the most famous artist to head down this path, but it was The Byrds that blazed the trail. McGuinn put his own mark on the evolution of music with the development of what became known as his “jingle-jangle” style.
“This sound came about when I combined my background in banjo with a new instrument — the 12-string Rickenbacker electric guitar,” McGuinn said. Interestingly, his interest in this instrument came about from seeing George Harrison play it on the Beatle’s monumental movie, A Hard Day’s Night.
Not only did McGuinn influence the evolution of rock music, he also put his mark on fashion as well. It’s reported that after a meeting with McGuinn, who wore a pair of small, square sunglasses, that John Lennon adopted a similar pair of round sunglasses, which went on to become an essential piece of one of the most famous looks in rock history.
In 1973, McGuinn began his solo career. He has released a number of albums on his own and in conjunction with other artists, however, currently, his main focus is a project called Folk Den, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
“I began the Folk Den project for the preservation of the music I love — folk music,” McGuinn said. Through this effort, McGuinn has provided more than 200 songs, including their lyrics and chords, free for download on his website.
McGuinn is one of the few that has made a life making the music he loves and touring the world doing it. Now he returns to Hawaii for six shows on four islands.
His two shows on the Big Island are Aug. 21 at the Palace Theatre in Hilo and Aug. 22 at the People’s Theatre in Honokaa. Both shows start at 7 p.m.
“It’s (going to be) two hours of me telling stories while I jam with my twelve string guitar,” McGuinn said of the Big Island shows.
Tickets for the Aug. 22 show in Honokaa start at $40 and can be purchased online at www.buffalo-records.com or http://holdmyticket.com/event/212849. Tickets can also be purchased at Music Exchange in Kona and Hilo, CD Wizard in Hilo, Taro Patch in Honokaa, Waimea General Store and Hawi Gallery.
Tickets start at $40 for the Aug. 21 show in Hilo are available only through www.buffalo-records.com.