Roger McGuinn

Sometimes, stuff happens. And it did with this interview featuring Roger McGuinn. The end of our conversation suddenly disappeared. But I like the Byrds, so I didn’t want to ignore them just because a few minutes were gone. Hope you’ll enjoy the remains. McGuinn was best known as the leader of the popular folk/rock group. Roger is from Chicago. He became interested in music after hearing Elvis sing “Heartbreak Hotel.” His parents bought him a guitar and he started to imitate Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and the Everly Brothers. He performed in coffee houses doing folk music, and was hired by the Chad Mitchell Trio, Judy Collins, and the Limeliters. Bobby Darin had him playing guitar, singing backup and writing songs.

He bought a 12-string Rickenbacker guitar after seeing George Harrison playing it in the film “A Hard Day’s Night.” At the Troubadour Nightclub in L.A., Roger was doing Beatles songs in his act. He caught the attention of another Beatle fan Gene Clark. Together they formed the Byrds. He’ll mention their breakup. In the year 2000, McGuinn testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about artists not receiving royalties. The Byrds did not received any royalties for “Mr. Tamourine Man” and “Turn, Turn, Turn” they only received advances which amounted to a few thousand dollars for each band member.