Question

5) What was American Folk Rock? Describe a band that exemplifies American Folk Rock. Use an example from Chapter 5 and detail why it is American Folk Rock (instrumentation, lyrics, song form, ect.).

Answer 1

Folk rock is a hybrid genre of music which combines elements of folk and rock music that originated in the mid-1960s in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Folk rock emerged in the U.S. from the revival of folk music and the influence the Beatles and other British Invasion bands had on that movement's members. Performers like Bob Dylan and the Byrds, several of whose members had previously played in folk ensembles, tried to blend rock sounds with their pre-existing folk repertoire, adopting the use of electrical instrumentation and drums in a way that had previously been discouraged in the U.S. folk community.

Although folk music has been around for as long as word music itself has been spoken, folk rock rose has become popular in the 1960s and hasn't looked back since. Folk rock artists were among the first rock stars to rise to prominence in the U.S. and UK during this time. The folk rock movement was also inspired by elements of the British invasion and elements of beat music, playing traditional folk music with rock instrumentation. Folk rock bands have retained success over the years, and while the genre is no longer top of the charts, it can't be denied its influence.

Folk rock bands and artists should include The Byrds, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, America, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and more recently, Mumford & Sons. Such bands are widely recognized and for good reason as some of the finest folk rock groups. Their music is and remains wildly popular, and it is impossible to dispute their legacy in folk music.