rock music: Folk Rock

An important transformation of rock occurred in 1965 at the Newport Folk Festival when Bob Dylan, noted as a composer and writer of poetic folk songs and songs of social protest like “Blowin' in the Wind,” appeared, playing electric guitar and backed by an electrified rock band. A synthesis of the folk revival and rock subsequently took place, with folk groups using rock arrangements and rock singers composing poetic lyrics for their songs (e.g., the Beatles' “Norwegian Wood,” “Eleanor Rigby”). The Byrds' arrangement of Dylan's “Mr. Tambourine Man” is a folk-rock classic. Performers like the Mamas and the Papas; Peter, Paul, and Mary; Donovan; and the Lovin Spoonful sang a kind of music designated “folk rock.”

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• The Late 1970s to the Present—Punk Rock, the Music Video, and Middle-aged Rockers
• Rock Comes of Age
• Protest Songs and the Drug Culture
• Folk Rock
• The Late 1950s and Early 60s—Elvis, Motown, and the British Invasion
• The 1950s—Bill Haley and Rock 'n' Roll
• Origins of Rock
• Bibliography

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