July 12, 2023

Roger McGuinn is my musical hero. As a 12-year-old kid, the Byrds were my favorite group and McGuinn was my favorite Byrd. I’ve had many enthusiasms since I first heard Roger sing “Mr. Tambourine Man” on Hullabaloo in ’65, but none as consistent as my McGuinn fandom.

Like most interesting people, Roger has some intriguing contradictions. The Byrds sang beautiful harmonies, but McGuinn’s voice had a distinctive, almost quirky quality (he accurately describes it as a cross between Dylan and John Lennon). His guitar playing was the major force in defining several different rock ’n roll genres — folk-rock, psychedelic/jazz rock, country-rock, space rock — but his guitar of choice, a Rickenbacker 12-string, as gorgeous as it sounds, is actually a somewhat limited, not-very-versatile instrument. And in the age of the singer-songwriter, he prefers to rework old folk standards. McGuinn was often regarded among his peers as one of the more cerebral rock ’n roll personalities, but he had a sly sense of humor and enjoyed writing the occasional song that bordered on being a novelty tune (“CTA-102” for one example).

Roger’s solo records from 1973 to the present comprise a very sturdy body of work that still delight and captivate. He has a new release coming out soon, and I can’t wait. Considering all the giants of music I learned about through McGuinn’s music — Seeger, Coltrane, Sockhausen, Dylan, Merle Haggard, and so many others — no single musician has had a bigger impact on my life. And that’s all before I factor in his early endorsement of JangleBox — which has been incalculable. I’m very fortunate and most grateful.

Roger turns 81 tomorrow. Happy Birthday to the 12-string legend and original space cowboy!

Above: Me and Roger backstage at the Richmond Arena, December 12, 1971. Photo: Carl Braun.