Byrds leader Roger McGuinn returns to Hawaii
R
oger 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
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
BY NICK KERN
SPECIAL TOWEST HAWAII TODAY
ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE TO PERFORM
TWO SHOWS ON BIG ISLAND
Roger McGuinn last played Hawaii in
1978 while a member of the iconic
1960s band The Byrds.
COURTESY PHOTO
Roger McGuinn’s 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.
COURTESY PHOTO
