Folk-rock

Folk-rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music.

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In the original and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and Canada around 1960. The sound was epitomized by tight vocal harmonies and a relatively "clean" (effects- and distortion-free) approach to electric instruments epitomized by the jangly sound of the Byrds' guitarist Roger McGuinn. The repertoire was drawn in part from folk sources, but even more from folk-influenced singer-songwriters such as Bob Dylan,

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This original folk-rock directly led to the British folk-rock (a.k.a. electric folk) pioneered in the late 1960s by Fairport Convention. Starting from a North-American style folk-rock, Fairport and other related bands deliberately incorporated elements of traditional British folk music. Very shortly afterwards, Fairport bassist Ashley Hutchings formed Steeleye Span in collaboration with traditionalist British folk musicians who wished to incorporate electrical amplification, and later overt rock elements, into their music.

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This, in turn, spawned several other variants: the self-consciously English folk rock of the Albion Band and some of Ronnie Lane's solo work, and the more prolific current of Celtic rock, incorporating traditional music of Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, and Brittany. Through at least the first half of the 1970s, Celtic rock held close to folk roots, with its repertoire drawing heavily on traditional Celtic fiddle and harp tunes and even traditional vocal styles, but making use of rock-band levels of amplification and percussion.

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In a broader sense, folk-rock includes later similarly-inspired musical genres and movements in the English-speaking world (and its Celtic fringes) and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere in Europe. As with any genre, the borders are difficult to define. Folk-rock may lean more toward folk or toward rock in its instrumentation, its playing and vocal style, or its choice of material; while the original genre draws on the music of North American English-speaking whites, there is no clear delineation of which folk cultures music might be included as influences. Still, the term is not usually applied to rock music rooted in the blues-based or other African American music (except as mediated through folk revivalists), nor to rock music with Cajun roots, nor to music (especially after about 1980) with non-European folk roots, which is more typically classified as world music.

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Folk music: Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. Folk music arose, and best survives, in societies not yet affected by mass communication and the commercialization of culture. It normally was shared and performed by the entire community (not by a special class of exper...

Rock music: Rock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1950s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music. The sound of rock often revolves around the electric guitar, a back beat laid dow...

United States: :For other uses, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation)....

Folk-rock related Images and Photos (experimental)

Rock	Folk Fawn	Rock Band	Rock Star
Rock Star (DVD)	Rock Star (DVD)	Rock Chick	Folk Robin
Rock Guitar	30 Rock	30 Rock	30 Rock