Bronxville Adult School
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
I’ve curated this Spotify playlist for my Bronxville Adult School’s “Folk-Rock Revolution” class on September 9th to be as full a mix of folk, rock and roll, and their combined “folk-rock” lineage as I could contrive. I picked these songs to reflect what you heard in the class but after The Byrds’ Tambourine Man I let my folk and rock muses do the selecting so what you have is a broad mix of what became of the blending of folk and rock and roll after that revolution occurred between the summer of 1965 and the end of 1966. I also made a YouTube playlist with some great old footage of many of the artists we discussed. Keep scrolling down for the full class notes including suggested reading and listening. Thank you for making the class a great success. It was one of the best groups of people I’ve had the privilege of meeting in all my years of teaching at BAS. Hope to see you all again in a future class!
NEXT CLASS: Click here to register for British Invasion Bands, Thursday, October 16th Bronxville Adult School.
Spotify Playlist
YouTube Playlist
Class Notes Addenda
“American folk music, then as now, got its true lifeblood from singers and instrumentalists playing for their own satisfaction, apart from any notions of making money at it. It thrived in the backwoods of Appalachia, where families would gather to sing in their homes, in their fields, on their porches, and at their churches. It thrived, despite severe poverty and repression, among the descendants of African slaves in the deep South, where the form known as blues began to prosper. It blossomed among cowboys establishing settlements in western territories, and immigrants keeping alive the rhythms and melodies of their homeland in polka, Tex-Mex, and klezmer music. And it often flowered, less romantically, among middle-and upper-class Americans, whether housewives playing on the parlor piano, or doctors relaxing with their banjos.”
— Jingle Jangle Morning: Folk-Rock in the 1960s by Richie Unterberger
As the American folk music revival gathered momentum in the 1950s and ’60s, it was inevitable that a high-minded movement that prided itself on the purity of its acoustic instrumentation and its separation from the commercial pop mainstream would be overtaken and transformed by pop music’s rapidly evolving technology. Rock music was also transformed by its intersection with folk. Although rock previously had been perceived and created almost exclusively as entertainment, it now began to take on folk music’s self-conscious seriousness of intent. The catalytic figure in the fusion of folk and commercial rock was Bob Dylan, the movement’s scruffy young troubadour, who in one of several audacious career.
Dylan’s dramatic gesture, one of the signal events in the history of popular music, certified a fusion that had already taken place. The hybrid had been presaged in the late 1950s by the huge popularity of commercial folk-pop made by left-leaning performers like Harry Belafonte and the college campus favourites the Kingston Trio, whose hit albums mixed traditional and contemporary material. The traditional material came from many different sources, among them spirituals, Appalachian mountain music, early blues, and English and Celtic ballads. A major influence on Dylan that was not strictly traditional was Harry Smith’s 1952 Anthology of American Folk Music, a collection of evocative 1920s and ’30s hillbilly, blues, Cajun, and gospel songs, released on the Folkways label.
The basic elements of folk-rock music include: a blend of traditional folk melodies and harmonies with the energy and instrumentation of rock music, often featuring acoustic and electric guitars, prominent vocals, storytelling lyrics, and sometimes traditional instruments like the banjo, mandolin, or fiddle, all combined with a rock band rhythm section (bass and drums) to create a powerful sound.
Key characteristics:
Folk influences:
- Diatonic harmonies
- Narrative lyrics with social commentary
- Simple melodies
- Traditional instruments like acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle
Rock influences:
- Electric guitar
- Strong rhythm section (bass and drums)
- Energetic performance
- Sometimes a more complex song structure
Important points to remember:
- Blending of instruments:
Folk-rock often features a mix of acoustic and electric instruments, creating a unique sound.
- Vocal style:
Strong vocals are usually present, with emphasis on clear delivery of the lyrics.
- Thematic focus:
Many folk-rock songs explore social issues, political themes, and personal stories.
Suggested Reading:
TURN! TURN! TURN! THE 60s FOLK-ROCK REVOLUTION
Richie Unterberger
2003
About the book:
Turn! Turn! Turn!: The 60s Folk-Rock Revolution is the first volume of the first comprehensive history of one of the greatest movements in rock music, drawing upon interviews with more than 100 musicians, producers, managers, and journalists involved in the music. The book covers the birth and growth of folk-rock through mid-1966; its sequel, Eight Miles High, covers the branches and evolutions of folk-rock from mid-1966 to the end of the 1960s, and was published by Backbeat in 2003. Together, they form an epic history of the entire style as it evolved throughout the 1960s, following its growth chronologically from the streets of Greenwich Village at the dawn of the decade through the 1969 Woodstock Festival. The innovations of giants such as the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Simon & Garfunkel, the Lovin’ Spoonful, and Bob Dylan are covered, of course. But so are the contributions of lesser-known heroes, from Tim Buckley, Fred Neil, and Ian & Sylvia to the labels, producers, session musicians, managers, and fans that helped made the music happen.
EIGHT MILES HIGH: FOLK-ROCK’S FLIGHT FROM HAIGHT-ASHBURY TO WOODSTOCK
Richie Unterberger
2003
About the book:
Eight Miles High: Folk-Rock’s Flight from Haight-Ashbury to Woodstock is the second volume of the first comprehensive history of one of the greatest movements in rock music, drawing upon interviews with more than 100 musicians, producers, managers, and journalists involved in the music. Where its predecessor (Turn! Turn! Turn!: The ’60s Folk-Rock Revolution) documented the birth and growth of folk-rock through mid-1966, its sequel, Eight Miles High, covers the branches and evolutions of folk-rock from mid-1966 to the end of the 1960s. Together, they form an epic history of the entire style as it evolved throughout the 1960s, following its growth chronologically from the streets of Greenwich Village at the dawn of the decade through the 1969 Woodstock Festival. The innovations of giants such as the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, Fairport Convention, and Bob Dylan are covered, of course. But so are the contributions of lesser-known heroes, from Tim Buckley, Fred Neil, and Nick Drake to the labels, producers, session musicians, managers, and fans that helped made the music happen.
AMERICAN TROUBADORS:
GROUNDBREAKING SINGER-SONGWRITERS OF THE 60s
Mark Brend
2001
About this book:
This book shows how nine talented artists David Ackles, David Blue, Tim Buckley, Tim Hardin, Fred Neil, Phil Ochs, Tom Rapp, Tim Rose and Tom Rush each expanded the standard pop blueprint of the day and made a significant contribution to rock’s coming of age, with songs like “If I Were a Carpenter,” “Everybody’s Talkin’” and “Hey Joe.” Features photos throughout, discographies, and great color images.
DYLAN GOES ELECTRIC! NEWPORT, SEEGER, DYLAN, AND THE NIGHT THAT SPLIT THE SIXTIES
Elijah Wald
2015
About this book:
On the evening of July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan took the stage at the Newport Folk Festival. Backed by an electric band, he roared into a blistering version of “Maggie’s Farm,” followed by his new rock single, “Like a Rolling Stone.” The audience of committed folk purists and political activists who had hailed him as their acoustic prophet reacted with a mix of shock, boos, and scattered cheers. It was the shot heard round the world—Dylan’s declaration of musical independence, the end of the folk revival, and the birth of rock as the voice of a generation—and one of the defining moments in twentieth-century music.
In Dylan Goes Electric! Elijah Wald explores the cultural, political, and historical roots and impact of this seminal event. He delves deep into the folk revival and its intersections with the civil rights movement, the rise of rock, and the tensions between traditional and groundbreaking music to provide important insights into Dylan’s artistic evolution, his special affinity to blues, his complex relationship to the folk establishment and his sometime mentor Pete Seeger, and the ways he reshaped popular music forever.
Suggested Listening from the Class:
Bringing it All Back Home – Bob Dylan (1965) Dylan’s first groundbreaking and controversial album that opened the doors for electrified folk music. Side One on the original LP contains songs with electric instrumentation while Side Two is all acoustic. All the songs were written by Dylan, which at the time was unheard of by a folk artist.
Mr. Tambourine Man – The Byrds (1965) Their debut album instantly established the band on both sides of the Atlantic, challenging the dominance of the Beatles and the British Invasion.
The Best of The Animals – The Animals (1966) The first greatest hits album from the band that planted the seeds of the folk-rock sound for Bob Dylan and The Byrds.
Rubber Soul – The Beatles (1965) Though not technically a folk-rock album it contains several songs that were clearly influenced by Dylan and The Byrds but also songs that went on to influence and inspire scores of folk musicians to trade in their acoustic instruments for electric ones. John Lennon’s original songs in particular advanced the sound and style of folk-rock music.
Great British Skiffle: Just About As Good As It Gets (2007) This collection covers well the many, successful Skiffle groups from the 1950s British craze who put their spin on an American folk music form that influenced all of the British Invasion bands to follow.
The Very Best of The Springfields with Dusty Springfield (1998) Hard to find collection from the first British band to score a Top 10 hit in the US with a folk song recorded with a full band and electric guitar. An early forerunner of folk-rock.
The Best of The Lovin’ Spoonful – The Lovin’ Spoonful (1967) The first greatest hits album from the seminal, New York City folk-rock band who influenced many of the folk-rock and rock bands to follow.
Blonde on Blonde – Bob Dylan (1966) Considered one of the greatest albums of all time and a pinnacle of achievement in the evolution of the folk-rock music that Bob Dylan had helped bring to life.
Sounds of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel (1965) Another early folk-rock album that advanced the newborn genre lyrically and musically, establishing Simon & Garfunkel as a major force in popular music.
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme – Simon & Garfunkel (1966) An even better album ten months after the rushed Sounds of Silence LP that elevated the by now smash hit folk-rock duo–and the genre itself–to new heights of critical acclaim and commercial success. Contains Homeward Bound, still one of their most beloved songs.
British Folk-Rock Suggested Listening:
*We will go further into the birth and success of Folk-Rock in the UK as well as the state of folk-rock today if we are fortunate enough to get a second Folk-Rock class.
Sweet Child – Pentangle (1968)
Unhalfbricking – Fairport Convention (1969)
Liege and Lief – Fairport Convention (1969)
Hark The Village Wait – Steeleye Span (1970)
Folk-Rock Today Suggested Listening:
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (2008)
Babel – Mumford & Sons (2012)
Been Listening – Johnny Flynn (2010)
Strange Trails – Lord Huron (2015)
My Finest Work Yet – Andrew Bird (2019)
Ship to Shore – Richard Thompson (2024)
The origin of the term Skiffle:
The origin of the English word skiffle is unknown. However, in the dialect of the west of England to make a skiffle, meaning to make a mess of any business, is attested from 1873. In early 20th century America the term skiffle was one of many slang phrases for a rent party, a social event with a small charge designed to pay rent on a house. It was first recorded in Chicago in the 1920s and may have been brought there as part of the African-American migration to northern industrial cities.
The first use of the term on record was in 1925 in the name of Jimmy O’Bryant and his Chicago Skifflers. Most often it was used to describe country blues music records, which included the compositions “Hometown Skiffle” (1929) and “Skiffle Blues” (1946) by Dan Burley & his Skiffle Boys.It was used by Ma Rainey (1886–1939) to describe her repertoire to rural audiences. The term skiffle disappeared from American music in the 1940s.