Folk Rock Music Guide: What Does Folk Rock Sound Like?

Folk rock is a subgenre of rock music that draws heavily on English and American folk music. It emerged in the mid-1960s when folk singers like Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn picked up electric guitars, and when rock bands like the Animals turned to traditional folk for inspiration.

Folk rock combines the pure diatonic harmonies of traditional folk and country music with the energy, rhythms, and instrumentation of rock music. A typical folk rock band might feature electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric bass guitar, drums, and other instruments like the mandolin, banjo, fiddle, and piano. Most songs are short and melodic, but some—like "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" by Crosby, Stills & Nash or "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot—are longer and more ambitious.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the rock music scene and the folk music scene did not often overlap, but that started to change by the mid-1960s.

• Folk revival roots: Dating back to the 1940s, mainstream American audiences had embraced folk music thanks to artists like Pete Seeger and his band the Weavers. The folk revival—which centered in New York's Greenwich Village and the Hudson River Valley—also elevated artists like the Kingston Trio and Phil Ochs, plus previously obscure musicians like Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly, who found receptive audiences for their folk and blues music.
• Early rock influences: Operating independently of these folk groups were rock musicians inspired by the likes of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, and Fats Domino. Some popular rockers were American, like Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, but a great number were British, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Dave Clark Five. Audiences for one style of music did not necessarily share an affinity for the other style.
• Converging genres: As the 1960s unfolded, several pioneering groups began bridging the gap between folk and rock. The Beau Brummels from San Francisco penned original songs reminiscent of American folk but partly styled their public image on the Beatles. The Byrds’ leader, Roger McGuinn, notably updated folk's sound when he started using a Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar, combining the jangle of traditional folk with the raw drive of rock music.
• The first folk rock hit: The Byrds scored a hit with their electric version of "Mr. Tambourine Man,” a song that originally appeared on Bob Dylan's fifth studio album, Bringing It All Back Home. Released in the spring of 1965, the Byrd’s version reached the top spot on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the UK Singles Chart.
• American folk rock: American singer-songwriters like Paul Simon, Stephen Stills, and David Crosby propelled the genre, while Joni Mitchell and Neil Young—both Canadians living in Los Angeles—crafted their own iconic folk rock songs. Even the Beach Boys, who were never part of the folk scene or hippie movement, scored a hit with "Sloop John B," a staple of both the Weavers and the Kingston Trio. Bob Dylan's producer Tom Wilson also played a major role, as he added rock instrumentation to existing Simon & Garfunkel songs like "The Sounds of Silence," which quickly broadened their appeal.
• British folk rock: Meanwhile in the UK, a British folk rock scene had sprung up around groups like the Searchers, Pentangle (featuring Bert Jansch), and the Animals (featuring Eric Burdon). The biggest British hit of the era was the Animals’ "House of the Rising Sun," which topped the UK pop singles chart in 1964. By the late 1960s, Led Zeppelin brought a new angle to folk rock thanks to their interest in traditional English and Celtic folk music—along with hard-driving American blues.
• Modern-day influence: While the folk rock movement began and quickly surged in the 1960s, it has continued through the present day. It has spawned many offshoots, including psychedelic folk rock (Jefferson Airplane), country rock (the Flying Burrito Brothers, John Prine), progressive folk music (Richard Thompson, O'Death), punk-inspired folk rock (the Replacements, Dinosaur Jr., Buffalo Tom), and even folk metal (Skyclad, Moonsorrow). The annual Newport Folk Festival brings disparate folk acts together every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, highlighting the wide array of songwriting and performance styles in today's folk rock music.

1. 1. Electric instruments and five-piece drum kits: The sound of folk rock relies on electric guitars, electric basses, and five-piece drum kits, although acoustic folk instruments can also play a role. These instruments help define the folk rock music of Bob Dylan (starting with Bringing It All Back Home), Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield, Sonny & Cher, The Lovin' Spoonful, and Jackson Browne.
2. 2. Emphasis on lyrics: As with traditional folk, well-crafted lyrics matter a great deal in folk rock. Artists like Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, and Leonard Cohen are as renowned for their lyrics as they are for their music.
3. 3. Songs based on diatonic harmony: Many folk-rock songwriters compose their songs using open chords on the guitar and ample diatonic harmony. You can hear these sounds in the music of the Turtles, Neil Young, Donovan, Gordon Lightfoot, and Cat Stevens.
4. 4. Rock 'n' roll grooves mixed with folk traditions: Folk rock routinely mines American and English folk traditions. Artists known for their historical reverence include the Band, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Led Zeppelin, the Animals, and Pentangle.
5. 5. Melodic singing with frequent vocal harmonies: Lush vocal harmonies helped popularize the folk rock music of the Byrds, the Mamas & the Papas, We Five, and Crosby, Stills, & Nash.

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