Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 60s, 70s
At a time when rock was evolving further and further away from the forces that had made the music possible in the first place, Creedence Clearwater Revival brought things back to their roots with their concise synthesis of rockabilly, swamp pop, R&B, and country. Though CCR was very much a group in their tight, punchy arrangements, their vision... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 60s, 70s
Gram Parsons is the father of country-rock. With the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Burrito Brothers, Parsons pioneered the concept of a rock band playing country music, and as a solo artist he moved even further into country music, blending the two genres to the point that they became indistinguishable from each other.... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 60s, 70s, 80s
One of the best '60s San Francisco bands, Moby Grape were also one of the most versatile. Although they are most often identified with the psychedelic scene, their specialty was combining all sorts of roots music -- folk, blues, country, and classic rock & roll -- with some Summer of Love vibes and multi-layered, triple-guitar arrangements. All... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s
For most of the early '70s, the New Riders of the Purple Sage™ (yes, the name is trademark-protected) were the successful offshoots of the Grateful Dead. Although they never remotely approached the success or longevity of the Dead, they attracted a considerable audience through their association with Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart,... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s, 90s
Rick Danko was -- and will forever be known as -- one of the three singing members of the Band, as well as their bassist. Their principal lead singer on the first album, he was second of the members to join the group back in its days backing Ronnie Hawkins, and the second of its members to pass away.
He was born Richard Clare Danko...
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Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 60s, 70s, 80s
The most successful folk-rock duo of the 1960s, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel crafted a series of memorable hit albums and singles featuring their choirboy harmonies, ringing acoustic, and electric guitars; and Simon's acute, finely wrought songwriting. The pair always inhabited the more polished end of the folk-rock spectrum, and were sometimes... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 60s, 70s
The Grass Roots had a series of major hits -- most notably "Let's Live for Today," "Midnight Confessions," "Temptation Eyes," and "Two Divided by Love" -- that help define the essence of the era's best AM radio. Although the group's members weren't even close to being recognizable, and their in-house songwriting was next to irrelevant, the Grass... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s
Formed primarily for the purpose of starring in a television series, the Monkees were on one hand a cynically manufactured group, devised to cash in on the early Beatles' success by applying the most superficial aspects of the British Invasion formula to capture a preteen audience. On the other hand, they weren't devoid of musical talent, and at... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 60s
An obscure late-'60s L.A. band with one ill-distributed LP to their credit, the Rockets would be totally forgotten had not the core of the band gone on to form Crazy Horse, Neil Young's long-running electric backing unit. Their sole record was a fair but stylistically erratic effort, running the gamut from whimsical folk-rock to eccentric... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 60s, 70s
The Youngbloods could not be considered a major '60s band, but they were capable of offering some mighty pleasurable folk-rock in the late '60s, and produced a few great tunes along the way. One of the better groups to emerge from the East Coast in the mid-'60s, they would temper their blues and jug band influences with gentle California... [+] Read More