folk rock
Dylan went electric
Folk rock blends traditional folk music with rock instrumentation—typically adding electric guitars, bass, and drums to acoustic melodies and storytelling lyrics.
The genre emerged in the mid-1960s with artists like Bob Dylan and the Byrds, who electrified folk songs and brought socially conscious themes to rock audiences.
Their sound was pure folk rock—jangling guitars over protest lyrics.
- The ByrdsSixties folk-rock originators
- Simon & GarfunkelIconic folk rock partnership
- DonovanGaelic-origin surname
- Buffalo Springfield1960s folk-rock supergroup
Joan Baez · Joni Mitchell · The Band · Woodstock · Greenwich Village · Laurel Canyon · Monterey Pop
Unplugged stringed instrument
- strummingSweeping across guitar strings
- fingerpickingPlucking strings by hand
- unpluggedDisconnected from power
- steel stringsMetal filaments for fretted instruments
nylon strings · capo · open tuning · resonance · warm · intimate · natural · singer-songwriter
Heritage artifacts or music
- bluegrassAcoustic Appalachian folk music
- alt-countryNon-mainstream roots music
- singer-songwriterSelf-composing musical performer
- fusionJoining into unity
contemporary · revival · baroque pop · traditional · crossover
Following long-held customs
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- AppalachianEastern U.S. mountain region
- CelticOf Irish-Welsh descent
- British IslesNorthwest European archipelago
ballad · storytelling · oral tradition · fiddle · banjo · mandolin · dulcimer · ethnomusicology
Guaranteed individual legal protections
- Vietnam WarCold-era Indochina military engagement
- antiwarOpposed to armed conflict
- activismDirect effort for reform
- countercultureRejection of mainstream values
social justice · dissent · anthem · protest song · free speech · peace movement · ban the bomb · environmentalism
Simultaneous pitched voices blending
thirds · counterpoint · close harmony · call and response · chorus · backing vocals · harmonize · Simon & Garfunkel
Bob Dylan
- The ByrdsSixties folk-rock originators
- Simon & GarfunkelIconic folk rock partnership
- DonovanGaelic-origin surname
Joan Baez · Joni Mitchell · Buffalo Springfield · The Band · Woodstock · Greenwich Village · Laurel Canyon · Monterey Pop
acoustic guitar
Unplugged stringed instrument
- strummingSweeping across guitar strings
- fingerpickingPlucking strings by hand
- unpluggedDisconnected from power
steel strings · nylon strings · capo · open tuning · resonance · warm · intimate · natural · singer-songwriter · coffeehouse
Americana
Heritage artifacts or music
- bluegrassAcoustic Appalachian folk music
- alt-countryNon-mainstream roots music
- singer-songwriterSelf-composing musical performer
fusion · contemporary · revival · baroque pop · traditional · crossover
traditional
Following long-held customs
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- AppalachianEastern U.S. mountain region
- CelticOf Irish-Welsh descent
British Isles · ballad · storytelling · oral tradition · fiddle · banjo · mandolin · dulcimer · ethnomusicology · field recording
civil rights
Guaranteed individual legal protections
- Vietnam WarCold-era Indochina military engagement
- antiwarOpposed to armed conflict
- activismDirect effort for reform
counterculture · social justice · dissent · anthem · protest song · free speech · peace movement · ban the bomb · environmentalism · equality
vocal harmony
Simultaneous pitched voices blending
unison · thirds · counterpoint · close harmony · call and response · chorus · backing vocals · harmonize · Simon & Garfunkel · Everly Brothers
- rock genresheavy metal, metal, punk, grunge, Britpop
- folk musicCeltic revival, singer-songwriter, traditional music, traditional songs, traditional ballads
- Bob DylanAll Along the Watchtower, Hurricane, I Want You, Highway 61, discography
- folk genresbluegrass, Americana, Appalachian, old-time, mountain music
- hybrid genresjazz fusion, gothic metal, funk metal, pop punk, jazz rap
- Basque Musictxalaparta, Egan
folk rockdeath metal
Extreme subgenre with growls
heavy metal · thrash metal · black metal · hardcore punk · grindcore
folk rockelectronic dance music
Synthesizer-based club genre
techno · EDM · house music · trance · drum and bass
rock, folk, folklore, rocking, rocker, rockers, folkloric, rockfish, rockstar