ROGER McGUINN is most frequently associated with the pioneering Sixties rock ensemble The Byrds, a band he both founded and fronted. It was The Byrds who almost single-handedly invented the airy, soaring sound of Southern California during that decade. The folk rock of The Byrds, fueled by McGUINN's electric twelve-string guitar, not only ushered in a new age of studio technology, but created a powerful synthesis of modern rock and established folk traditions.

The Byrds' nine-year career birthed far more than the folk rock revolution. Classics like, "Mr. Tambourine Man," and "Turn Turn Turn", both number one records around the world, yielded to the majestic, awesome "Eight Miles High." That 1966 space age opus sounds light years ahead of its time even today. Their 1968 release, "Sweetheart of the Rodeo," combined country music with rock and roll and prefigured the tremendous success of the nineties most popular music form, "country rock." And behind each advance and every innovation was the steady creative energy of ROGER McGUINN.

ROGER McGUINN was born James Joseph McGuinn III in Chigaco, in 1942. The son of professional writers, he toured with them as a child promoting their best selling book, "Parents Can't Win." A decade later they returned to Chicago where he studied at the Old Town School of Folk Music. McGUINN became a folksinger fixture in the Chicago scene and later moved to Greenwich Village. In the early Sixties, he was a back-up musician for The Limeliters, The Chad Mitchell Trio, Bobby Darin, and later was hired as Judy Collins' musical director for her third album. He worked as a songwriter in New York's famous Brill Building and had a top ten hit in Australia with a song called "Beach Ball," backgrounds sung by The Bee Gees. In 1964, with local L.A. musicians Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke, he formed The Jet Set, later called The Beefeaters and finally dubbed The Byrds, a name decided on at the Thanksgiving table. In '65 the band burst onto the charts with the classic Bob Dylan song, "Mr. Tambourine Man." It was the first of many Dylan songs recorded by the group. Over the course of the next five years the group released seven pivotal albums, from the futuristic "Fifth Dimension," to the Nashville produced "Sweetheart of The Rodeo." As the original members left, the changing personnel of the band featured a number of influential artists including the late Gram Parsons and Clarence White. But throughout the course of The Byrds' career, McGUINN remained at the helm guiding the group through each creative breakthrough.

When McGUINN disbanded the group in 1973, he embarked on a solo career that yielded a number of intriguing records utilizing a variety of guest artists. In late 1975 he became a member of Bob Dylan's now legendary touring troupe, the "Rolling Thunder Revue." It was there that he met former David Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson, who went on to produce McGUINN's critically acclaimed 1976 album, "Cardiff Rose." In the late Seventies, he joined forces with his old Byrds companions Chris Hillman and Gene Clark to record a series of albums under the name McGuinn, Clark and Hillman.

By 1980 McGUINN had returned to his folk roots touring the world with his 12-string acoustic and later his signature model, 12-string Rickenbacker electric guitar. This guitar was designed to McGUINN's specifications and faithfully reproduces the "jingle-jangle" sound that once took hours to create in the recording studio. One thousand of these Limited Edition instruments were made and sold almost immediately.

In 1990 McGUINN co-produced his first solo album in almost a decade "Back From Rio." The album title was a joke on the name change he underwent in 1967 from Jim to Roger. Many people thought Roger was Jim’s brother and that Jim had gone to Rio to escape the "hurley burley" of show business. The first single "King of The Hill" co-written with long time friend Tom Petty, soared to number one on the Rock charts.

In 1991 he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, given the Netherlands' prestigious Edison Award, (the Dutch version of the Grammy) and in 1992 received the coveted L.A. Rock Award in the category of Best Folksinger. Although he is constantly touring, ROGER McGUINN finds time to work on his forthcoming autobiography for E.P. Dutton. While on the road he encounters enthusiastic audiences and standing ovations around the world. Strong solo versions of his own new songs and McGuinn/Byrds classics, including the jazzy "Eight Miles High" and the majestic "Turn Turn Turn" clearly demonstrate the timeless quality of ROGER McGUINN's music.