International Musician Roger McGuinn to Perform at Smothers Theatre
The indisputable music icon Roger McGuinn will return to Pepperdine University’s Smothers
Theatre on Thursday, October 5, at 8 PM.
As a founding member of The Byrds, McGuinn delivers a mesmerizing evening of story and song. From his signature 12-string Rickenbacker sound, to his instantly recognizable vocals on hits like “Turn, Turn, Turn,” “Eight Miles High,” and “Mr. Tambourine Man,” McGuinn made music history.
Prior to forming the Byrds, he toured and performed folk music with the Limeliters, Chad Mitchell Trio, and Bobby Darin as a guitarist and banjo player. After touring for awhile with singer Bobby Darin, McGuinn moved to New York at Darin’s request to work for his publishing company, TM Music, as a songwriter. He and Frank Gari cowrote the song “Beach Ball,” and performed it with Darin, as the City Surfers, on a very rare single in July 1963.
After hearing the Beatles for the first time, McGuinn began playing folk songs to a rock beat in the coffee houses of Greenwich Village. His experiments in merging folk and rock didn't please the folk purist, so he moved to Los Angeles to work at the Troubadour. It was after an opening set for Hoyt Axton that Gene Clark approached him with appreciation for his new musical blend. They started writing songs together in the folk den of the Troubadour. David Crosby joined them soon after and added his unique concepts of harmony to the duo, thereby completing the underpinnings for one of the most influential bands of the 1960s.
Columbia Records signed the Byrds in January 1965 and they recorded their first number one hit, “Mr. Tambourine Man.” The band worked together until 1973, when McGuinn disbanded the Byrds to pursue his dream of a solo career. He made five solo albums on Columbia Records.
Since 1981 McGuinn has regularly toured as a solo singer-guitarist. In 1991 Arista records released Back From Rio, a rock album that included his friends, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Chris Hillman, David Crosby, Michael Penn, and John Jorgensen.
His one-man show, Live from Mars, was released on Hollywood Records in November of 1996. The album includes two studio tracks, “May The Road Rise To Meet You,” and “Fireworks,” recorded in Minneapolis with members of the Jayhawks.
McGuinn's 2002 record Treasures From The Folk Den, featuring duets with Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Odetta, Jean Ritchie, Josh White Jr., and Frank and Mary Hamilton, was nominated for a Grammy in 2002 in the category of Best Traditional Folk Album.
This performance is sponsored by Mary and Tom Hawkins.
Ticket prices range between $10 and $50, and are required for attendance. For additional information about the performance, and to purchase tickets, visit the Center for the Arts website.