The Center for the Arts is pleased to present Roger McGuinn in the Marisa Funk Theater on May 1, 2024.
Roger McGuinn is a legendary musician and singer-songwriter, known for his work as the founder and frontman of the iconic band, the Byrds. Born and raised in Chicago, McGuinn started his career as a guitarist and banjo player, touring and performing with popular bands such as the Limeliters and the Chad Mitchell Trio. He also worked as a songwriter at the Brill Building in New York City, where he co-wrote the song “Beach Ball” with Frank Gari and performed it with Bobby Darin as the City Surfers.
McGuinn’s innovative musical style led him to move to Los Angeles, where he co-founded the Byrds with Gene Clark and David Crosby. The band became one of the most influential groups of the ’60s, releasing hit songs such as “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
During his time with the Byrds, McGuinn developed two innovative and very influential styles of electric guitar playing. The first was “jingle-jangle” – generating ringing arpeggios based on banjo finger-picking styles he learned while at the Old Town School of Folk – which was influential in the folk-rock genre. The second style was a merging of saxophonist John Coltrane’s free-jazz atonalities, which hinted at the droning of the sitar – a style of playing, first heard on the Byrds’ 1966 single “Eight Miles High”, which was influential in psychedelic rock. McGuinn disbanded the Byrds in 1973 and went on to release five solo albums on Columbia Records.
Throughout his career, McGuinn has also been dedicated to preserving traditional folk songs, founding The Folk Den Project in 1995, where he records and uploads a traditional folk song to his website each month for free download. He has released numerous albums over the years, including Back From Rio, Treasures From The Folk Den, and Limited Edition, and has collaborated with artists from Tom Petty and Bob Dylan to Elvis Costello.
As a skilled storyteller and lifelong musician, his solo shows are a must-see. Come and experience a spectacular evening in music history with Roger McGuinn at The Center for the Arts on May 1st, 2024.
WHAT: Roger McGuinn
WHERE: The Center for the Arts | 314 West Main Street, Grass Valley, CA 95945
WHEN: May 1st, 2024 | Doors 6:30 pm | Show 7:30 pm
TICKETS: $30-50 | https://thecenterforthearts.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/events/a0S6g00000SiJZXEA3
WEBSITE & INFO:thecenterforthearts.org | (530) 274-8384
Since 2000, The Center for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization, has grown into a leading presenter of music, dance, theater, comedy, literary and visual art, and family programming, offering more than 150 events per year from its location in downtown Grass Valley. The Center recently completed a major renovation of its multiuse, 21,000-square-foot facility in downtown Grass Valley, making it a premier performing arts destination. The venue includes the Main Stage, which accommodates up to 492 guests in configurable theater seats and up to 700 patrons for dance shows, and a 90-seat studio theater.