He began as a Guthrie/Dylan-style folkie, but soon Donovan Leitch adopted a more psychedelic flower-power stance. His knack for sunny, wistful pop songs produced a batch of giant 1960s hits. His fragile manchild voice and image made him a hippie pinu…

One of the quintessential San Francisco psychedelic bands, the Jefferson Airplane brought together interests in acoustic blues, folk, and rock music. Add political topicality and modal improvisations, and you have an inspired, mind-bending sound tha…

Bob Dylan began as a Woody Guthrie acolyte, imitating the dust-bowl balladeer as faithfully as a baby boomer from Hibbing, Minnesota, could. It wasn't long before he found his own voice, spearheading the early-1960s folk revival as well as the singer…

Like a trippier, more mystical, West Coast equivalent of the Velvet Underground, the Doors went against the 1960s flower-power grain, taking an uncompromising look at the underbelly of the American psyche. Jim Morrison's dark, surreal poetry gave the…

Without Cream, rock as we know it might sound very different today. The London-based band were only together for a brief couple years (1966-1968), but their success opened the door for subsequent generations of blues-rockers and power trios. The jazz…

Adding ringing electric guitars to Bob Dylan songs, the Byrds helped invent folk-rock, as well as becoming early proponents of psychedelia and popularizing country-rock with the help of alt-country saint Gram Parsons. Led by Roger McGuinn and his dis…

From the youthful arrogance of their early 1960s recordings to their ambitious rock operas and the more introspective FM rock staples of their mid-1970s albums, the Who raged like a rock-&-roll inferno. Pete Townshend's guitar fireworks and Keith Moo…

The Yardbirds started out in 1963 as part of the first wave of British blues groups, paying homage to their beloved Chicago blues. After the departure of original guitarist Eric Clapton in 1965, the group turned to a heavier, more psychedelic pop-roc…

The Beatles just barely beat them to the punch, but in the 1960s the Hollies were still one of the very first (and most popular) British "beat" groups, heavily inspired by American R&B and '50s rock & roll. Like the Beatles, they soon delved into mor…

Of all the artists to emerge in the late 1960s, none inspired greater awe than Jimi Hendrix. After touring with numerous R&B bands, the guitarist moved to London in 1966 and assembled the Jimi Hendrix Experience. His U.S. return at the Monterey Pop F…

Born and raised in Lee County, Mississippi, USA, the four brothers, George (b. 26 September 1931; bass), Willie (b. 3 March 1938; guitar), Lester (b. 13 April 1940; harmonica) and Joe (b. 22 August 1942; guitar), moved to Los Angeles during the early…

One of rock's longest-running acts, the Moody Blues began as a mid-1960s British R&B band … la the Rolling Stones, turning to psychedelic pop later in the decade. In the '70s, they evolved into purveyors of melodic, classically influenced songs that …

Traffic appeared amidst the late-1960s psychedelic scene, and at its height the band was one of the most adventurous outfits around, although Traffic's unstable lineup made it an on-again, off-again affair by the '70s. Teenage wunderkind Stevie Winwo…

Buffalo Springfield was one of the definitive 1960s folk-rock groups. Their surplus of strong writers and personalities (including Neil Young and Steve Stills) produced some inspired recordings, but there was no way to keep all that talent under one …

Originally part of the early 1960s British blues/R&B scene, the Rolling Stones rapidly ascended the heights of fame with a perfect combination of hit singles and media-grabbing scandals. By the '70s, Keith Richards had become a bona fide guitar hero,…

b. 11 May 1941, Walker, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne & Wear, England. Burdon originally came to prominence as the lead singer of the Animals in 1963. His gutsy, distinctive voice was heard on their many memorable records in the 60s. Following the demise…

Creedence Clearwater Revival seemed like something of an anomaly in the psychedelic 1960s. Far removed from the mind-expanding, flower-power explorations of their California contemporaries, they were a gritty, hard-hitting band respectful of their bl…

Based in California and originally known as the Sixpence, the Strawberry Alarm Clock enjoyed a US number 1 in 1967 with the memorable "Incense And Peppermints". This euphoric slice of "flower-power" bubblegum was initially intended as a b-side and th…

In their classic mid-1960s lineup, the Animals were one of the most formidable British blues groups, helping to spearhead the British Invasion led by the Beatles. Though heavily influenced by American blues artists, the Animals created their own voic…

Best known for the timeless "Whiter Shade of Pale," Procol Harum is generally regarded as a progenitor of the '70s prog-rock boom. In the late '60s, the group (led by singer/keyboardist Gary Brooker) combined British pop with classical-influenced mot…