Country Rock / Folk Rock

This genre is best characterized by the use of acoustic and traditional country and folk instruments. For example in the steel pedal guitar can be plays the lead riff in “Country Roads” by John Denver. It can also be heard in “Wild Horses” by the Flying Burrito Brothers. Along with the pedal steel guitar another essential of country and folk rock is a acoustic guitar which can be heard through these albums and is the base for this genre. John Denver used Guild and Yamaha guitars, Neil Young played a Les Paul and Hank Williams Martin D-28. Some artists will use a variety of instruments, for example Creedence Clearwater Revivial uses a Hammond organ and multiple electric guitars in “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” and the uses a slide guitar In “Looking Out My Back Door”. Where as Neil Young only performs “Old Man” live with a single acoustic guitar. Other instruments applicable to this genre are mandolins, honky-tonk pianos, drums, electric and string bases, five string banjos and fiddles. Some of the common effects used on vocalists are using delay to reverb their voice. For example the lead singer of the Grateful Dead uses reverberation. Another vocal effect used is doubling to make the sound and the vocals sound larger than they really are, John Fogerty, from Creedence Clearwater Revival, voice’s is doubled to get that loud, rich sound. The vocal style of the singers is dominantly melodic for all of the 5 bands I researched, there were some harmonies present in The Grateful Dead and appearing on occasion with the Flying Burrito Brothers Band, mostly there was a singular lead vocalist like John Denver, John Fogerty or Neil Young.
Country Rock and Folk Rock is a genre that has fused elements of folk and country into rock and roll. It began in the 60’s with folk rock renegade Bob Dylan and other folk artists from the members, Peter Paul and Mary, The Byrds, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthtrie, and Pete Seger. Many popular rock bands experimented with folk like