While Bob Dylan was known in the national folk scene, mostly for his protest songs, The Byrds were the ones who soared to the top of the charts with their cover of “Mr. Tambourine Man”.
Their version was released in April 1965 and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Little known fact: Producer Terry Melcher wouldn’t let most of the Byrds play on the session, bringing in studio regulars The Wrecking Crew instead. But because Roger McGuinn was still permitted to play, that folk-rock Rickenbacker jangle filtered down to the masses and became the band’s signature sound.
