"Ballad of Easy Rider" is a song written by Roger McGuinn with input from Bob Dylan (although Dylan is not credited as a co-writer) for the 1969 film, Easy Rider. The song was initially released in August 1969 on the Easy Rider soundtrack album as a Roger McGuinn solo performance. It was later issued in an alternate version as a single by McGuinn's band The Byrds on October 1, 1969. The Byrds' single reached #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was issued in most international territories, although it was not released in the United Kingdom. Senior editor for Rolling Stone magazine David Fricke has described the song as perfectly capturing the social mood of late 1969 and highlighting "the weary blues and dashed expectations of a decade's worth of social insurrection."
Read more about Ballad Of Easy Rider: Roger McGuinn's Version, The Byrds' Version, Cover Versions
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“During the cattle drives, Texas cowboy music came into national significance. Its practical purpose is well known—it was used primarily to keep the herds quiet at night, for often a ballad sung loudly and continuously enough might prevent a stampede. However, the cowboy also sang because he liked to sing.... In this music of the range and trail is “the grayness of the prairies, the mournful minor note of a Texas norther, and a rhythm that fits the gait of the cowboy’s pony.””
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