The Folkswingers

An unusual studio project, the Folkswingers did an album on the World Pacific label in 1963, 12 String Guitar!, on which a pre-stardom <a href="spotify:artist:59hLmB5DrdihCYtNeFeW1U">Glen Campbell</a>'s 12-string guitar playing was backed by three members of <a href="spotify:artist:3WAkTbMThUvVRq5keECFtS">the Dillards</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:78yKwtqnVpTzhzzr7SY0Ox">Rodney Dillard</a> on guitar, <a href="spotify:artist:40bbzCyICujp6RwxBotac6">Doug Dillard</a> on banjo, and Dean Webb on bass). Though the song selection is a little obvious and commercial-minded -- including "If I Had a Hammer," "Walk Right In," "Midnight Special," "Cottonfields," "Wabash Cannonball," "Blowing in the Wind," and "This Train" -- the album swings along pleasantly, with more of a rhythm than many folk LPs of the period. The record also played an indirect unintentional role in the birth of folk-rock, as it was produced by Jim Dickson, who went on to co-manage <a href="spotify:artist:1PCZpxHJz7WAMF8EEq8bfc">the Byrds</a>. In appreciation of his work on the album, Dick Bock of World Pacific gave Dickson free studio time, which Dickson used to rehearse and record studio material by <a href="spotify:artist:1PCZpxHJz7WAMF8EEq8bfc">the Byrds</a> as they were learning to play electric folk-rock. That studio time was invaluable to making <a href="spotify:artist:1PCZpxHJz7WAMF8EEq8bfc">the Byrds</a> a tighter unit by the time they started making official recordings. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi