Introduction
The Byrds Lyrics

Howard Levin

The Byrds (and the Beach Boys) in my opinion are in the all-time top 10 Greatest American Bands for all the reasons Don said. When he pointed out that they "pioneered something called country rock as well, but I wouldn't know anything about that," Don had to be taking a shot at Wenner and Co. for leaving out Gram Parsons (like they left Bob Welch out of Fleetwood Mac).

tiffsaver

@Lowtech14
That, too! Listen to Chris Hillman's contribution in "Poco."

Lowtech14

Nice list. I’d add country rock.

David Murray

One of the most creative and enormously talented bands America has ever produced. To suggest that they did nothing but recycle Bob Dylan is an utterly stupid statement that could only be expressed by someone who never heard "Fifth Dimension" or " the Notorious Byrd Bros". And Gram made but one album with The Byrds so it was inappropriate for him to be an inductee on this occasion. Besides, he was at his peak as a Burrito Bros. Parsons supporters should be screaming for THEIR induction into the Hall. The Flying Burrito Bros.' contribution to country rock far eclipsed that of The Byrds.

Tim J

I agree with the first part of your statement about the originality of The Byrds and their stellar production well beyond covers of Bob Dylan songs that they brought to a new and richer life with their sound. But I disagree somewhat with your statements about Gram Parsons. He had an important role in the "Sweetheart" album to take country rock to a new place, but you seem to overlook the influence of Chris Hillman in the band, who introduced country influences through many songs he wrote much earlier for the band. They were already doing country rock well before Gram Parsons joined for a brief stint. By the way, so was Richie Furay and Buffalo Springfield.

Luis Echeverria

Sweetheart At The Rodeo, despite being a commercial failure at the time, is arguably the most influential record the Byrds ever recorded due to it's pioneering of country rock. That being said, Gram Parsons should being inducted as a solo artist and as a member of the Flying Burrito Brothers simultaneously, kind of like how the Small Faces and The Faces were both inducted together.

Paul Krupa

+David Murray I would disagree on two counts. I think Byrd's popularity sprung from those dull Dylan takes; second, Gram Parsons took over the Byrds and made the seminal Sweetheart of the Rodeo. To credit the Byrds without acknowledging Parsons is just ignorant.
To make my point on the first item, I just have to watch Roger McGuinn in his chronic replays on PBS where all he seems to do is the Dylan stuff, as trite as ever.
Further, listen to the Parson's versions of the songs McGuinn deleted (vocals) on Sweetheart and hear what I am talking about.
These guys really could have benefitted from professional management at an early stage.

Right Fromleft

Roger and Chris are still to this day 2 of my favorite people in music. They are still vital to my ears whom have heard an awful lot having worked on Sunset Blvd for years and years where band after band came from around the world to give it a go. Substance never wears thin and the Byrds in every era of their existence never lost that gift.

The Surf & Hot Rod Scene

Great personal speech from Don Henley, it captures the Byrds importance to rock music. They also had some great producers, especially Gary Usher who lifted them to incredible hights !

M Soiseth

The Byrds sound was unique, they made music that made history.

Bill Taylor

I for one was a huge Byrds fan back in the 60's. Still love them to this day from 65 to 71 on "Farther Along".

Richie B

I remember seeing the Byrds on TV in '65 or whenever. Like everyone, I loved the Beatles, but seeing an American band looking and sounding so cool was a revelation. I was 18 then, and we were all in the very early stages of the musical explosion caused by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the Stones, the Byrds, and many others.

Richie B

@Flip Yeah thanks! Why would it be otherwise? They both knew they were making great history.

Flip

The Byrd’s and the Beatles became very close friends and each loved each other’s music . There was great chemistry between them all.

Anthony Parkinson

I endured for five minutes this self indulgent monologue in the expectation that I would see the byrds and it finished just as he was introducing them

joe22589

You dont like Henley. Ok, your choice. But this speech is pure class and btw: and induction held by one is always a monolog.

rob l

Tim Jahns very well put and explained.

Tim J

It's not self-indulgent to frame The Byrds music and legacy by giving his personal inspiration and then describe in vivid terms the impact that the band had on music and culture. I think it was a very effective strategy using that kind of segue rather than just praising a band with something that anyone with writing ability could create. You don't like Henley, that's your choice. But don't distort the induction speech to make it sound like something it's not.

Tom Lehr

Was he running for office

plantium1000

Love! This guy is very sincere. I checked out the Byrds, when I was watching the "British invasion" on "CNN" I could not believe what I had missed.

L G

Great speech Don Henley. You have a way with words, ever tried song writing ........ ? :)

Neal Jones

Many here have said many touching things about my favourite band. I was 13. Had not yet learned to play. I heard Mr. Tambourine Man on the radio and bought the album - in mono-in Houston, Texas. 8 miles High blew my mind but was banned from the radio "BECAUSE IT WAS ABOUT DRUGS!" What are those? And it wasn't. It was about traveling to England . Fast forward 4 years later and I have been living in London for several years. Been playing the guitar for 2 and saw The Byrds at the Albert Hall. What a memory. I have now been playing and writing for over 50 years. My instrument? A 12-string stereo Yamaha .And I love the first 3 albums as much now as then. That is the soundtrack to my life. Thank You.

HD35MAN

I thank God for the byrds and for allowing me to dream I can remember when I first heard the byrds I thought you was the most beautiful sound I ever heard and we're talking about someone who love the Beatles but the byrds we're a whole different animal they were angelic and they were magnificent I thank God everyday that I grew up with all this music all around me The Beatles and the byrds The Beach boys the stones all where the soundtrack to my life and let's not forget steppenwolf and led Zeppelin okay but I love the byrds you could always count on them delivery quality folk rock the country rock even when it was a little rough on the edges they were experimenting and creating something new but let's not forget Bob Dylan Bob gave the world head music that was more than just feeling from the heart no patting your foot but you could actually experience thought and I will forever be grateful to Bob Dylan and thank God that he linked up with the byrds and had an outlet through them because the byrds took that rough rural old sounding music of Bob Dylan and made it sound angelic and he will live forever I believe ten thousand years from now maybe even a million years from now they will be playing the music of the1950"s 1960s 70s and 80s because it was the Golden age of rock and roll.

Big E

Don....it's still missing buddy! Thank you and the Eagles, The Byrds, The Beatles and all the others who worked their asses off to make millions and millions of people's lives that much better.

karylu hernandez

Con un sonido diferente, pioneros del folk-rock, como dicen un tiempo mágico, Bravo por su ingreso al salón de la fama del rock!!!!!

Richard Schaefer

Gene Clark was great....Just listen to "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better"....Rock and roll before the music really died.

decemberschild1217

As well as Batten and York....that 2nd/3rd incantation of the Byrds were phenomenal muscians....

Eli Ortega,Jr

The end of the year 1999 was bad for the Eagles. Byrds and Eagles forever!

SylentEcho

Why?

thisistheworldtoday

What a time it was back then to be alive growing up in the 60s ... the incredible rock music, freedom and creativity of expression... young attractive healthy svelte people with long manes of hair... no cameras monitoring everyone...living was easy and the cost of living was affordable... only one parent needed to work.. kids were raised by their mother, nature was a place to vacation and play in.. no Lymes disease, fresh air with no chemtrails... everyone had lots of free time.. no fast paced stressful cut throat world...the kids of today have no idea how great it once was to be a kid growing up in America.

Tom Jones

Byrds were good, used to blast them on my father's Zenith stereo in the mid-sixties. Until they came home of course. Saw them too. Worcester, Ma. Auditorium 1967 & Keene State College N.H. 1970!

Austin Teutsch

I could not have said it better, even though it was from Mr. Ego himself.  The Byrds were everything to all kinds of music.  What a band they were.  I also wore out two Mr. Tamborine Man albums. 

Libertyjack1

...."something sadly missing from the airways today'...26 years later, we're still waiting!

Nicola Wilts

Magically time in the music it has been...

Uwe Rayer

Begifted speech.Thanks rockhall for sharing.

folgore1

Hard to believe that was 30 years ago!

The Lightbearer

The bass player is the one and only Chris Hillman, who was one of the most inspired musicians of the Desert Rose Band with John Jorgenson and the rest of the greats, check out Austin City Limits Desert Rose Band.

Scott Campbell

Hillman also wrote or co-wrote more Byrds songs than Crosby and stayed longer. Of course, it was also his decision (with McGuinn) to fire Crosby; ANOTHER reason Hillman is great!

Marcela

Any mention of the Wrecking Crew on all those records that made the R and R Hall of F?

Neal Jones

Good point because I know Leon Russel was on Tambourine Man (the album) and Glen Campbell may have been too. Mcguinn was the only one they let record.

Evan

This night in 1991 bush announced we were sending troops to Iraq, set a somber tone on the evening

Jeffrey Bank

Not Iraq, Kuwait.

petewoodroffemusic

"On to Britain and other parts of Europe"

Just for the record (as Don would say) Britain has never been part of Europe!!!

Oppothumbs M

I like nothing by Gram Parsons. Try Graham Parker (with or without the Rumor) for some great songs.

Ettoredipugnar

Brianna Bean

gram parsons most definatley shoulve been inducted as well

Leoji Oresi

And Don thought the world was badly in need of some optimism then!

sean robbins

What'd they cut off the video for. I wanted to see the Byrds! Dang!

Beverly Simpson

a beautiful message by don henley, congrats.

Mark Nauman

Wow, such a grasp of what was happening, then and even now.

Steve Someone

1991. Hell still hadn't frozen over.

Scott Shea

I like this Don Henley. At what point did he have the stick shoved up his ass?

Ian Pope

i think gram parsons shouldve been inducted with them

Tommy Haynes

Interestingly...Crosby tended to put down the Eagles

K B

@HD35MAN Don't compare the Byrds with CSN, never could stand that act. The Eagles were all about slick and commercial, especially anything Henley or Frey had anything to do with.

Joshua Reader

@HD35MAN Perfect every time, eh? Apparently you're a stranger to the Eagles' bootleg catalog...

HD35MAN

You know that is true and it's ironic that they would say that because the eagles took what Crosby stills and Nash and Young did and polished it all up and gave the world quality reproducible music it sounded perfect every time and this was the immense respectable musicalintegrity that people yearned and look for but was always falling short with Crosby stills and Nash and young because they were loosly an act who jammed and never practiced that much then came out and sorta shot from the hip and thought that was good enough but the Byrds tried to give you the same performance every time and I think the eagles looked at that and said yes that's what we need to do the eagles gave you the written song perfect every time note-for-note you could trust that what you fell in love with is what you would hear and there's nothing wrong with that and turns out that musicianship was very appealing to the masses because they gave you everything that a band should deliver a good song structure a good vocal a good backup vocal a good guitar lead and overall quality I'll musicianship that had to be respected.

Amy Lee

As if the piece is about him, so self indulgent.

Brenda Christensen

Gram ❤

Pat Downs

I have always thought of Don Henley as somewhat dry and overly serious. I was clearly wrong. In that intro, he is funny and he nails it. That's the way it was in '65.

Tom Jones

Not for me in 65...

jr102938

Roger and the Byrds got me hooked on 12 string guitars. The Byrds music never gets old for me. Oh, and I did pay for the license to record this song https://www.dropbox.com/home/Jimmy%20Robinson%203%20CDs/Jimmy%20Robinson%20%22Guitarworks%22?preview=14+Eight+Miles+High.m4a

Flip

Rodger got the 12 string after seeing George Harrison playing one in the Beatles

DrewBrees

Don Henley is the GOAT.

Jeffrey Bank

He may be a bit of a dick, but he is up there with McCartney and who else as living legends. Let me think about that for a while. Maybe Jimmy and Robert. Who else?

anthony chiulli

Roger mcguinn got the 12 string guitar idea from George Harrison

anthony chiulli

George Harrison

winstonsmithee

Where's the band members portion?

A M

Don is hard to listen to

Piggy-218

His own memories.

strawman8

and what about their genius, Clarence White ?

Scott Campbell

Clarence PLAYED on every Byrds album since "Younger Than Yesterday", far more albums than Crosby, but dead men don't attend awards ceremonies.

rosskolnikov

Great player but he wasn't really a part of their HoF-worth albums. Bluegrass HoF for sure.

Jason Nadle

Don's speaking voice was deep, but he had an impressive vocal range when he worked with the Eagles and on his solo albums.

Yordan Stefanov

No Byrds no R.E.M.

Michael Jones

Now thats a speech mama

K B

all you Eagles groupies make me puke.

krankykubby

That's a pretty baggy suit!

John Smith

he got that from David Byrne. lol

Denny Smith

The Byrds came to Cape Town SA in 1968... Alhambra Theatre...

Apartheid Nazism was in full bully boy operation... getting steadily worse by the day... Vorster (Chief Nazi) & PW as his Defence Minister (Narcissistic evilness at it's most powerful)...

Supporting Acts were Staccatos (SA mediocre pop group) & British female singer who really was'nt appealing to rude young crowd at all....in fact yheir insidious comic comments made her run off stage crying...Then quite a while later a dramatic pause - crowd getting restless and suddenly... "Mr Tambourine Man" started...strobe lights flashing - CURTAINS NOT OPENING...went on for quite a few numbers...crowd shouting... about 15 min later curtains opened - ALL BAND MEMBERS HAD THEIR BACKS TO THE AUDIENCE except David Crosby - he stood sideways and dedicted all the songs to OTIS REDDING - Black Soul Singer - vocally stating : "but you lot wouldn't know who he is..." boos & "Yanks Go Home!!!" were shouted to the group... this was more exciting than if it'd been concert with no drama... Politics ruled the day... they weren't allowed to play to multi-racial audience and the Byrds were p****d... and so they shld've been - my friends and I were totally in agreement with them and just became bigger fans... they played for half an hour then said due to laryngitis they cldn't go on... crowd cld get their tickets refunded... SO glad to have seen them - their influence was brilliant... always admired them... and their music... phew!!!
Thanks for the greatest music guys... thanks...

Gerry Nightingale

WTF? 'Dylan 'influenced' the Beatles? According to whom?*
As Lennon said "I don't believe/in Zimmerman"
Why in fuck am I hearing Henley's 'musical bona fides' rather than that of Hillman and McGuinn?

Gerber Bernstein

Don Henley got his hair done at Douche Cuts. At least he didn't seem as bitter as he does now.

Scott Shea

LOL!

WALKER GILLETTE

WHEN ARE THEY GONNA INDUCT THE ARCHIES, DAVID CASSIDY AND DONNIE OSMOND?

Leoji Oresi

I wonder how much Henley charged the Byrds to induct them?

John Mitten

mentions byrds musicians for 1 second at the end

SmarkBusters

It's an utter disgrace that Clarence, Skip, and Gene Parsons weren't inducted.

Michael Hattem

rosskolnikov For Dr. Byrd & Mr. Hyde, Ballad of Easy Rider, and Untitled (and for Clarence, Sweetheart of the Rodeo)... absolutely.

David Andrews

@Feliks Gailitis
A lot of people felt the same way.

Myself, I'm not sure ... there was some continuity of flow through the line-up changes. But the musical identity of the band changed around SOTR. And much of the changing of line-ups after SOTR was rather political - even though it did improve the sound of the band.

It feels as if there were two major phases with sub-phases separated by a very confused period.

Scott Campbell

YES, and also "Dr. Byrds $ Mr. Hyde" as well.

Feliks Gailitis

Because the musical innovations came out of the original band, and what followed was just the Byrds in name only, despite being a good band on their own, and I only wish McGuinn didn't use the Byrds name for the later band.

jennifersman

Yes, but the way the HOF works is they induct the most famous/best known version of the band . And for better or worse it was Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, Chris Hillman, Crosby & Clarke.

Brianna Bean

it pisses me off the y could have been clasy and inducted gram parsons ! atleast mention his bleepin name

Richard Young

Another boring Don Henley speech.

ronfowlermusic

I agree with that - it was the original lineup that invented what was called folk-rock, and influenced musicians all over the world with that sound, and sold millions of records. McGuinn, Clark, Hillman, Crosby and Clarke...forever known as the Byrds.

alex hess

He sounds like Bill Murray's character from caddy shack.

ricjan58

Thank you Mr. Henley, for such an inspired and touching speech. I couldn't have expressed my thoughts and feelings any better.

david langham

same old award show. I came here for the byrds got a ? speech only

Stormbringer Coming

Ol’ Don is a bucketful of fun. Hell, he should host a comedy roast. Don’t know how anyone this dry and utterly bereft of anything resembling warmth be such a gifted artist?

Anthony Parkinson

Why is he speaking in the third person

Thad Leach

Ego with a suit to match.

Lawrence Scott

Drowning in besuitted attire

w900L

Lawrence Scott ugh! Right? You would think a rich bastard like Henley could have afforded a tailor and a barber for the occasion. That said he’s still a giant step up from David Crosby on his best day.

Eli Ortega,Jr

Yep ...hair was growing..ha ha ha

David Shakespeare

Wow, what a friggin' ego. All about him...

DoofsterDan

David Shakespeare ' I read Don Felder's book---seems like Henley (and Frey) should have had mental health therapy. Really outsized egos, controlling, petty, demeaning in little ways....the types of guys that if you had to deal with them, you'd shrug they were jerks.

Tyrone Shoelace

Who is this a tribute to? Henley or the Byrds?

Gina Wyatt

They were all Byrds & contributed to the legacy. To say the musicians who came after the original 5 weren't really Byrds is an insult to their hard work & dedication to their craft.

Tim J

Hard work and dedication may be admirable but have nothing to do with originality, creativity, innovation, distinguished music or lasting impact. That would be the original Byrds, not the later version of the band that McGuinn created. Sure, Clarence White was a great guitar player, and others in that later iteration were talented enough, but they were not the magical chemistry, creativity or sound that we associate with The Byrds with three or more of their original members together.

John Smith

i think the Eagles have more in common with Buffalo Springfield than the Byrds.

Scott Campbell

That's why they named their band The Buffalo....WAIT! Bernie Leadon has freely admitted that he tried to sound like Clarence White on "Take It Easy", their first single. Glenn Frey was in a Byrds cover band here in Detroit back in 1966. All they talked about in their first Rolling Stone interview was how they were going to try being more commercial than the larter Byrds. The Eagles were Byrds groupies.

Rudolf Javor

Larger than life speech...and suit.

Franz Kafka

Henley should stay away from double breasted suits. RIP Glen Frey.

John McLean

great speech 

Justin Hikes

I'm not much of a fan of Don Henley but he did a phenomenal job with this induction

bird zene

the group that should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, is The Wrecking Crew, sometimes called The click, the real musicians, Carol Kaye, Hal Blaine, Danny Tedesco, and others, who were the REAL musicians, who played on those records and created that sound, and with the beach boys, and many other hit songs, Dave Mcguinn, was apparently the only one who played on most of the records, and did he write any of this music?

Waukivory Copse

Double secret probation for anyone saying The Wrecking crew played on anything other than MTM 45.

Scott Campbell

McGUINN was writing songs in the Brill Building in 1962 before Dylan had a record deal and before Gene had published a single song. I've known them both and Gene had great respect for McGuinn's writing, co-writing two songs with Jim for the first alum as well as co-writing "You Showed Me" a huge hit for The Turtles and what SHOULD have been a Byrds single in 1965.

Renee Fuller

Does anyone Remember Bill Aiken?

Joel Glassman

The Wrecking Crew was sometimes called "The Clique". They were real musicians, who played on Mr. Tamborine Man. So were the Byrds who played on all other Byrds records. "Dave" McGuinn was actually Jim [and then Roger] McGuinn. Yes, he wrote a lot of the music including 5D (Fifth Dimension), Mr. Spaceman etc. & co-wrote others.

curt .bland

Jim McGuinn (now he is Roger McGuinn) and the other Byrds were not songwriters until they saw Gene Clark spending his monies. I personally felt that Gene Clark was a lyrical Savant and a genius in blending multiple styles of music into an album, he had a "typical" education yet Chris Hillman said Gene did very little reading and was just a natural when it came to writing. The album "No Other" was such a departure from most of the music at that time, it was unfortunately overlooked. It could also have been that the album was over budget and Gene was not the easiest to work with... hence a different record label for each solo album.

freighttrainsahpassing

yeah Byrds and Eagles

Stephen Fiore

freighttrainsahpassing .....”8 Miles High”.....

talbot

What is Henley refering to in the begining?

Scott Campbell

Himself, of course.

atourdeforce

god thats a bad suit, and whats with the size of it, it looks like he has foorball shoulder pads on underneath. love don tho!!

joe bloggs

you are a freakin moron

basses atta

atourdeforce thats the 80s my friend

nino benjamin

whats the bass players name?

David Andrews

Okay ...

0- David Crosby (wasn't taking to it)
1- Chris Hillman
2- John York
3- Skip Battin
4- Chris Hillman (helping out on final obligation gigs)

Geoffrey Gentry

MrMdblues Not the first album. Just the first single, the songs "Mr Tambourine Man" and "I Knew I'd Want You". But yes, Chris Hillman was the bassist.

MrMdblues

It was Chris Hillman. Though the first album was pretty much studio cats playing along with McGuinn.

nino benjamin

+dan cooper this is called YouTube my friend... not google. now go mind ur own business eh? instead of wasting ur time on YouTube pissing others off

dan cooper

"never am on google". What does "on google" mean?

pearlynx1

is that the Armani suit Banya gave Jerry?

James Bowen

Henley is very bitter these days. Glenn Frey is gone. He refuses to acknowledge that Don Felder was the backbone to his band, and he's been trying to revise history. The fact of the matter is that before Felder they were sharing bills with Black Oak Arkansas and the Stampeders, etc.After Felder was asked to join them they were selling out arenas by themselves. That's a fact. I remember it well.Now the Eagles Ltd Don Henley and the Yesmen. I still love Henley, but I am very disappointed with his attitude towards Felder, Meisner and Bernie Leadon.

Bryan8329

A movie.

rex russo

Now you have Justine Barbie, Miley Cirus.& lady Goo-Goo
What a Shame ~~~~

Jim Bailey

Blah blah blah, Henley.

Doug H. in VA

Henley had to read a damn script? ...and deliver it with snark ? He didn't have enough respect to pretend to honor the creators of a rock legendary hit record.

WALKER GILLETTE

ALL THE MONEY DON HENLEY HAS YOU'D THINK HE COULD GET A SUIT THAT FITS

Tom Jones

It was the style back then..

terry paschal

This dude is so fricken full of himself !

Chris Alberts

All rock stars are lol

Jeffrey Bank

Well, there's a lot to be full of. The guy wrote and sang and played on some of the greatest songs of all time. Many of them. Give credit where credit is due.

Connie Vino

Why does Henley make everything about himself.? Not about him .

Wendell Gillespie

Your so right guy's. why in hell was Gram Parsons not inducted with these other byrds, he was the driving force that took them to Nashville to the grand old Opry as well as to record the sweetheart of the rodeo album, both the CM hall and the rock and roll of fame can go fuck themselves, Gram parsons had Talent, Heaps of it.!!!. with that said I do indeed love the byrds