3 Folk Rock Songs That Captured the Spirit of the 1960s (And You’ve Definitely Never Heard Them)

Unless you’re a diehard folk fan or delight in finding niche little gems from music history’s past, there’s a good chance that the following 1960s folk rock songs aren’t totally familiar to you. There’s a reason for that; these songs really didn’t get the love they deserved when they were first released, several years before the folk rock movement kicked off in the 1970s. Let’s look at a few underrated pioneering folk rock jams, shall we?

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“Morning Glory” by Tim Buckley (1967)

Tim Buckley fans likely know this song very well. The average folk fan, though, might be unfamiliar with it. Listeners at the time certainly didn’t give this song much love, as it was not particularly commercially successful. Its album, Goodbye And Hello, would make it to only No. 171 on the US Billboard Top LPs chart. It would become a retrospective cult classic in the years that followed, though, and one can’t help but listen to it and think it’s an early example of folk rock from before the genre’s heyday in the 1970s.

“High Flying Bird” by Judy Henske (1963)

When I think of songs that really bridged the gap between contemporary folk and folk rock, I think of this song, written by Billy Edd Wheeler. “High Flying Bird” was recorded by Judy Henske first in 1963, and it would become an influential song that inspired countless folk rock musicians who followed. And, oddly enough, this song was a mere B-side to another song and didn’t chart at all. 

“High Flying Bird” would later be recorded by a number of musicians, including Richie Havens (who would perform it at Woodstock in 1969), Au Go Go Singers (featuring a young Stephen Stills), We Five, Zephyr, Jefferson Airplane, Neil Young, and more.

“Changes” by Phil Ochs (1966)

Few folk musicians are as underrated as Phil Ochs. He was a notable protest singer and activist, one whose roots in folk songwriting contributed to both the 1960s Greenwich Village folk movement and the growing protest songbook of the Vietnam War era. We lost him too soon from mental health problems in 1976. But before he passed, he delivered the legendary record Phil Ochs In Concert. On that album is “Changes”. And it’s one of the finest and most introspective folk songs of the 1960s with a rock edge.

Photo by Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images