The Byrds’ lead singer and lead guitarist Roger McGuinn was born James Joseph McGuinn III, on July 13, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois. Roger’s parents were writers and had collaborated on a best-selling book titled “Parents Can’t Win” when Roger was a child.After studying music at Chicago’s famed Old Town School of Folk Music, McGuinn had stints as a backing musician in both Los Angeles in New York City. He played with artists including Bobby Darin, The Chad Mitchell Trio and Judy Collins. After a trip back to Los Angeles, McGuinn connected first with Gene Clark then David Crosby, laying the groundwork for what would become the Byrds. In a 1996 interview with journalist Dan Harmon, McGuinn revealed that the Beatles were a major influence for the group early on:“If you listen to the very early Byrds recordings on, say, ‘Preflyte,’ you can hear a pronounced Beatles sound. We moved away from that gradually, after getting into Dylan material. We weren't thinking of making a new musical style at the time; we were just trying to keep a beat,” he explained.