Joseph Byrd(I)
- Composer
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Joseph Byrd is best known for his involvement with the late 1960s
experimental pop group The United States of America, for which he was
the group's founder and one of its main composers. Byrd was a Kentucky
native raised in Tucson, Arizona, where he appeared with a series of
rock and country bands while attending high school, subsequently
playing vibes in a jazz outfit as a student at the University of
Arizona. Instead of studying music at Stanford (where he was offered a
fellowship), Byrd moved to New York, and became immersed in that city's
avant garde music scene.
He eventually left New York to relocate to the west coast, where he got
an assistant teaching position at UCLA. Inspired by the expanding arts
scene of the late 1960s, Byrd quit UCLA in 1967 to dedicate himself
full-time to music. The United States of America released their lone
self-titled album in 1968 on CBS records. A critically acclaimed album,
it managed to stay at the lower regions of the Billboard Top 200. The
group fell apart shortly after the album's release. Byrd went on to
release more music under both his own name and in groups, while also
writing music for film, television, and advertising jingles.
experimental pop group The United States of America, for which he was
the group's founder and one of its main composers. Byrd was a Kentucky
native raised in Tucson, Arizona, where he appeared with a series of
rock and country bands while attending high school, subsequently
playing vibes in a jazz outfit as a student at the University of
Arizona. Instead of studying music at Stanford (where he was offered a
fellowship), Byrd moved to New York, and became immersed in that city's
avant garde music scene.
He eventually left New York to relocate to the west coast, where he got
an assistant teaching position at UCLA. Inspired by the expanding arts
scene of the late 1960s, Byrd quit UCLA in 1967 to dedicate himself
full-time to music. The United States of America released their lone
self-titled album in 1968 on CBS records. A critically acclaimed album,
it managed to stay at the lower regions of the Billboard Top 200. The
group fell apart shortly after the album's release. Byrd went on to
release more music under both his own name and in groups, while also
writing music for film, television, and advertising jingles.