From the moment their sun-drenched version of "Mr Tambourine Man" - complete with sweet harmonies and jangling guitars - burst to the top of the charts, The Byrds' melodic folk-rock became a defining sound of the 1960s.

The Byrds were initially pitched as the first American group to truly compete with the 'British Invasion' bands. But in reality, whilst their fame was short-lived, The Byrds' distinctive take on pop was to have a deep influence on others and helped shape the future of music: contemporaries such as the Beatles and Dylan sat up and took note of the waythey blended modern pop with traditional folk (and later, with country); more recently musicians from R.E.M to Tom Petty to The Magic Numbers and a host of other bands have borrowed heavily from their dense harmonies and distinctive chiming guitars.