Joseph Byrd obit

Joseph Byrd, co-founder of the United States of America, dies at 87

The death of the leader of The United States of America was confirmed during the night of November 5. 

He was not on the list.

The music world is in mourning. The death of Joseph Byrd , one of the pioneers of psychedelic music, was recently reported.

The co-founder of The United States of America passed away at the age of 87, last Sunday, November 2.

The legacy of Joseph Byrd

The American musician became one of the pioneers in exploring psychedelia in rock, and at the same time, his band was one of the first to use electronic elements.

The United States of America became a revolutionary project, considering that it dared to fuse rock music with political ideas during the 1960s.

Although the band was only active between 1967 and 1968, it managed to be relevant in the scene. And in fact, it became an inspiration for later projects .

After leaving the project, Joseph Byrd began working as a producer, arranger, and composer of major film scores. Another facet of his professional life was as a university professor of subjects such as music history and theory.

In addition, he researched the history of Jewish music in the United States , locating and performing forgotten pieces from theatrical shows and films with his Klezmer band .

After first becoming known as an experimental composer in New York City and Los Angeles, he became the leader of the psychedelic rock band The United States of America, an innovative but short-lived band which integrated psychedelic rock, electronic sound, and radical political ideas into rock music. In 1968 he recorded the album The American Metaphysical Circus, credited to Joe Byrd and the Field Hippies. After working as a record producer, arranger, and soundtrack composer, he became a university teacher in music history and theory.

Byrd was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and was raised in Tucson, Arizona after his father purchased a mine near the Mexican border. His sister, Elizabeth would become a notable writer. As a teenager, Byrd played accordion and vibraphone in a series of pop and country bands, started writing his own arrangements, and performed on some local TV shows. He formed his first jazz quartet while a student at the University of Arizona, where he studied composition with Barney Childs (B.M., 1959). He began his graduate studies in composition on a Sollnit Fellowship at Stanford University, where he first met La Monte Young, then a graduate student at the nearby University of California, Berkeley, as well as Terry Riley and Steve Reich.