What was The Byrds' first #1 hit song in America in 1965?

The Byrds formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. With the release of their first #1 single, 'Mr. Tambourine Man', a cover of a Bob Dylan song, they were the first American band to compete with the Beatles and the "British invasion" of the mid-1960s. With the jangling electric 12-string Rickenbacker of Jim (later Roger) McGuinn (b. 1942), the booming bass line of Chris Hillman (b. 1944), and the soaring harmony vocals of Gene Clark (1941-1991), David Crosby (b.1941), and McGuinn, and the capable drumming of Michael Clarke (1944-1993), their unique sound became instantly recognizable. A few months later they released 'Turn! Turn! Turn!', a Pete Seeger tune written around King Solomon's Ecclesiastes 3, which also shot to #1.

The Byrds released their third album 'Fifth Dimension' in 1966 and introduced psychedelic rock with 'Eight Miles High'.

The next few years brought about several more albums, including 'Younger Than Yesterday' and 'The Notorious Byrd Brothers', with the latter hinting at a musical shift just around the corner.

In 1968, with Gram Parsons joining the Byrds, McGuinn, Hillman, Parsons, and drummer Kevin Kelly recorded 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo', which was probably the first album to be labeled as country-rock.

The original 5 members of the Byrds were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Gene Clark died that same year, and Michael Clarke died in 1993.

Musicians influenced by the Byrds include Tom Petty, the Jayhawks, and R.E.M.