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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The Byrds are no longer an active band. Of the five original members—Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, David Crosby, Gene Clark and Michael Clarke—McGuinn and Hillman are living; Crosby, Clark and Clarke have died. Hillman remains active in music, while the sources available establish McGuinn’s solo career but not his latest 2026 schedule.
Where are the original Byrds now?
The Byrds’ original five were Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, David Crosby, Gene Clark and Michael Clarke. That lineup is a useful way to answer the question, but it is not the band’s complete membership: the Byrds changed personnel repeatedly during their history.
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| Original member | Where are they now? |
|---|---|
| Roger McGuinn | Living; pursued solo work after the Byrds. The sources establish his solo career and status as a founding member, but not his current 2026 touring or project schedule. |
| Chris Hillman | Living and continuing to make music. He retired from touring in 2022 and launched the SiriusXM program Three Finger Breakdown in September 2026. |
| David Crosby | Died January 18, 2023. |
| Gene Clark | Died in 1991. |
| Michael Clarke | Died in 1993. |
The Byrds were not an active performing band at the time of the latest information here, and no reunion is established.
Roger McGuinn
McGuinn was a founding member and the Byrds’ lead singer and guitarist. After the group, he pursued solo work. His present schedule is not established by the sources cited here, so there is no basis to describe him as currently touring.
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Chris Hillman
Hillman was a founding member and remains active in music. In December 2022, he said he was retiring from touring, while also making clear that he would continue making and playing music. His official site announced that his bluegrass-focused SiriusXM program, Three Finger Breakdown, debuted September 3, 2026, on Dwight Yoakam & The Bakersfield Beat (channel 349) and Bluegrass Junction (channel 65).
David Crosby, Gene Clark and Michael Clarke
Crosby died on January 18, 2023. Clark died in 1991, and drummer Michael Clarke died in 1993. Their deaths mean McGuinn and Hillman are the two surviving members of the original five.
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Why the Byrds’ lineup and sound kept changing
The Byrds’ story is not one unchanging lineup or style. Their official history describes a path from folk-rooted beginnings through psychedelic music and country rock, alongside repeated changes in personnel. Those shifts help explain why an account of the “original Byrds” is not a full account of everyone who played in the band.
- Early, folk-rooted Byrds: The group’s beginnings drew on folk, then met the sound of contemporary rock. McGuinn summarized the blend as “It was Dylan meets the Beatles,” as quoted by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
- Psychedelic period: The band expanded into psychedelic sounds, a development highlighted in the Hall of Fame’s account of its legacy.
- Country-rock period: The Byrds also moved into country rock, another distinct phase in their changing musical history.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted the Byrds in 1991. According to the band’s official biography, the induction ceremony was the last time all five original members performed together.
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Further reading and listening
For a visual look at the band’s early years, Chris Hillman’s official biography describes The Byrds: 1964–1967 as a collectible tabletop book curated by Hillman with McGuinn and Crosby, featuring more than 500 photographs. Hillman’s official music pages also document his recorded work.
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