He Was a Friend of Mine by The Byrds

OK, boys and girls, back to the 60s: Sixty years ago today a 21-year-old grief-stricken Jim (later to become Roger) McGuinn went up to his bedroom and rewrote this traditional folk tune to lament the assassination of President John F. Kennedy earlier that day. It was included in The Byrds' second album "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and it was the group's first song to feature acoustic guitar played by McGuinn himself.

On a personal note, I was 11 when the news broke. Puerto Rico came to a stand-still. We were in school and one of the nuns came to our classroom teary-eyed to tell us what had happened. We were sent home. One of those days that we will never forget for as long as we live.
I said it before and I'll say it again, I am forever grateful to my dear childhood friend Lida Enid Muniz for introducing me to The Byrds in 1965. They immediately became, and to this day still are, my favorite band.

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