Composer Joseph Byrd (credited as Joe Byrd on his two Columbia releases with The United States of America and Joe Byrd and the Field Hippies) studied modern composition with John Cage among others. He was an early proponent of "minimalist" composition, and was involved in the academic avant-garde in the early 60s. After getting a teaching appointment at UCLA, he relocated to the West Coast and began to study Indian and other music, eventually forming the psychedelic rock group The United States of America.

Read more about Joseph Byrd on Last.fm.