Folk rock as a global direction arose in the 1960s in the USA and UK (Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Fairport Convention, Simon & Garfunkel). In Ukraine, folk rock became one of the key vehicles of Ukrainian identity in modern music.
The first major Ukrainian folk-rock band was Vopli Vidopliasova (1986), whose album Tantsi fused folk songs with guitar rock. Komu Vnyz added Hutsul authenticity and a dark atmosphere. Haydamaky — danceable folk rock with Cossack drive. Tartak — Sasha Polozhynsky's brilliant hip-hop-folk. Mandry — intellectual urban folk. Ukrainian folk rock keeps evolving, fusing tradition with the contemporary.
