 Chilton took up electric guitar at thirteen , playing along with Beatles songs , later saying , " I really loved the mid @-@ sixties British pop music [ ... ] all two and a half minutes or three minutes long , really appealing songs . So I 've always aspired to that same format , that 's what I like . Not to mention the rhythm and blues and the Stax stuff , too " . Chilton abandoned his guitar @-@ playing when with The Box Tops , then took up the instrument again ; he met Roger McGuinn , guitarist for the Byrds , and developed particular interest in electric guitar and acoustic folk . Stephens enjoyed the music of Otis Redding , the Isley Brothers , the Who , the Kinks and , in particular , the Beatles . Hummel likewise was a member of more than one band during his early musical years , again influenced by the Beatles and other British Invasion acts . The bassist also played acoustic guitar for personal enjoyment , following the styles of Simon & Garfunkel and Joni Mitchell and using finger @-@ picking techniques to play folk and bluegrass . Most songs on the first three albums are credited to either Bell / Chilton or Chilton , but some credit Hummel , Stephens and others , as either writer or co @-@ writer . At the only seven live performances in the original era , the last of which took place before the second album 's release , all four members contributed vocally . 
