British Invasion

The British Invasion was an influx of rock and roll performers from Great Britain who became popular in the United States, Australia, Canada and elsewhere starting in 1964 and continuing through the present. The classic British Invasion was in 1964-1965, but the term may also be applied to later waves of UK artists gaining popularity outside Britain.

Related Topics:
Rock and roll - Great Britain - United States - Australia - Canada

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Following the successful export of Elvis Presley and other rock 'n' roll acts in the late 1950s, british kids formed bands all over Britain to emulate their American heroes. While some of this era, such as Cliff Richard and The Shadows, had great success in the UK, very few British acts had hits on the US record charts (exceptions included The Tornados, with "Telstar" and Mr. Acker Bilk with "Stranger on the Shore", both instrumentals that reached #1 on the charts).

Related Topics:
Elvis Presley - 1950s - Bands - Cliff Richard - The Shadows - The Tornados - Mr. Acker Bilk - Instrumental

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The teenage rock and roll bands formed in the mid to late 1950s would produce the first wave of British Invasion artists. These bands were essentially of two schools: the original were "skiffle" bands, influenced by country western oriented artists such as Elvis, Buddy Holly, and the Everly Brothers; and later, in the early 1960's, groups playing rhythm and blues eumlated the works of classic American Blues artists, such as Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. The best of these bands honed their art in this period by extensive live performances, and by 1961-1962 they began to develope truly original variations on the American musical styles. This was exemplified by the meteoric rise of the Beatles. The unprecedented popularity of the Beatles in the UK throughout 1963 further galvanized and stimulated both British performers and the UK music industry, and paved the way for the imminent eruption into the US and world markets.

Related Topics:
Country western - Buddy Holly - Everly Brothers - Rhythm and blues - Blues - Muddy Waters - Howlin' Wolf - Beatles

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During this same period, the US was fertile ground for new musical and cultural influences. By 1963, the youth-oriented American music market had greatly lost the power and creative drive of the original rock and roll explosion of 1955-1960, and was characterized by a slick, regressive sound (with notable exceptions being the Motown and Brill Building artists). Also, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in late 1963 had caused a deep national trauma in the US, and had created a cultural vacuum that was primed to be filled by fresh outside influences. At this moment, Capitol Records released The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" with a huge public relations campaign. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" zoomed to the top of the USA charts just as The Beatles came to America for the first time; their historic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show the night of February 9, 1964, watched by what was then the largest television audience in history, is seen by most as marking the start of the British Invasion. It was also a remarkable social and cultural milestone of the 1960's.

Related Topics:
Motown - Brill Building - John F. Kennedy - Capitol Records - The Beatles - I Want to Hold Your Hand - Public relations - The Ed Sullivan Show - February 9 - Television - Audience

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The Beatles quickly came to dominate the charts, and on April 4 of that year they occupied the top five spots on the Billboard magazine Hot 100 music survey, a feat unmatched before or since. Their success opened the floodgates for other British acts to market their music in the United States, including the Rolling Stones, The Who, The Animals, The Kinks, The Dave Clark Five, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Manfred Mann, Herman's Hermits, Peter and Gordon, and many others.

Related Topics:
April 4 - Billboard magazine - Rolling Stones - The Who - The Animals - The Kinks - The Dave Clark Five - Gerry and the Pacemakers - Manfred Mann - Herman's Hermits - Peter and Gordon

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The original British Invasion peaked by late 1965-early 1966, and had completely played out by 1967. By this time, the styles and influences of the British bands had completely recharged the American rock and roll scene, and popular music entered a remarkably creative and influencial period that lasted into the 1970's. By 1967, the work of British and US artists had essentially ceased to be distinct from each other. Only a handful of the original bands survived to end of the 1960's still popular and relevant - these were the The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks and The Beatles. In retrospect, it is the music of these original 1964-65 British Invasion bands that has remained the most timeless and deeply influencial. The recordings of most of the rest (with a few notable exceptions, such as the Animals) are viewed today more as interesting commercial period pieces.

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A period known as the Second British Invasion began in 1982 and peaked in 1985. Largely spawned by MTV, which brought to the attention of American audiences various British acts, such as The Fixx, the Cure, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, Boy George, and others, British acts came to dominate American charts to an even greater degree than in the first British invasion. See New Wave and New Romantic.

Related Topics:
1982 - 1985 - MTV - The Fixx - The Cure - Depeche Mode - Eurythmics - Duran Duran - Boy George - New Wave - New Romantic

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In May of 2002, there were no British artists on the US singles charts, the first time this had occurred since 1963.

Related Topics:
May - 2002 - 1963

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The influence of the original, 1960s British Invasion upon the subsequent development of rock music cannot be overstated. The British Invasion made standard the model of the self-contained rock group (as opposed to the solo rock performer backed by anonymous stage or session musicians). The movement also helped to establish the convention of rock acts composing their own tunes. The sound of the British Invasion led directly to developments such as acid rock, heavy metal, and progressive rock, and would also be echoed in the punk rock, power pop and New Wave movements of the 1970s and 1980s.

Related Topics:
1960s - Rock music - Acid rock - Heavy metal - Progressive rock - Punk rock - Power pop - New Wave - 1970s - 1980s

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The Britpop movement of the middle 1990s can be seen as a direct continuation of the original British Invasion of the 1960s, mixed with music of the 70s and 80s, although unlike the Invasion, Britpop never achieved the same degree of international popularity. Most of the bands weren't as popular outside as they were in Britain. Nevertheless a few like Oasis, Radiohead and Blur have managed to break through into the American market and achieve respectable international success.

Related Topics:
Britpop - 1990s - Oasis - Radiohead - Blur

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