British rock

British rock was born out of the influence of rock and roll and rhythm and blues from the United States, but added a new drive and urgency, exporting the music back and widening the audience for black R & B in the U.S. as well as spreading the gospel world wide. Much of what has made rock music unique, in its ability to unite audiences and adapt new influences, came from British bands in the late 50s and rock groups in the early 60s.

1950s birth of British rock

The Trad jazz movement spawned an offshoot when Chris Barber's Jazz Band introduced interval entertainment with their banjo player Lonnie Donegan playing guitar "skiffle". He had an unlikely hit with his version of Leadbelly's "Rock Island Line", recorded in 1955 and becoming a hit in both Britain and the U.S.A. in 1956. Skiffle introduced the idea of music being easy to play and spawned "skiffle groups" across the country, including "The Quarrymen" in Liverpool who would later become the Beatles. The folk scene also increased the appetite for Blues, bringing across artists like Big Bill Broonzy and Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee but there was a puritanical insistence on keeping music acoustic.

Related Topics:
Trad jazz - Chris Barber - Lonnie Donegan - Skiffle - Leadbelly - The Quarrymen - Liverpool - The Beatles - Big Bill Broonzy - Sonny Terry - Brownie McGhee

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American rock and roll had an impact across the globe in the 1950s, perhaps most intensely in Britain, where record collecting and trend-watching were in full bloom among the emerging "teenage" culture prior to the rock era, and where colour barriers were barely an issue. The British were quick to follow the success of Elvis Presley and in 1958 three British teenagers formed a rock and roll group, 'Cliff Richard and the Drifters (later renamed Cliff Richard and the Shadows). The group recorded a hit, "Move It", marking not only what is held to be the very first British full on rock 'n' roll single, but also the beginnings of a different sound – British rock, prophesying "they say that rock is dead, but let's face it; we just don't know what's going to replace it". In the 60s other British groups would show them. They were not alone in copying the genre, others included Tommy Steele and Adam Faith.

Related Topics:
1950s - Britain - Elvis Presley - Cliff Richard - Move It - Tommy Steele - Adam Faith

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Cliff Richard and the Shadows became the most influential band in the UK and set standards for following British (and American) groups. With two guitars, bass guitar and drums, they also changed the way the guitar was featured, introducing the Fender Stratocaster and the concept of a "lead guitar" virtuoso (Hank Marvin) to the rock scene and featuring an electric bass guitar instead of the usual standup bass. Appealing almost exclusively to and hugely popular with youth in Britain (including the nascent Beatles) as well as across Europe, Cliff and the Shads also influenced many UK teenagers to begin buying records, a trend which would reach a peak with The Beatles a few years later. The group also paved the way for the Beatles in other ways, touring the US (without much fanfare) and whetting US record companies' appetites for a youth-oriented band to market stateside.

Related Topics:
Fender Stratocaster - Hank Marvin - Electric bass

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