The British Invasion was a phenomenon of the middle of the 1960s when British rock and pop music artists as well as other elements of British culture gained popularity in the US and were important to the burgeoning "counterculture" on both sides of the Atlantic. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks were the most prominent of the bands that caused this explosion in popularity (others included The Animals, Herman's Hermits and The Dave Clark Five). At the same time, British films (such as those of the "Carry On" series), TV programs (like "The Avengers", "Steptoe and Son" and "Doctor Who"), fashion (like the mod style) and humour (such as that of Monty Python) also became popular.
In the late 1950s, British teenagers started to take an interest in the rebellious attitude and image of American rock & roll and blues musicians. Early commercial attempts to imitate US rock and roll largely failed, however Lonnie Donegan recorded two top ten songs in the US during the trad jazz-inspired skiffle fad. In several regions of the UK, young British bands began fusing American and British sounds, such as the "beat boom" or "Merseybeat" trend in Liverpool.
While American acts were well-liked in the UK, few British acts had ever found success in the US before 1964. With "Living Doll" in 1959, Cliff Richard, the best-selling British act in the UK at the time, achieved the only top forty success in the US. Along with Donegan, other notable exceptions to this trend included Vera Lynn's US number-one hits "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" in 1952 and "We'll Meet Again" in 1958, Laurie London's "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," and the instrumentals "Stranger on the Shore" and "Telstar" by the Tornados from 1962. The Parent Trap song "Let's Get Together" by Hayley Mills made it into the top five in 1961. Kenny Ball's "Midnight in Moscow" achieved its highest point on the Hot 100 in 1962, while Frank Ifield's "I Remember You" became the next British vocal to reach the top five. The Springfields' cover of "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" also made it to the top forty.
The impact of the British Invasion was both immediate and long-lasting. It contributed to the development of a new genre of rock music, which combined elements of British and American styles, and it had a profound effect on fashion, film, television and comedy. The British Invasion also helped to internationalize popular culture, paving the way for the globalization of entertainment that characterizes the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
British Invasion Tickets - The British Are Coming! Shop at Yadara for the best seats and prices today. The British Invasion was a musical phenomenon of the 1960s. It saw a wave of British rock bands, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Who, achieve massive success in the United States. If you're a fan of classic rock, then you won't want to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see some of the biggest names in British rock history. So what are you waiting for? Get your British Invasion tickets today!
