British Invasion Bands of the 1960s

One ot the top reasons Americans love England is the music. All you have to say is "The Beatles" and you'll know what I mean. England has produced some of the most popular music of our time. It all started back in the 1960s with the British Invasion. The youth of America fell in love with British music and especially The Beatles. Some mania took hold of Americans' hearts and still hasn't completely let go.

The Beatles

I can't start a list of British music without The Beatles. Girls in the 60's had supercrushes on Paul, John, George, and Ringo. Their music hit the top of US and UK charts over and over again. Songs like "A Hard Day's Night", "All You Need Is Love", "Can't Buy Me Love", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and "Hey Jude" were number one in both countries.

But The Beatles have proved to be more than a fad with the girls. For fifty years now, the songs written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney have been extremely influential in popular song-writing and singing. Every generation of music keeps bringing out the songs of The Beatles producing new covers to please the masses.

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  The Beatles were extremely popular during the 1960s British Invasion, and they remain popular still today. I sometimes wonder what made The Beatles so popular. Was it their youthfulness, their catchy songs,...

Screaming girls

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones were another English band to tour America during the British Invasion. They were a bit edgier than The Beatles and are known as the "bad boys" of British rock.

The first Stones were Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Dick Taylor, Brian Jones, and Ian Stewart. Later band members were Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, and Mick Taylor.

"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Paint It Black", and "Angie" are some of The Rolling Stones' iconic hit songs. Perhaps "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is a song that is symbolic of the '60s. There was no satisfaction.

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The Rolling Stones are still rolling today. Their continued popularity has enabled them to keep touring the world.

before the pirate complex

Gerry and the Pacemakers

Gerry and the Pacemakers was a British band that was an early rival of The Beatles. Both bands shared the same hometown (Liverpool) and the same manager (Brian Epstein).

Gerry Marsden, his brother Freddy Marsden, Les Chadwick, and Arthur Mack formed The Pacemakers in 1959. Arthur Mack was later replaced by Les Maguire.

Gerry and the Pacemakers became very popular with hits like "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying", "How Do You Do It?", and "Ferry Cross the Mersey". They also recorded a version of "You'll Never Walk Alone", Rogers and Hammersteins' song from "Carousel", making it a popular football (soccer in the US) anthem.

Suits and Ties...

The Who

The Who was formed in 1964. The first band members were Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwhistle, and Keith Moon.

The Who were known as some of the first rockers to actually destroy their instruments as part of the show. Pete Townshend was the first guitarist in rock history to purposely smash his guitar. During The Who's US television debut, Keith Moon blew up his drum set with explosives causing Pete Townshend's hair to catch fire and guest Bette Davis to pass out.

Some of The Who's most popular songs include "My Generation", "Baba O'Riley", and "Magic Bus".

Smashing guitars...smoke...destruction

The Kinks

The brothers Ray and Dave Davies were the founders of The Kinks. They went through a series of names and band members before becoming The Kinks, and one of their former vocalists was Rod Stewart.

The song "You Really Got Me" is considered a precursor for the future heavy metal scene.

The Kinks are known for "All Day and All of the Night", "You Really Got Me", and "Village Green Preservation Society".

kinky weird

Herman's Hermits

Herman's Hermits (formerly Herman and the Hermits) was known as a clean-cut group during the tempestuous '60s. Peter No one (the Herman of the Hermits), starting at only fifteen years of age, starred in lead vocals.

Herman's Hermits sang such hits as "Mrs. Brown You Have a Lovely Daughter" (which is also a film), "I'm Into Something Good", "There's a Kind of Hush", and "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am". They also covered the Sam Cooke song "Wonderful World" as an uptempo tribute on Cooke's passing.

Peter Noone seems like the only one interested

The Animals

The Animals started out with Eric Burdon, Alan Price, Hilton Valentine, John Steel, and Brian Chandler. They shared the same producer (Mickie Most) as Herman's Hermits.

The Animals created a very popular rendition of the American folk song "The House of the Rising Sun". Eric Burdon brought the old song back to life with his unique vocals.

Some of The Animals other popular songs are "It's My Life", "We Gotta Get Out of This Place", "Don't Bring Me Down".

yeah yeah yeah

The Hollies

The Hollies have been together since 1962, naming themselves after Buddy Holly. Alan Clarke, Graham Nash, Vic Steele, Eric Haydock, and Don Rathbone were the original Hollies.

Like Herman's Hermits, The Hollies were from Manchester and were known for their clean-cut image.

"Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)" (which is actually a '70s song), "Bus Stop", "Carrie Anne", and "I'm Alive" were some of The Hollies' hits.

nice hair

Peter and Gordon

Peter and Gordon were Peter Asher and Gordon Waller. Peter was English and Gordon was Scottish.

Peter's sister Jane Asher, an actress, dated Paul McCartney for a while, and Peter and Gordon sang a number of McCartney-written songs, including "A World Without Love", "Woman", and "Nobody I Know".

Peter and Gordon also sang "I Go to Pieces" and "Lady Godiva".

locked away with my loneliness

The Zombies

The Zombies were made up by Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Chris White, Hugh Grundy, and Paul Atkinson.

Although Rod Argent claimed fame as the keyboardist and a songwriter for The Zombies, he is also a very accomplished classical pianist.

"Time of the Season", "She's Not There", and "Tell Her No" are iconic Zombies songs.

I wonder where she went

The Dave Clark Five

The Dave Clark Five (or DC5) provided competition for the ever-popular Beatles. Dave Clark was the drummer and played in the front. The rest of the band was made up by Mike Smith, Lenny Davidson, Rick Huxley, and Denis Payton.

Dave Clark Five hits included "Catch Us If You Can", "Bits and Pieces", "Over and Over", and "Can't You See That She's Mine".

boy bands

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Go Back to the Source

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Comments

Jackie Nation from NH-> FL on January 23, 2015:

https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/The-De...

check out this information on The Beatles.

jimmi on August 19, 2013:

where is LED ZEPPELIN ?

Alan on June 10, 2013:

The Hollies and Gerry And The Pacemakers are the best

cBt on January 14, 2013:

Awesome bands- We Brits have some great musical heritage. I especially like the Beatles, the Who and the Kinks; although the others are all pretty good.

One small comment- why is the title 'why Americans like England' when it should really be 'why Americans like Britain'? Its a bit confusing for me.

cBt

Dave Clark from West Des Moines, Iowa on December 15, 2012:

Happy birthday Dave Clark on Dec 15. The DC5 were so big that thousands of people named their babies after Dave Clark. Check out what it's like to bear his name: http://accdocpastor.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-dave-...

Rose West (author) from Michigan on April 02, 2012:

Hi Luiz, thanks for reading! And thanks for the add-ons to the list of great British bands :)

Luiz Guida on March 22, 2012:

they´re the best bands in the world,since the Beatles,

don´t forget Small Faces,Them,Moody Blues,Searchers,etc...

Rose West (author) from Michigan on February 03, 2012:

Hi Keith, I'm so glad you like it :) Yes, please do - I hope it helps in your research.

keith on February 01, 2012:

can i use the info for my history fair?

keith on February 01, 2012:

this is awsome!!! great info. i didn't know there were so many british bands

Rose West (author) from Michigan on December 19, 2011:

Hi eriberto, thanks for your visit! I think we're still recovering from the British Invasion :)

eriberto nunez on December 06, 2011:

was a teenager when the british beat knock out all american pop act,, new sound new look, long hair[long in the 60s] they brought their england brand of hip clothes

Rose West (author) from Michigan on August 10, 2011:

John, thanks for reading! (I hope you like it here in America :)

John Hewitt jr on August 10, 2011:

Wonderful Hub. Me being a English guy in America. Outstanding

Rose West (author) from Michigan on June 11, 2011:

Hi arizonataylor, great choices :)

arizonataylor from Arizona on June 11, 2011:

Great music. My favorites? The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones are the best. How can you go wrong with bands like that?

Rose West (author) from Michigan on January 23, 2010:

It's funny how easily recognizable a lot of their songs were, but we can never remember who sang them. The Kinks and the Hollies were both talented groups.

Shinkicker from Scotland on January 22, 2010:

It was an amazing time for English music. I think the Kinks and the Hollies are still so underrated

Rose West (author) from Michigan on January 22, 2010:

When I started researching, I didn't realize all these bands were British either. I'm glad you enjoyed!

Ann Leavitt from Oregon on January 22, 2010:

Wow, I had no idea all these bands were British! This is quite an impressive collection of photos and movie clips. Good work!