Grayson M'Coy
January 25, 2008
History of Rock and Roll
The British Invasion. What Happened? And Why Affected the World
The British Invasion produced a wide range of successful rock stars. It refers to the fleet of British bands that hit it big when they came to American and were loved by every teenage girl. The United States was known for their rock and roll and pop musicians that extend their cultural influence worldwide.
In the 1950s British popular music commonly known as "Skiffle" emerges with a similar style to American folk music. Lonnie Doneagan was known at the time as one of skiffle's most famous artists. He played his versions of old American songs and it inspired several British artists. Skiffle groups like the "Quarrymen", which was the early version of the Beatles, did not have a drummer. They played with acoustic guitars and banjos ensembles, which are similar to jug bands, who often sang traditional American folk songs, frequently with more spirit than instrumental polish, although early British "Skiffle" was played by highly skilled jazz musicians.
There is in important and interesting point that sparked the transformation of American pop culture in the 1960s "was that young American Audiences were so intensely stimulated by what was, in essence, a second hand version of American musical
M'Coy 2 traditions filtered though British sensibilities." (Winkler 349) It was a certain twist Britain's musicians put on American rock and blues that had a profound effect on America's music culture. By the early sixties British teens were greatly influenced by the music of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, James Brown, and Chuck Berry. Since "Skiffle" was very popular in Britain at the time it provided a gateway for British teens to experiment with early American blues and rock and roll. British band began making appearances using electric guitars and preformed more rock/pop and bluesy types of music. This was a time for British bands to be