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 1960's 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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".

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".

Herman's Hermits (formerly Herman and the Hermits) was known as a clean-cut group during the tempestuous '60s. Peter Noone (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.

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".

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.

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".

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.

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".