1960s Landmark Events
…..all extracts from Rock’n’Roll Unravelled
All of these, and other extracts, come from Derek Shelmerdine‘s book Rock’n’Roll Unravelled. A small but informative selection of – 1960s Landmark Events.
The following items are taken from the pages of Rock’n’Roll Unravelled and show the highlights in the development of British skiffle and rock’n’roll. There are only a few of the items here, to give a flavour of the story; the book has a far more comprehensive coverage. (An * with a date indicates an associated story in Rock’n’Roll Unravelled, that story might not appear here.)
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THIS IS ONLY A SMALL SELECTION OF THE INFORMATION REGARDING 1960s LANDMARK EVENTS, TO BE FOUND IN THE PAGES OF Rock’n’Roll Unravelled
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Contents
- February 1964: The British Invasion began
1960s Landmark Events
February 1964: The British Invasion began
…..For two years in the mid-1960s, British groups dominated the American music scene.
The Beatles first single to enter the Billboard Top-40, I Want To Hold Your Hand, was also their first American #1. This marked the beginning of two years of major American success for British artists and it became known as the “British Invasion”.
Small independent label Vee-Jay had released the Beatles’ first American single, Please Please Me, a year earlier on 25 February* but it took the marketing clout of Capitol Records to get the Beatles into the American charts. The British Invasion was consolidated a week later, when an estimated 73 million people watched the Beatles for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show on 9 February*. By 4 April* the Beatles accounted for a staggering 12 of the top-100 singles, including all of the top-5 slots!
Still no success for the 1950s British rock’n’rollers…
Before the Beatles hit the American #1 spot only two other British acts had preceded them, Mr Acker Bilk with Stranger on the Shore and the Tornados with Telstar. The previous generation of 1950s British rock’n’roll stars, such as Cliff Richard, Billy Fury and Marty Wilde, had achieved very limited success across the Atlantic. Interestingly, their fortunes didn’t change much with the British Invasion. In the wake of the Beatles’ success a whole raft of British groups and individual artists found fame in America. The boot was very much on the other foot now, with some American acts adopting English sounding names. You can’t get much more “English” than the Beefeaters, although they did achieve a certain degree of success after morphing into the Byrds.
The Dave Clark Five were the first British act to tour America. Herman’s Hermits, particularly lead singer Peter Noone, went on to achieve considerable recognition there. The Rolling Stones followed the Beatles into the American charts six months later with Tell Me. Although, it would be June 1965 before they scored their first #1 with (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.
British acts continued to find success but the ability to make the American charts on the strength of an English accent eventually petered out. In 1967 Lulu’s To Sir with Love was the last British #1 (not by the Beatles or Stones) for four years, until Rod Stewart’s Maggie May in the autumn of 1971.
