Essay On British Invasion

The British invasion was a short, yet massive phenomenon that occurred from 1955 to 1965. Young aspiring British musicians were listening to the big hits from the U.S. and were becoming inspired by that music. Bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks were taking into account the new rock sound from the artists and creating their own music. A rock scene had become more common in large cities in the UK causing a massive outbreak of the culture. This caught the eye of the British community helping the aspiring British bands become more known worldwide. The British invasion was said to have started when The Beatles performed on the Ed Sullivan show on the 9th of February after releasing their single, ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, in the U.S. in January 1964, becoming their first U.S. hit. This, along with many other up and coming British …show more content…
America had a much longer musical history which included genres such as gospel, jazz, swing, country, blues and many more to help to the aspiring artists branch off and combine to create their own new music and genres. Britain however, only had classical and folk music prior to the 1950/60’s. They hadn 't really heard of any other types of music and didn 't have any other history. They were extremely shocked when they first heard rock and roll as it was so new and diverse. Band such as the The Beatles and The Kinks were enthralled with this new sound and the look of the artists producing it. People such as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Eddie Cochran all had a massive impact on the British artists and helped inspire them. Their unfamiliar and diverse sound created interest in the British musicians helping them create their own music. They used elements such as the rock and roll sound mixed with do wop harmonies to create their own unique sound. They also went as far as altering the rock and roll sound but adding in different elements