The British Invasion

The enormous success of The Beatles paved the way and opened the door for other groups and singers (during the British Invasion of 1964-1966), some of them also managed by Brian Epstein.

Gerry Marsden, a former truck driver who grew up with and was a neighbor of the Beatles, formed a band called The Pacemakers in 1959.

Epstein signed the group in June 1962, and Gerry And The Pacemakers began establishing a following at Liverpool's Cavern Club, often sharing the same bill as the Beatles.

In 1963, they scored a no. 1 British smash, "How Do You Do It?" (This was originally intended for the Beatles, but legend has it that the group didn't like the song at all, and deliberately sang this off-key at a session.) "I Like It" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" followed, which I believe were also no. 1 British smashes. The group capped off the year with an appearance on the British show "Saturday Night At The London Palladium".

By May 1964, Gerry and the Pacemakers made their American TV debut on Ed Sullivan. Their U.S. single debut? The classic (and beautiful!) "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying". And like the Beatles, they also starred in a movie, "Ferry Across The Mersey", with a same-titled hit.

Another Epstein act, signed on in late 1962, was Billy J. Kramer (born William Ashton), a British Railways worker, who originally sang with a group called The Coasters (No. not those Coasters!).

On Epstein's advice, Kramer teamed with a Manchester group, The Dakotas. And minor rock history was made.

According to George Martin, also this group's producer, Kramer "didn't have the greatest voice in the world", but Martin worked his magic.

The result was Kramer's first British hit, "Do You Want To Know A Secret?" (yes, it's that Beatle song) in June 1963. That same month the group also did a U.K. tour with the Beatles. Their follow-up was the no. 1 British smash, "Bad To Me", written by JohnLennon, for Kramer. The group hit the British top 10 again with two Lennon/McCartney songs, "I'll Keep You Satisfied" and "From A Window". In mid-1964 they made their American debut with "Little Children".

The Searchers were yet another Liverpool group who became very successful in both England and America. They were formed in 1961 and named after a John Wayne movie. They also played regularly at the Cavern and other clubs. In August 1963, the group had a no. 1 British smash with "Sweets For My Sweet" (a remake of the Drifters' hit). In April 1964, they appeared on Ed Sullivan, and had their first American hit, "Needles And Pins".

These Liverpudian groups had the "Mersey sound", which was a strong guitar sound: lead, rhythm, and bass guitars, with drums.

Groups from other parts of England had their own distinctive styles (some of these were similar to the Mersey sound): "The Manchester Sound" was exemplified by The Hollies, Freddie And The Dreamers, Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders, and Herman'sHermits. "The Tyneside Sound"-The Animals were examples of this. The Applejacks brought the "Birmingham Sound". "The Scottish Sound" was exemplified by Lulu and The Luvvers, The Poets, and Donovan. "The Irish Sound " was Them.

Manchester was a smoke-stacked industrial center similar to Liverpool. One of the city's groups, The Hollies, would go on to last longer than most of the Manchester bands.

Started by Graham Nash and Allan Clarke, the two met in grammer school , later forming the duo Two Teens. After a few name changes, the duo added three other members in 1962 and called themselves The Hollies (after their hero, Buddy Holly). This group also performed at Liverpool's Cavern Club. Their first British Top 10 in early 1964 was "Stay". More British top hits followed. They didn't chart on the American Top 40 until early 1966, however, with "Look Through Any Window".

Freddie (Garrity) and The Dreamers had their first British hit in 1963 with "If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody" (a remake of the James Ray hit). The group followed up with "I'm Telling You Now" and "You Were Made For Me", becoming popular on British TV not just for their singing, but their comedy. They didn't chart in the U.S. until 1965 when "I'm Telling You Now" became a no. 1 smash!

In early 1965, Wayne Fontana (born Glyn Geoffrey Ellis) And The Mindbenders had a no. 1 smash, "The Game Of Love". Fontana took his stage name from his record company; the group was named after a horror film.

Herman's Hermits was formed in 1962 with Peter Noone as lead singer. In 1964, the band was signed to EMI Columbia.

Producer Mickie Most came across a Carole King song, "I'm Into Something Good" (originally recorded by Earl-Jean McCree, a member of The Cookies). Legend has it that Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, two future members of Led Zeppelin, were session musicians on this song! A succession of U.S. and British hits followed; this group was one of the biggest acts of the day.

The group that initially posed the most serious threat to the Beatles, however, were TheDave Clark Five, often referred to as the DC5. From the Tottenham section of London ("The Tottenham Sound"), its members teamed together to raise money for Clark's rugby team.

The DC5 also toured America and appeared on Ed Sullivan. And became a sensation. In 1964 alone, this group had seven top 40 hits in the U.S.!

The liner notes on their first American album even predicted that "The Tottenham sound of the Dave Clark Five is on its way towards overthrowing the reign of the Beatles in this country."

The Animals, formed in 1962, named for their wild stage behavior, played British R + B. During the next two years, the group attracted a loyal following at the Club-A-Go-Go in their hometown of Newcastle-on-Tyne. After moving to London in 1964, they reworked the folk blues song "The House Of The Rising Sun" into a no. 1 smash.

George Ivan Morrison-shortened to Van Morrison and his group, Them, were also R + B-oriented. (Morrison's parents were blues and jazz enthusiasts.) Formed in 1965, their first U.S. hit was "Here Comes The Night" that summer. But "Gloria", though not a top 40 hit here, would be a staple for many a garage band throughout the decade.

In 1962, budding jazz pianist Manfred Mann (Two accounts vary on his birth name-Either Michael or Manfred Lubowitz from South Africa) joined Mike Hugg, becoming the Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers. The duo later added three more members and became Manfred Mann And The Manfreds, or in the U.S., as Manfred Mann. In 1964, the group had the no. 1 smash, "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" ( a remake of The Exciters original). They also covered other R + B standards, but legend has it that the group actually preferred jazz music, but played this to get noticed and make money!

The Yardbirds were initially a blues band; their early recordings were also covers of R + B standards. This group is legendary for having three guitar virtuosos within its ranks! In 1963, Eric Clapton became a member, but left in 1965; the blues purist felt that the hit "For Your Love" was too pop, and he didn't like the direction the band was taking.

Along came Jeff Beck. In 1966, Jimmy Page came on board. This group became one of the most innovative influences of the decade.

The Kinks, formed in 1963 by R + B fans Ray and Dave Davies, Peter Quaife, and Mick Avory, had chart success with their power-chord rock and later music-hall style rather than R + B covers (which they did.) At the height of their fame, there was a four-year ban placed on the group (from touring, I think) by U.S. authorities for unprofessional conduct. It does sem that after 1966, there weren't any Kinks hits here until 1970. Hmmm.....

The Zombies had a distinct sound due to lead singer Colin Bluntstone and keyboard wizard Rod Argent. Their first U.S. hit in 1964 was "She's Not There", written by Argent.

And then there's The Rolling Stones. Who would've thunk it?? Did you ever imagine in your wildest dreams that Jagger and co. would outlast not only the Beatles, not only the entire British Invasion, but outlast several decades to still be rocking ?!! AMAZING, isn't it?

Like many of the abovementioned bands (and some of the following below-mentioned), the Stones started out doing R + B covers. In mid-1963, the group was formed with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and original members Brian Jones, Dick Taylor, and Tony Chapman. By year's end, Charlie Watts replaced Chapman and Bill Wyman joined when Taylor quit. The classic lineup was now in place.

The group's name came from a Muddy Waters song.

In 1963, they had their first single and British success with a remake of Chuck Berry's "Come On". Their first U.S. hit was "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)" in 1964.

The Bachelors were a trio from Dublin, Ireland, who had their first U.S. hit, "Diane", also in '64.

Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames had a Top 40 hit in 1965 with the jazzy "Yeh Yeh".

"You've Got Your Troubles" was the first U.S. hit for The Fortunes in 1965.

From Wales came the fantastic vocals (and looks) of Thomas Jones Woodward, shortened to Tom Jones, with his first U.S. hit, the top ten smash, "It's Not Unusual".

The Moody Blues made their U.S. top 40 debut with the British R + B ballad, "GoNow!".

Donovan (Leitch) was widely considered the "Scottish Bob Dylan"; his first U.S. hit was "Catch The Wind." Though not a Top 40 hit, "Universal Soldier" was also popular.

The Troggs had one of 1966's most distinct hits, "Wild Thing", which was also a no. 1 smash.

Several female singers and a few duos also contributed to and benefited from the British Invasion, such as: Dusty Springfield (born Mary O' Brien)-"I Only Want To Be With You", Cilla Black (born Priscilla White, she was working as a hat-check girl at Liverpool's Cavern when Brian Epstein discovered her.)- "You're My World", SandieShaw- "There's Always Something There To Remind Me" -(She doesn't appear to have charted in the U.S., but she was a HUGE star everywhere else. She had many hits and could sing; I don't know why she wasn't a huge star in the States as well), Shirley Bassey, from Wales, who had a HUGE hit in 1965 with the fantastic "Goldfinger", (Like Shaw, she was a bigger star everywhere else, but at least you did see her more often on several variety shows here.) Marianne Faithfull- "As Tears Go By", Millie Small, a British act by way of Jamaica-"My Boy Lollipop", and probably the best known, Petula Clark, who first hit with "Downtown".

Duos included Chad (Stuart) and Jeremy (Clyde) with their first U.S. hit, "Yesterday's Gone", and Peter (Asher, the brother of actress Jane Asher, who was dating Paul McCartney at this time) and Gordon (Waller), who had a no. 1 smash, "A World Without Love", which I believe McCartney wrote or co-wrote.

And there were numerous one-hit wonders, at least they were in the U.S. Many went on to great international fame throughout the rest of the world (like Sandie Shaw) or became renowned again for discovering or producing future legendary talent (like Jonathan King, who actually had two or three other releases Stateside, but is best known for "Everyone's Gone To The Moon" (1965). He's had quite a career!)

During 1964, these rock bands and singers sold more than $76 million worth of records in the U.S. alone.(A few of the British acts were so-so, but overall, most were very talented and innovative.) If you combine this with international sales and merchandising of related and commercial products, that's a lot of moola!