But the new baby appeared when people of all ethnicities began to move to larger urban areas such as New York City, Chicago, Detroit, etc, following the work opportunities available to support WWII efforts. As people of different backgrounds began to congregate in closer quarters, the music they made and listened to began to bleed over into and influence other groups of people with their music choices. Blues and Country are quick to claim parenthood of Rock and Roll but if you carefully trace the roots, you'll find heavy doses of Jazz, Gospel and Folk in the mix that is Rock and Roll.
In the late 50s, Rock and Roll suffered a huge blow with Elvis in the Army, Chuck Berry in jail, Jerry Lee Lewis scandalized because of his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin, Little Richard retiring to devote his life to the ministry and the loss of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens in a plane crash. The Payola Scandal which hit the radio and recording industries was nearly the fatal blow. Rock and Roll suddenly became very sanitized and the looks of the singer were deemed more important than artistic ability. The teen idol was making all the records and those records were all about the wonders of a very innocent love. Pat Boone, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Vee, and Ricky Nelson were the guys you could definitely take home to meet Mom and Dad and their clean cut images were the product being sold instead of any artistic exploration.
Then, the 60s arrived and brought us the British Invasion to save the baby!
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The Brits were hungry for any and all American music following the end of World War II and they were crazy for it all...Country, Rockabilly, Blues, Gospel, Jazz, Folk and the new kid on the block, Rock and Roll.
John Lennon idolized Hank Williams and Chuck Berry. Keith Richards also worshipped Chuck Berry as well as Muddy Waters who was highly favored by all the members of The Rolling Stones. George Harrison was fanatical about Carl Perkins and Jimmie Rogers. Eric Clapton lost himself in his studies of the Three Kings of the Blues - BB, Albert & Freddie, as well as Blues Legend Robert Johnson. Ginger Baker dove into the deep end with Jazz drumming and Paul McCartney found idols in Marty Robbins and Little Richard. The superstars of the 60s British Invasion were quick to identify influences of Johnny Cash. Pete Seeger, and Lead Belly on the new music they were making.
Rock and Roll was born in the USA, but definitely grew into the beauty it is because of the United Kingdom's talent. This talent kept pushing the boundaries and in turn, forced their American counterparts to grow as well or just be left behind as Rock and Roll swept the planet.
Today, we salute the UK's contribution to Rock and Roll and the world of music.
Some of my all-time favorite British acts are:
The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band.
This group was formed in the early 60s as a Jazz and Rock parody act. They gained a wider audience after appearing in The Beatles' made-for-TV film, Magical Mystery Tour. This was followed up by them joining the children's series Do Not Adjust Your Set which starred future Pythoners Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. The bassist for the group is Neil Innes, who was one of the only two people to receive screen credit for appearing on Monty Python's Flying Circus while not being a member of Monty Python. Innes later joined Idle in The Rutles, a band which parodied The Beatles.
Here's The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band performing Death Cab For Cutie and yes, that alternative rock group from Washington State did take their name from this song!
Them
Them formed in 1964 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and featured the vocals of Van Morrison before he left in 1966 for his highly successful solo career. Them did not have many hits on the US charts but they have been cited by US groups such as The Doors as a major influence.
Most readily identify this group for their huge international hit, Gloria, but I really love their cover of the traditional blues song, Baby Please Don't Go, which was inspired by John Lee Hooker's 1949 cover of the song which was titled, Don't Go Baby.
The Jeff Beck Group
There were two incarnations of The Jeff Beck Group, but I prefer the first which formed in 1967 and featured Rod Stewart doing vocals and Ron Wood on rhythm guitar with occasional guest appearances by John Paul Jones on keyboards and Jimi Hendrix popping up on stage to jam with them during concerts.
Here's Rock My Plimsoul from the first album, Truth. Beck and Stewart are credited as writers, but it is most definitely heavily borrowed from the traditional blues song, Rock Me Baby, made famous by both Muddy Water's and BB King's versions.
Dirty Mac
This supergroup was formed solely to appear on the BBC's television special, The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus and was made up of John Lennon on vocals and rhythm guitar, Eric Clapton on lead guitar, Keith Richards on bass, Mitch Mitchell (drummer for Jimi Hendrix) on drums and Yoko Ono in bag but without the chocolate cake. Most assumed the name was a slap at Paul McCartney but Lennon and Clapton have both explained in interviews that they chose the name because they wanted a sound that was more edgy and a bit more dirty than that made famous by Fleetwood Mac. Here they are performing The Beatles' song, Yer Blues. Rumor has it they also performed Revolution, but so far, I've not been able to locate any video of it.
Fleetwood Mac
The pre-Buckingham/Nicks Fleetwood Mac never got the recognition it so deserved. And the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame was negligent in not including previous lead singer Bob Welch when they inducted the group into the hall.
From 1973, here's Hypnotized, my all-time favorite Fleetwood Mac song.
Okay, now I'll finally move back to the 21st Century...
Mumford & Sons
This band was formed in 2007 and initially incorporated some of the instruments traditionally associated with the bluegrass genre in their performances. The banjo and the mandolin were featured prominently on their album second album Babel (released 2012) which has proven to be the fastest selling rock album of the decade. They have cited both Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris as major influences on their musical style. Though they have currently moved away from the banjo, their playing still captures your attention and sets your toe to tapping to the beat. From their most recent album Delta, here's The Wolf.
There have been so many phenomenal UK artists and groups that have had a major impact of the music we listen to today that it would take months to list them all. The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Smiths, Elton John, Eurythmics...the list is almost endless. Join in the celebration of the UK music and share your favs!
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