MUSICAL DECADES - 1960s - The British Invasion

The British Invasion occurred in the early '60s when bands and other culture from the UK "invaded" North America and became significant to the rising "counterculture" on both sides of the Atlantic.

If you missed Part 1, you can catch up here: Musical Decades-1960s-The British Invasion

This week, let's take another trip back to the 1960s.

The Animals were a British band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, during the early part of the decade. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964.

The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and deep-voiced frontman Eric Burdon, as exemplified by their signature song and number 1 hit single, "The House of the Rising Sun", as well as by hits such as "We Gotta Get out of This Place", "It's My Life", "I'm Crying" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". The band balanced tough, rock-edged pop singles against rhythm and blues-oriented album material.

"The House of the Rising Sun" is a traditional folk song, sometimes called "Rising Sun Blues". It tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans; many versions also urge a sibling to avoid the same fate. The most successful commercial version, recorded in 1964 by the Animals, was a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and also in the United States, Canada and Australia. The song has been described as "the first folk-rock hit".

Herman's Hermits are an English beat (or pop) band, formed in Manchester in 1962.

The group's first hit was a cover of Earl-Jean's "I'm into Something Good" (written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King), which reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart and number 13 in the US in late 1964. They never topped the British charts again, but had two US Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am" (a British music hall song by Harry Champion dating from 1911, which Peter Noone's Irish grandfather had been in the habit of singing when Noone was young). These songs were aimed at a US fan base, with Peter Noone exaggerating his Mancunian accent. Other hits included "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat", "Just a Little Bit Better" (US number 7), and "A Must to Avoid" (US number 8).

"Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" is a song written by John Carter and Ken Lewis. The song reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965.

Gerry and the Pacemakers were an English beat group prominent during the 1960s and part of the British Invasion. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool and were managed by Brian Epstein.

They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with their first three single releases—“How Do You Do It?", “I Like It” and “You'll Never Walk Alone”. This record was not equalled for 20 years, until the mid-1980s success of fellow Liverpool band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Consequently, they stand as the second most successful pop group originating in Liverpool.

"I Like It" is the group's second single. Like Gerry Marsden's first number one, it was written by Mitch Murray. The song reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on June 22, 1963, where it stayed for three weeks. It reached number 17 on the American charts in 1964.

Freddie and the Dreamers were an English band who had a number of hit records between May 1963 and November 1965. Their stage act was enlivened by the comic antics of the 5-foot-3-inch-tall Freddie Garrity, who would bounce around the stage with arms and legs flying. The group remained active until December 2000 when they played their final gig at Margate Winter Gardens. After that date, Garrity was told by his doctor that due to his pulmonary hypertension it was not advisable for him to continue working, and he officially retired from all work in February 2001. He died in Bangor, North Wales, on May 19, 2006.

As their popularity declined in the UK, Freddie and the Dreamers enjoyed a brief spell of fame in the US, riding the wave of the British Invasion when the American teen public was hungry for any British pop music.

"I'm Telling You Now", which had been co-written by Garrity and Mitch Murray, reached number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in spring 1965. They were the first of three consecutive groups from Manchester to have number 1 hits that spring, the others being Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders and Herman's Hermits.

Their next biggest US hit was "Do the Freddie" at number 18, intended to inspire “The Freddie” as a dance craze. The band's late 1965 album, Do the Freddie, included diagrams from dance instructor Arthur Murray on how to perform the routines.

The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, in 1963 by brothers Dave and Ray Davies. They are regarded as one of the most important and influential rock groups of the era. The band emerged in 1964 during the height of British rhythm and blues and Merseybeat, and were briefly part of the British Invasion of the US until their touring ban in 1965.

The group had five Top 10 singles on the US Billboard chart. Nine of their albums charted in the Top 40. In the UK, the group had seventeen Top 20 singles and five Top 10 albums. In 1990, the original four members of the Kinks were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as the UK Music Hall of Fame in November 2005.

"You Really Got Me" is a song written by Ray Davies. The song, originally performed in a more blues-oriented style, was inspired by artists such as Lead Belly and Big Bill Broonzy. Two versions of the song were recorded, with the second performance being used for the final single. The song was released in August 1964 as the group's third single, and reached number 1 on the UK singles chart the next month, remaining for two weeks. The song became the group's breakthrough hit; it established them as one of the top British Invasion acts in the United States, reaching number 7 there later in the year.

Billy J. Kramer (born William Howard Ashton, August 19, 1943 in Bootle, Lancashire, England) was managed by Brian Epstein, who also managed the Beatles, and he recorded several original Lennon and McCartney compositions.

With record producer George Martin, the song "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" was a number 2 UK Singles Chart hit in 1963, (but number 1 in some charts), and was backed by another tune otherwise unreleased by the Beatles, "I'll Be on My Way". After this impressive breakthrough another Lennon–McCartney pairing, "Bad to Me" c/w "I Call Your Name", reached number one. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. "I'll Keep You Satisfied" ended the year with a respectable number four placing.

This ends Musical Decades for this week. Thanks for listening and I hope to see you here next time.

(The information used in this post is from Wikipedia.)

Dominique "Nik" Petersen is an aficionado of "oldies" music and the author of The Dr. Hook Trivia Quiz Book. Read about it and her other books at the website: 

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