Rock and Roll is a form of music that evolved in the US and rapidly spread to the rest of the world in the late 1940s and 1960s. It is believed to have originated mainly from other musical genres of the time such as blues, folk, country and gospel (Eiche 1997). The vast popularity and eventual acceptance of rock and Roll music gave it a remarkable social impact; it was not just a musical genre as it influenced fashion, language, attitudes and lifestyles on an enormous scale especially among the young generation. In the mid-sixties, an influx of British bred musicians swarm into the United States of America and set in motion a number of influences on the classical American Rock and Roll music in what was later to be referred to as the “British Invasion” (Hoffmann 2000).
An interesting and often asked question is what would have constituted Rock and Roll music from 1964 onwards if the British invasion never took place? Would the conventional wisdom of countless rock documentaries that assume that Rock and Roll would have eventually died carry the day? This question is always treated to a number of varying opinions. According to Hoffmann (2000), the transformation that Rock and Roll music underwent in the mid sixties was inevitable and would have taken place with or without the British influence. Some propose that a “blues revival” would have overshadowed the “folk revival” that was already beginning to die away long before the British Invasion. Others consider the British invasion as much a product of the American blues records imported to the United Kingdom and as Eiche (1997) writes: “In both cases, one either smells an egg or a chicken”. Yet others are of the opinion that without the British Invasion, the changes witnessed would not have been as frenetic and radical as they were.
It is generally believed that the British rock and roll music brought a much needed fine tuning to the American genre. The invasion arguably played a major role in the establishment of a distinct form of rock music and spelt out the fundamentals of a rock group based on drums, guitars and own composition of materials as singer-songwriters (Eiche 1997). Buckley 1985 says, the Brits created the possibilities of “rock and roll stardom” and the American musicians would have been forced to feed for themselves in some nonexistent platform. In addition, the invasion is credited for having boosted the rock and roll music scene in terms of production as it laid more emphasis on production of well-produced records rather than mere stage performances. In that regard, today’s rock and roll climate, for artistic freedom and individual expression as well as its melodious, harmonious and guitar-based sound are ascribed to the British influence (Hoffmann 2000). However, some rock and roll black artists of that era have expressed reservation as they claim that the invasion relegated them to the background. Furthermore, the invasion brought to a halt the careers of established rhythm and blues singers such as Fats Domino and Chubby Checker.
There were a number of British rock and roll music bands that greatly influenced the American scene. Notable among them include the Beatles’ who brought with them an embodiment of the spirit of rebellious youths with their nonconformist attitudes, energetic performances and humor which gave birth to the famous Beatlemania in mid-sixties. In early 1964, the Beatles’ claimed the top five singles in the US for a whole week (Eiche 1997). Other British bands that were able to maintain a high standard of work throughout the sixties included the Stones, Who, and Kinks. Other bands such as the Zombies, Yardbirds, Searchers, Peacemakers, Dave Clark Five just to mention but a few fell off the market commercially due to internal and external pressure as well as their inability to write top notch-material.
In the early and mid-sixties, there was a homegrown British rock and roll scene. Many British teenagers were inspired to form groups based on simple and cheap instrumentation of guitars and washboards. Nevertheless, the British also recognized a number of great American performers such as Elvis, Everly Brothers, the Early Motown, Girl groups and many more. It has been argued that the British Rock and Roll was just a mere recreation of the classical American genre. According to Buckley (1985), perhaps what the Brits brought to America was a similar kind of menu; a product of borrowing and reshaping influences and hence the difference is much in style rather than substance.
References
Buckley. H. (1985): The Book of Beatle Lists, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Retrieved
from http://www.allmusic.com/explore/essay/british-invasion-t529
Eiche J. F (1997) Legends of Rock Guitar: the Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists,
Milwaukee WI: Hal Leonard Corporation
Hoffmann J. J. (2000): Raised by Wolves: the Story of Christian Rock & Roll, Toronto: ECW
Press
