British Invasion

The Fab Four formed the vanguard

Tottenham's own - The Dave Clark Five

The Dave Clark Five grew out of a skiffle band organized by Dave Clark in the late 1950s north of London.  Though the band carried his name, Clark was the drummer - not the lead singer.  At concerts, his drums would be set at the front of the stage, with his bandmates alongside and behind him.  Mike Smith, the lead singer, played keyboards.  Lenny Davidson was lead guitarist, Rick Huxley played bass and Denny Payton played sax and harmonica. In early 1964, it was the DC5 who were the Beatles' chief rivals.  It was promoted as a competition pitting the Merseybeat sound of Liverpool against the Tottenham sound of the London area.  And while the Beatles ultimately prevailed, the Dave Clark Five, beginning with Glad All Over, notched 17 top 40 hits in the US between 1964 and 1967.

Dusty Springfield with trademark bouffant hairstyle

One week after The Beatles entered the Hot 100 for the first time, Dusty Springfield, having launched a solo career after her participation in The Springfields, became the next British act to reach the Hot 100, with I Only Want to Be With You.  She soon followed up with several other hits including Wishin' and Hopin', becoming what Allmusic described as the finest blue eyed soul singer of her era.  Dusty's solo career lasted almost as long, albeit with little more than one quarter of the hits, as The Beatles' group career before their breakup. Born Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien OBE (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999) She is a member of both the US Rock and Roll and UK Music Halls of Fame.  International polls have named Dusty among the best female rock artists of all time.  Her image, supported by a peroxide blonde bouffant hairstyle, evening gowns, and heavy make-up, made her an icon of the Swinging Sixties.

The Animals formed in the north, Newcastle upon Tyne

The Animals formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during 1962 and 1963, when Eric Burdon joined the Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo.  the original line-up was Eric Burdon (vocals), Alan Price (organ and keyboards), Hilton Valentine (guitar), John Steel (drums), and Bryan "Chas" Chandler (bass). The Animals' success in their hometown and a connection with Yardbirds manager Giorgio Gomelsky motivated them to move to London in 1964 in the immediate wake of Beatlemania and the beat boom take-over of the popular music scene and just in time to play an important role in the British Invasion of the US music charts.  House of the Rising Sun, released in June 1964, with Burdon's howling vocals and the dramatic arrangement, featuring Alan Price's haunting organ riffs, created arguably the first folk rock transatlantic #1 hit.

London R&B purists The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones' first US tour, in June 1964, was, in Bill Wyman's words, a disaster. When we arrived, we didn't have a hit record [in the US] or anything going for us.  When the band appeared on Dean Martin's TV variety show The Hollywood Palace, Martin mocked both their hair and their performance.  However, their first US tour was, for them, a pilgimage to 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois - Chess Records.  They recorded for two days at Chess Studios meeting many of their most important influences, including Muddy Waters.  These sessions included what would become the Stones' first number 1 hit in the UK: their cover of Bobby and Shirley Womack's It's All Over Now. The Stones' second US tour opened October 24th in New York City, with two shows at the Academy Of Music.  The following day they made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.  They opened with the Chuck Berry blues classic, Around and Around and closed the evening’s show with their hit song Time Is on My Side.  Ed Sullivan was, reportedly, shocked by their appearance, because long hair on men was considered outrageous to older people in the US at that time, and declared that they would never be invited onto the show again.  Despite the controversy, The Rolling Stones returned to the Sullivan stage the following spring and eventually went on to make six epic appearances on the show throughout the end of the decade. With a hit single Time is on my Side, #6 on the US charts, along with considerable public opinion and press coverage, good and bad, one thing was for sure – The Rolling Stones had finally captured the attention of the American audience.  In December 1964 London Records released the band's first single with Jagger/Richards originals on both sides: Heart of Stone backed with What a Shame; Heart of Stone went to number 19 in the US.

Marianne Faithfull, beauteous London debutante

Marianne Faithfull began her singing career in 1964, landing her first gigs as a folk music performer in coffeehouses.  She soon began taking part in London's exploding social scene.  In early 1964 she attended a Rolling Stones launch party with John Dunbar and met Andrew Loog Oldham (Rollling Stones manager/producer), who signed her to a management contract.  Marriane's first major release, As Tears Go By, was written by Jagger, Richards and Oldham, and became a chart success in both the UK and US. From 1966 to 1970, Marianne had a highly publicised romantic relationship with Rolling Stones' lead singer Mick Jagger.  The couple became notorious and largely part of the hip Swinging London scene.  She was the unidentified woman that police reported to find wearing only a fur rug while they executed a 1967 drug search at Richards' house in West Wittering, Sussex.

The Kinks from Muswell Hill, North London

London-born Dave and Ray Davies and schoolmate Peter Quaife started off playing skiffle music and like many of their contemporaries, developed an interest in American R&B.  By summer 1963, they'd recuited a drummer, recorded a demo and were calling themselves the Ravens.  Six months later, the Ravens became the Kinks, signed a contract with Pye Records and released their first single, a cover of the Little Richard classic Long Tall Sally. Neither the first nor second release, You Still Want Me, reached the charts, but the Kinks' third release, You Really Got Me, was the charm.  It's gritty, sliding two-chord intro and Dave Davies' bluesy guitar solo propelled You Really Got Me to the top of the British charts and to #9 in the US.  All Day and All of the Night, the Kinks' next release, contained many of the elements of their first hit -- an extra chord added to the fuzz-tone riff and another hard driving guitar solo.  It reached #2 in the UK and #7 in the States.

Mannfred Mann, born Manfred Lubowitz in Johannesburg, South Africa

Manfred Lubowitz emigrated to England in 1961, making his living as a jazz pianist and teacher, and writing articles under the name Manfred Manne, the surname borrowed from jazz drummer Shelly Manne — he later dropped the "e" and used Manfred Mann as his performing name.  The band covered two girl group songs, Do Wah Diddy Diddy (the Exciters) and Sha La La (the Shirelles), into their first international hits.  Do Wah Diddy Diddy reached #1 in the States, and Sha La La which peaked at #12. Manfred Mann were a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band (with a strong jazz foundation) of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band.  Manfred Mann were chart regulars in the 1960s, and the first south-of-England-based group to top the US Billboard Hot 100 during the British invasion.

Wanderin' Spirit
February, 2014
"British Invasion"

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