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The American Band that Thrived During the British Invasion
Timing was everything for Paul Revere & the Raiders
“Now and Then” by the Beatles, and the album Hackney Diamonds by the Rolling Stones, both just released, are vivid reminders of the lasting influence of the British Invasion.
When Brit bands invaded the shores of the USA in 1964, the music world was never the same. The British Invasion overwhelmed American music in a revolution that essentially fed back to America its own pop music through the likes of the Beatles, the Dave Clark Five, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Yardbirds and many others. The invasion technically lasted until 1967; as evidenced by the enduring popularity of the Beatles and Stones, though, it has never disappeared.
In fairness, American music artists didn’t fade away during that time either. On the Billboard Hot 100 for the year 1964, two Beatles songs topped the list (“I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You”), but the next ten songs were recorded by American artists, among them Louis Armstrong, Roy Orbison, the Beach Boys and the Supremes.
The Americans are coming!
Even as the British Invasion was in process, some American bands, such as the Beach Boys, were popular. One of those bands, Paul Revere & the Raiders…
