Rock and Roll of the 60s
Rock and Roll of the 60s was considered the “Golden Years,” which stretched into the mid-70s. You can’t talk about Rock and Roll of the 60s without mentioning the British Invasion. In the 50s, the rebellious nature of American music became popular among British youth.
In January, 1964, British Rock became popular in the U. S. with the arrival of The Beatles. The Beatles would draw their influences from an array of American influences including soul music. They hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” breaking ground on the American music charts. On February 9th, The Beatles would make their American debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. There were 50,000 requests for tickets in a studio that only held a little over 
700 people.
Among the bands showing an increasing blues influence were The Rolling Stones, The Animals, and The Yardbirds. Other bands would follow and not only dominate the music charts in the U. S. and the United Kingdom, with one or more singles on the charts. It would also spawn the concept of the singer-songwriter.
With all things new, the old gets pushed aside. With the British Invasion came its share of critics. It had been said that the music of the British Invasion wasn’t that much different than music that originated in the U. S. It halted the careers of musicians such as Fats Domino, Chubby Checker, Smokey Robinson and ultimately Elvis. Teen idols like Ricky Nelson, for a short time, Surf rock, and girl groups like The Supremes and Martha and The Vandellas would ultimately meet their demise.
