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I think that the success of the 'British invasion' groups in America is that it provided a safe way for mainstream Americans to listen to black musical genres.

I think that the success of the 'British invasion' groups in America is that it provided a safe way for mainstream Americans to listen to black musical genres. The British musicians—who weren't as queasy about it—took R&B, Rock and Blues and played it back to the Americans from a safe distance.

leephillips 5y ago
Interesting theory. But isn’t this exactly what white American musicians were doing themselves? For instance, the Beatles started out imitating Elvis, who himself was largely a[n inferior] imitator of black American popular music.
- babyshake 5y ago
  They were imitating Little Richard a lot more than Elvis. In Get Back, they are mocking Elvis in a way that makes it clear that had been making fun of him this way for years.
  - leephillips 5y ago
    Ahh, interesting. I’ll have to listen to that again.
  - brg 5y ago
    The Beatles were inspired and constant fans of Elvis and his music. https://daytrippin.com/2018/10/08/john-lennons-lifelong-obsession-with-elvis-presley/ https://daytrippin.com/2018/10/08/john-lennons-lifelong-obse...
- ableal 5y ago
  https://lithub.com/when-the-beatles-met-their-idol-elvis-presley/ https://lithub.com/when-the-beatles-met-their-idol-elvis-pre... (interesting find prompted by other, also interesting, answer)
- pessimizer 5y ago
  Not by then. After Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis had their explosive starts in the late 50s (that went into pauses with cousin-marrying and military service), white music was determined to market versions of them with all the implications of blackness stripped out. Instead, you had teen idols and white doo wop groups singing "Mister Sandman, bring me a dream..." White rock and roll is dead until the British invasion, who consisted of people who gleefully mined US race/blues records (and Elvis, and Jerry Lee Lewis), and fed it back to Americans. That's a bit of what the movie Hairspray was about. The pause, that is. edit: honestly, rock and roll probably would have died then if it weren't for the British Invastion. The kids were getting into folk.
  - leephillips 5y ago
    That makes sense. Thanks for laying it out. (And the Stones: I have the impression that Jagger became a bit of an ethnomusicologist.)
Joeboy 5y ago
It seems relevant that Jimi Hendrix only made it in the US as a "British invasion" act, after breaking through in the UK and securing the enthusiastic backing of McCartney, Clapton etc.

leephillips 5y ago

Interesting theory. But isn’t this exactly what white American musicians were doing themselves? For instance, the Beatles started out imitating Elvis, who himself was largely a[n inferior] imitator of black American popular music.

babyshake 5y ago
They were imitating Little Richard a lot more than Elvis. In Get Back, they are mocking Elvis in a way that makes it clear that had been making fun of him this way for years.
- leephillips 5y ago
  Ahh, interesting. I’ll have to listen to that again.
- brg 5y ago
  The Beatles were inspired and constant fans of Elvis and his music. https://daytrippin.com/2018/10/08/john-lennons-lifelong-obsession-with-elvis-presley/ https://daytrippin.com/2018/10/08/john-lennons-lifelong-obse...
ableal 5y ago
https://lithub.com/when-the-beatles-met-their-idol-elvis-presley/ https://lithub.com/when-the-beatles-met-their-idol-elvis-pre... (interesting find prompted by other, also interesting, answer)
pessimizer 5y ago
Not by then. After Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis had their explosive starts in the late 50s (that went into pauses with cousin-marrying and military service), white music was determined to market versions of them with all the implications of blackness stripped out. Instead, you had teen idols and white doo wop groups singing "Mister Sandman, bring me a dream..." White rock and roll is dead until the British invasion, who consisted of people who gleefully mined US race/blues records (and Elvis, and Jerry Lee Lewis), and fed it back to Americans. That's a bit of what the movie Hairspray was about. The pause, that is. edit: honestly, rock and roll probably would have died then if it weren't for the British Invastion. The kids were getting into folk.
- leephillips 5y ago
  That makes sense. Thanks for laying it out. (And the Stones: I have the impression that Jagger became a bit of an ethnomusicologist.)

Joeboy 5y ago

It seems relevant that Jimi Hendrix only made it in the US as a "British invasion" act, after breaking through in the UK and securing the enthusiastic backing of McCartney, Clapton etc.