British Invasion

The British Invasion was an influx of rock and roll performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States in 1964 and the years immediately afterward.

British musicians were mostly absent from the American pop music charts prior to the arrival of the Beatles to American audiences in 1964. The Beatles quickly came to dominate the charts, and on April 4 of that year they occupied the top five spots on the Billboard magazine Hot 100 music survey, a feat unmatched before or since. Their success opened the floodgates for other British acts to market their music in the United States, including the Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Dave Clark Five, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and many others.

A period known as the Second British Invasion began in 1983 and peaked in 1986. Largely spawned by MTV, which brought to the attention of American audiences various British acts, such as The Fixx[?], Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, and others, British acts came to dominate American charts to an even greater degree than in the first British invasion.

In May of 2002, there were no British artists on the US singles charts, the first time this had occurred since 1963.

First British Invasion