The first wave of British rock and roll bands to follow in the footsteps of the Beatles after their U.S. arrival in February of 1964 included the Yardbirds, the Animals, the Rolling Stones, the Dave Clark Five, the Hollies, the Moody Blues, and the Spencer Davis Group.
Many, if not all, of these bands honed their chops on American rhythm and blues. One of the first U.S. hits by the Rolling Stones was a version of Bobby Womack's “It's All Over Now,” which Bobby recorded with his group, the Valentinos.
Another early U.S. hit for the Stones was their version of “Time Is on My Side,” a song first recorded by New Orleans singer Irma Thomas.
The Moody Blues, a band formed in Birmingham, England in May of 1964, featuring vocalist Denny Lane, had a hit in the U.S. with their version of Bessie Banks’ record, “Go Now.” Incidentally, the Moody Blues also recorded “Time Is on My Side.”
The Animals, another British rock and roll band, had a hit with their version of Nina Simone's “Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood.”
On the uptempo side, the Dave Clark Five had a hit with Bobby Day's West Coast R&B hit, “Over and Over.”
Manfred Mann, a rock and roll group that formed in London in 1962, had one of their first hits in 1964. with their version of an American R&B song called “Do Wah Diddy Diddy,” which was produced by none other than Leiber Stoller for the vocal group, The Exciters. In the bluesier area of the R&B spectrum, the band Them featuring Van Morrison, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, recorded a traditional blues song credited to Big Joe Williams called “Baby Please Don't Go.”
The legendary British rock and roll band The Yardbirds had a hit in 1964 with Sonny Boy Williamson's “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl.” The Yardbirds also did a version of Bo Diddley's “I'm a Man.”
Other American songs covered by bands of the British Invasion include Herman's Hermits’ version of Earl Jean's “I'm Into Something Good,” Doris Troy's “Just One Look” done by The Hollies, and “Every Little Bit Hurts” by Brenda Holloway as done by the Small Faces and by the Spencer Davis Group. Later British bands, including Led Zeppelin, recorded songs originally done by blues great Otis Rush, specifically, “I Can't Quit You Baby,” Earl Hooker's “You Shook Me,” and Sonny Boy Williamson's “Bring It On Home.”
And the beat goes on. Thanks for listening.
Listen to the segment, above.
Recommended listening:
“Time Is on My Side” by Irma Thomas
“Please Don’t Let Me Be Understood” by Nina Simone
“Baby Please Don’t Go” by Big Joe Williams
“I’m a Man” by Bo Diddley
“I Can’t Quit You Baby” by Otis Rush
“Every Little Bit Hurts” by Brenda Holloway
