RHYTHM & BLUES 60s Invasion

Phil Capone turns back the clock to reevaluate eight of the more interesting stars of the mid-60s British R&B invasion.

When ‘60s British rock and rollers met the blues it led to The Kinks, Animals, Troggs and others, and a unique sound that lasted just a couple of years. Phil Capone has the story, and the licks.

It was as if the 1960s began in black and white and finished in vivid Technicolor; everything changed in this incredibly creative decade. The years 1960-63 were awash with American music; pop, blues, R&B, and soul. Young British musicians, who had never set foot in America, absorbed these exciting new sounds and recycled them to create something new and exciting. The resulting ‘homegrown’ R&B and blues bands enjoyed huge successes not just on their home soil, but on the other side of the pond too. The term ‘carrying coals to Newcastle’ could never have been more appropriately applied. Let’s take a look the eight bands that will be featured in this lesson.

The Kinks (Dave Davies).

Dave Davies is frequently cited as the pioneer of distorted power chords. He slashed his amp’s speaker cones to produce the iconic guitar riffs in You Really Got Me and All Day And All Of The Night. Also influenced by 50s rock and rollers, double-stop phrasing and tape echo were a big part of Davies’ sound.

The Animals (Hilton Valentine)

You may not know Hilton Valentine’s name but you will certainly know the man’s work; that immortal riff in House Of The Rising Sun is one of the most iconic and instantly recognisable guitar parts ever recorded. His soloing style is characterised by a shimmering vibrato and fiery delivery.

The Swinging Blue Jeans (Terry

Sylvester) Not just a great guitar player but an outstanding vocalist too, Sylvester is probably best known for his work with The Hollies, where he replaced Graham Nash. With the Blue Jeans his rockabilly influences came to the fore; snappy slap-back echoed riffs and solos laden with double-stops.

The Troggs (Chris Britton)

The Troggs’ lead guitarist Chris Britton was the master of barre chord riffs. The timeless classic Wild Thing epitomises his rhythm style: barre shapes played loud through a pair of cranked-up Vox AC30s. Britton is one of those rare players that can create a killer riff out of just three chords.

The Hollies (Tony Hicks)

Hicks’s distinctive style was a big part of The Hollies’ sound. His trademark guitars were a Gibson ES-345 and a Vox Phantom 12-string electric, which added exotic Americana to the band’s sound. George Harrison had been an early adopter of a Rickenbacker 360/12 but Hicks was among the first to endorse, and much preferred, the home-grown equivalent.

The Moody Blues (Denny Laine)

Widely recognised for his work alongside Paul McCartney in Wings, Denny’s first taste of the big time actually began as a founding member of The Moody Blues. With his soul-flavoured rhythm approach and slick bluesy soloing style, Laine arguably has the most precious talent of the all the young players featured here.

Small Faces (Steve Marriott)

Marriott’s fiery soloing style and taut rhythm work fitted The Small Faces’ early R&B mod sound perfectly. His powerful yet soulful lead vocals were also a big part of the band’s sound. Probably one of the most underrated of all the 60s invasion players featured here.

The Move (Roy Wood)

Not one for wild solos, multi-instrumentalist Wood preferred to use the guitar to texture his arrangements. But he was a fluent player, as witnessed by his clever rhythm parts and structured lead style. Another electric 12-string player, Wood chose a Fender Electric XII over both Ricky and Vox.