Robin Bell

The History of British Rock 'n' Roll Robin Bell

There is no doubt that Rock 'n' Roll had its beginnings in America. Artists such as Bill Haley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran were the idols of the early British rock 'n' rollers, as homegrown acts such as Tommy Steele, Lonnie Donegan, Billy Fury and Cliff Richard produced their own versions of this new music. But by the end of 1962, rock 'n' roll was in danger of becoming extinct. The music charts on both sides of the Atlantic were overwhelmed by softer songs lacking the dynamism and raw power of the originators. Emerging from this panache of smoothness, the British acts of the Beat Boom rejuvenated and revitalised the music industry with their freshness and excitement. This is the story of those climactic years when Britannia ruled the airwaves across the world.