10 Most Influential American Acts On British Rock

What is often dubbed the British Invasion, was a period during the 1960s when British rock and pop groups found huge success in America. This effectively kick started a period of musical invasion that gave rise to modern rock. Groups like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Kinks flooded American airwaves and concert halls, injecting a much needed jolt of energy into the floundering American music scene.

But, it wasn't as though the Brits created their sound in a vacuum. Many groups were merely peddling a reinterpretation of musical styles that had come from the States, originally. What's more, once the yanks got their act together, British groups continued to draw inspiration from American artists. There was a constant exchanging of ideas, with musicians feeding off one another and pushing the genre of rock forward.

This phenomenon has continued over the decades, with the channels of influence flowing both ways. As much as we might be pained to admit, but rock 'n' roll is truly an American institution. If there's one thing we're grateful for, it's that America has been constant and unwavering source of inspiration for British music.

If there was any group who were ahead of their time, it was the Velvet Underground. Their debut, The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) was all but ignored by the general public, and critics barely wasted a word on it: an almost unthinkable injustice, given the high regard ascribed to it today.

But, the sordid underbelly of bohemian New York just didn't jive with an audience. This was during the height of the hippie movement. Free love was all the range, sexual liberation was celebrated, and drug use was seen as a way of breaking through to the other side. It was a hopeful, if not somewhat naive sentiment that swept the Western world. But when the Velvet Underground started exploring the darker sides of these ideas - referencing sadomasochism, and the depraved nature of heroin addiction - it didn't fit with the hippie ideal.

But their music wasn't lost on everyone... Notably a young David Bowie was captivated by the work of the Underground. He saw the coupling of their visceral music, with the creative vision of Andy Warhol, as the epitome of artistic expression. It was the Velvet Underground, who impart, inspired Bowie to craft his Ziggy Stardust character, leading to the rise of glam and art rock.