The 1960s
This section covers the birth of British rock and pop music in the 1960s. Articles examine Merseybeat, blues revival, early producers and how television helped spread the new sounds.
1960s and the Introduction of Pirate Radio
How pirate radio stations broke the BBC's monopoly and changed British pop music in the 1960s.
1960s Record Producer-Joe Meek
Joe Meek built a studio in his London flat and became one of Britain's greatest record producers, best known for the hit Telstar.
Bands in Hamburg
How Hamburg's clubs became the training ground where British rock bands like the Beatles learned their craft in the early 1960s.
British Blues
How American blues transformed British music through two pioneering musicians who built a scene from scratch in 1950s London.
Early Psychedelia
The Beatles and The Who were pushing psychedelic sounds into rock music a year before the hippie era fully took off in 1967.
Female Pop Stars
How female pop stars rose to prominence in the 1960s, reshaping the music industry after a male-dominated 1950s.
Freakbeat, the Garage Rock Era
The raw, blues-driven garage rock of freakbeat bands like the Troggs and Van Morrison's Them shaped the path to psychedelia in the 1960s.
How Radio One Began
Radio 1 launched in 1967 as the BBC's answer to pirate stations, but faced early challenges including strict broadcast rules and technical problems.
Pop Music of the 60s
How British pop evolved from rock'n'roll through Cliff Richard and the Shadows to become the softer, more melodic sound of the early 1960s.
Record Labels
How Island Records broke through the major labels' dominance by signing progressive artists in the late 1960s.
The Beatles
How four Liverpool lads revolutionised pop music by writing unforgettable songs and reimagining what a recording studio could do.
The Impact of Rock on TV in the 1960s
How Top of the Pops became 1960s TV's gateway to rock music when radio barely played pop at all.
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones went from rebellious blues lovers in 1962 to one of rock's most enduring and wealthy acts, still filling stadiums decades later.
The Summer of Love
How 1967 changed music forever with psychedelic sounds, hippie fashion, and artists like Jimi Hendrix breaking all the rules.
Tin Pan Alley
Denmark Street in London's West End was the heart of the British music industry, where publishers, instrument shops and promoters clustered together.
Tommy Steele
Tommy Steele went from Merchant Marine to rock'n'roll star after a chance encounter at a Soho coffee bar in the 1950s.
What Was Merseybeat?
How Liverpool's Merseybeat sound of the 1950s and 60s combined rock and roll with vocal harmonies to captivate Britain and the world.