British rock and roll

[3] From this emerged the skiffle craze in 1955, led by Lonnie Donegan, whose version of "Rock Island Line" reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.

[4] Skiffle produced an Anglicised and largely amateur form of American folk song, chiefly notable for inspiring many individuals to take up music.

It also set off a moral panic as young cinema goers ripped up seats to dance, which helped identify rock and roll with delinquency.

This led to it being almost banned by TV and radio stations, making it something of an underground youth movement, which was widely adopted by the Teddy Boy sub-culture.

The bland, jokey, or wholly imitative style of much British rock and roll in this period meant that the American product remained dominant.

This followed the BBC's tentative first attempt at youth music programming, Six-Five Special (1957–58), with a much more music-orientated show that did much to promote the careers of British rock and rollers like Marty Wilde, Johnny Gentle, Vince Eager, Adam Faith and Duffy Power, all managed by Larry Parnes who also gave them their stage names.

Cliff Richard, and as instrumental artists his new backing band The Shadows, were the most successful home grown rock and roll based acts of the era.

The Shadows, and particularly guitarist Hank Marvin, were highly influential on a subsequent generation of musicians, helping to cement the line-up of drums, bass, rhythm and lead guitars for British bands.

[12] Tony Sheridan, Vince Taylor and Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages also produced some work that could be compared with American rock and roll.

Other singers who issued records of note included Terry Dene, "a fine rock'n'roll vocalist";[8] Johnny Brandon, who toured the US in 1956 billed as "the King of Rock & Roll";[8] Dickie Pride, Roy Young, and Helen Shapiro.

[1] Many British rock and rollers continued their careers, and occasional bands specialised in the form, but mainstream success for the genre was rare.