The British Invasion was a phenomenon that occurred in the mid-1960s when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom, as well as other aspects of British culture, became popular in the United States, and significant to the rising "counterculture" on both sides of the Atlantic. Pop and rock groups such as the Beatles, the Dave Clark Five,the Kinks,the Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, the Animals, and the Who were at the forefront of the invasion.

Background

The rebellious tone and image of US rock and roll and blues musicians became popular with British youth in the late 1950s. While early commercial attempts to replicate American rock and roll mostly failed, the trad jazz–inspired skiffle craze, with its 'do it yourself' attitude, was the starting point of several British Billboard singles.

Young British groups started to combine various British and American styles, in different parts of the U.K., such as a movement in Liverpool during 1962 in what became known as Merseybeat, hence the "beat boom". That same year featured the first three acts with British roots to reach the Hot 100's summit.

British Invasion is an annual British automobile show and cultural celebration held in Stowe, Vermont. The multiple events that comprise British Invasion take place over several days during the third weekend of September. Events of the weekend include a driving tour of Lake Champlain islands, a driving tour of Smuggler's Notch, Concours d'Elegance judging, and a tailgating competition with themed picnic lunches.

The main car show, held on Saturday, uses a field just north of the center of town, and runs from morning until evening. Show cars are divided into approximately sixty categories and organized by marque when parked on the field.

History

In October 1989, Michael Gaetano and Chris Francis (proprietor of the town's Ye Olde England Inne) discussed the possibility of inviting members of British car clubs to Stowe for an event. After receiving positive response from clubs and interest from corporate sponsors, the date of the first British Invasion was set for September 1991.

The British Invasion is a term referring to a group of British writers who rose to prominence in the late 1980s while working on American comic books. The movement was most strongly associated with Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, and Peter Milligan, all writers who had previously worked on the British comic anthology series 2000 AD and who were subsequently recruited by DC Comics. These writers were seen as having a new and different sensibility to their predecessors in American comics.

Characteristics of the British Invasion included a greater sensitivity to language, more mature storylines, and a move away from the superhero genre. The invasion led DC Comics to create the Vertigo imprint to target the mature audiences of these writers. Consequently, DC Comics also abandoned using the Comics Code on their titles.

History

Prior to the start of the British Invasion, DC Comics had imported several British artists from the early 1980s to work on their comic books. Brian Bolland was at the vanguard of this influx. Others that followed included Dave Gibbons, Brendan McCarthy, Glenn Fabry, Steve Dillon, and Philip Bond.