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Toby Keith
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Beatles
Before the Beatles can be discussed properly, a bit of historical updating is in order. Americans were struck so suddenly and thoroughly by the Beatles that it was as though we were broad-sided while waiting at an intersection. And don't think for a second that America was not waiting at an intersection.
The leaps and bounds rock and roll made in the ‘50s (some would say Neanderthal leaping and moronic bounding) had led nowhere by the ‘60s. It wasn't that the music was awful, but it had definitely lost its edge and reverted to generic, corporate-sponsored manipulation of the masses as opposed to any real type of musical adventure or rebellion. In a phrase, popular music was once again safe, unthreatening and predictable. This was perfect for the money handlers because it became that much easier to create and control the artists who garnered sales.
In England, it was a completely different matter. Before 1964, English music culture meant absolutely nothing to Americans, and usually, it was for good reason. The British musical establishment heard American rock and roll and tried to ignore it, so the majority of American music didn't chart in England. Instead, the English did the same thing that Americans eventually did: they invented their own plasticized versions of what passed for real rock and roll. Billy Fury, Rory Storm (Ringo Starr's original boss), Cliff Richard, Tommy Steele, Marty Wilde, Adam Faith...all played the role of the definitive rocker, with about as much conviction as Pat Boone.
The English musical establishment was centered in London. While other cities developed musical scenes of their own, the powerful London nucleus viewed them mostly as regional rubes (I believe 'hicks from the sticks' is the correct British terminology). The songwriters, producers and radio and television shows were all based in the capitol, so it seemed essential to be a Londoner if you were serious about becoming famous.
While American rock and roll was flourishing in the ‘50s, a curious musical hybrid called “skiffle” took England by storm. Consisting partly of English music-hall tunes and partly of a romanticized notion of what passed for American Negro folk music, skiffle had to be one of the most bizarre crossbreeds imaginable. Skiffle groups popped up like weeds all over Great Britain, aided by the simplicity of the music and the cheap instrumentation of a guitar, a banjo, a washboard and a kazoo. But nowhere did skiffle sprout as uncontrollably as it did in Liverpool. Once skiffle groups filled up all the dance halls in this seaport city, they spilled over into coffee bars. Even basements of private residences were utilized and transformed into "jive-hives".
By the ‘60s, skiffle had become more and more beat-influenced. Washboards gave way to drum sets and, because of the resultant increase in volume, acoustic guitars were traded in for electric guitars. Most of the material remained American in origin, but the beat groups brought an amateur charm and energy to their repertoire. In no time, Northern England had an estimated 350 beat groups working the local dances and nightclubs. All the while, London remained scornfully oblivious to the trend, instead opting for either “trad jazz” (another ungodly bastardization of an American music form), blues, or commercialized pop.
The luckier beat groups were booked by agents and sent abroad to Germany, particularly Hamburg, where they played their interpretations of American music for the local Germans and American military personnel. The hours and pay were atrocious, and the conditions worse, but the experience was priceless. This pattern, from Liverpool skiffle to Hamburg rock and roll, was followed by many groups, and the Beatles, of course, were among them. As the music got louder and the scene grew bigger, the bands got better, and London could no longer ignore the beat-crazy northerners. Through tireless effort, the Beatles rose to the top of their scene, and they became the most popular group in the country.
A major factor in the Beatles' dominance that would be impossible to overemphasize was their songwriting prowess. While most of their competitors continued to look toward America for material, the Beatles were becoming self-reliant. They were innately aware that their favorite artists (Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly, Arthur Alexander, Smokey Robinson) broke the mold and wrote their own material and as a form of emulation, they wrote their own material as well. In America, the idea of a self-contained beat group was fairly new. The groups that America knew of were mostly singing groups, which usually required songwriters, producers and instrumentalists. The idea that a group with four or five members could handle all of these responsibilities (except production) for themselves was considered extraordinary.
"I Want To Hold Your Hand" brought an energy back to rock and roll that had become heretofore all but dead in America. Since England was somewhat behind America musically, the Beatles still maintained the energy that was part and parcel of ‘50s American rock and roll. While America lost track, these four guys from Liverpool set us straight. We didn't even know what we were missing until the Beatles helped us rediscover it. "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was not intended to be revolutionary, but considering the status quo here at home, it was. Upon hearing it, America went nuts, and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" became the #1 song for seven weeks running.
 
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