<P> In the 1950s , Britain was well placed to receive American rock and roll music and culture . It shared a common language , had been exposed to American culture through the stationing of American troops in the country , and , although not enjoying the same economic prosperity as the US , had many similar social developments , not least of which was the emergence of distinct youth leisure activities and sub-cultures . This was most evident in the rise of the Teddy Boys among working - class youths in London from about 1953 , who adopted a version of the Edwardian styles of their grandfathers ' generation . British audiences were accustomed to American popular music and British musicians had already been influenced by American musical styles , particularly in trad jazz , which also exposed some to the precursors of rock and roll , including boogie - woogie and the blues . 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 . Skiffle produced an Anglicised and largely amateur form of American folk song , chiefly notable for inspiring many individuals to take up music . These included many of the subsequent generation of rock and roll , folk , R&B and beat performers , among them John Lennon and Paul McCartney , who first performed together in the Quarrymen skiffle group in 1957 . </P>
<P> In the 1950s , Britain was well placed to receive American rock and roll music and culture . It shared a common language , had been exposed to American culture through the stationing of American troops in the country , and , although not enjoying the same economic prosperity as the US , had many similar social developments , not least of which was the emergence of distinct youth leisure activities and sub-cultures . This was most evident in the rise of the Teddy Boys among working - class youths in London from about 1953 , who adopted a version of the Edwardian styles of their grandfathers ' generation . British audiences were accustomed to American popular music and British musicians had already been influenced by American musical styles , particularly in trad jazz , which also exposed some to the precursors of rock and roll , including boogie - woogie and the blues . 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 . Skiffle produced an Anglicised and largely amateur form of American folk song , chiefly notable for inspiring many individuals to take up music . These included many of the subsequent generation of rock and roll , folk , R&B and beat performers , among them John Lennon and Paul McCartney , who first performed together in the Quarrymen skiffle group in 1957 . </P>
when did rock and roll start in britain
when did rock and roll start in britain
1950s
1950s