Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

As I have read more about the British Invasion, I have been surprised by the number of UK groups who road the wave of the Invasion, but chose to use American references as group names. It seems to me that this practice did little to capitalize on the uniqueness of the Invasion.

Examples of this practice exceed more than a handful. While by no means exhaustive, some of these groups included the following.

The Bedrocks
The Boston Crabs
The Boston Dexters
The Ivy League
The Hullabaloos
Harlem Jonns Reshuffle
The Searchers
World Of Oz

This strategy, if it ever was one, may have had some added advantage for groups that would otherwise remain unknown.

It would be too bold to suggest that a name was responsible for a groups' success. In two cases above, the American reference was associated with success for the Hullabaloos and The Searchers. It is likely that the latter would have been successful regardless of their chosen name. With regard to the former, however,I am less confident.

In the broader sense, what's in a name anyway?

With exception of 2 on the list they did remain unknown even in UK.

Hullabaloos were from Hull in Yorkshire so the name had some reference to where they were from.

In case of The Searchers it is always claimed that they took their name from the western of same name, but there was in fact a Doo Wop group called The Searchers but unlike The Drifters who went to litigation to stop The Drifters (Shadows)using the name it would appear the Doo Wop Searchers were probably unaware.

It is obvious Brit groups were influenced by American music but I am not sure that influence stretched to choice of name.

Thanks Roy. I appreciate your insight. I thought that the Hullabaloos might have chosen their name from the NBC show, Hullabaloo and capitalized on the connection.