When the U.S. boom boom rock'n'roll, England continued to live its special cultural life, bearing the imprint of conservatism and even puritanism. But British youth, regardless of the traditions of adult society, admired what was happening overseas: jazz orchestras, Broadway musicals, popular singers, Hollywood faded and prosperous movie stars, fashion, hairstyles, dancing, limousines. Post-war England, badly affected by the raids of German aircraft, experiencing significant economic difficulties, was somewhat jealous of the prosperous America, which did not suffer such material damage during the Second World War. And even in the old days, the true The British treated the United States of America low, with a mixed sense of contempt and envy, as a poor nobleman to a successful "nouveau riche" with no cultural roots and traditions. A new breed of English youth, who remembered war seldom wanted to live by the rules of the "old men", within the framework of an isolated British ideology, thus greatly disappointing their parents. In England, where there was not as much racial and cultural disunity as in the U.S., all kinds of popular American music were accepted regardless of whether it was performed by whites or blacks. Thus, despite some attempts at containment by the British authorities and the public, rhythm, and blues and rock and roll began to gradually penetrate the UK through different channels. All the port cities of England became the points where the sailors brought any records from all over the world, where most likely the information about everything overseas was received. Also, famous performers sometimes came to England from the USA with concerts, leaving a lot of followers and fans behind. Numerous radio stations were broadcasting new American music both from America and from the continent. One of the most powerful means of influencing the minds of young people at the time was the American cinema.
The first American films to capture the attention of British teenagers were "The Wild Man" (1953) and "Rebellion without a reason" (1955). In the first of them, a young Marlon Brando created the image of the leader of a motorcycle gang, terrorizing a small town. It was probably the first time that he had set out to set the standards for clothing and behavior typical of a group of young people who later became known as "rockers". A leather jacket with many zippers, pockets and inscriptions, gloves, jeans or leather pants, a cap of a paramilitary sample - a lot then became fashionable "metalworkers". In another film, the actor James Dean brilliantly played the role of a young detractor from a respectable environment, going across all the authorities and moral values of the generation of parents. The tragic death of Dena in a car crash immediately after the film was released significantly increased and extended the impact of his hero on young viewers.
Finally, the picture "Blackboard Jungle" (mentioned in the previous chapter), shown in England in 1956, not only identified the typical youth problems but also linked them to the new music presented by Bill Haley's song "Rock The Clock". It was at the screening of this film that incidents such as youth dancing between rows of chairs and other "undesirable phenomena" began to be observed for the first time. At the same time, no one, except for a narrow circle of musicians and some specialists, did not know about the roots of rhythm and blues and rock and roll in England. Moreover, even the most competent people in musical matters believed that this alien music would not be acquired here. Thus, the famous in England, the head of the big band Ted Heath said in 1956: "I do not think that the madness of rock 'n' roll will come to Britain. You know, it's mostly for the colored population". He, like many at the time, naively believed that rock 'n' roll would not take root in England, as it does not correspond to the typical features of the English national character. But now, after the movies, there are recordings of songs by Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Fats Domino, Jean-Vincent and others, and later the stars themselves begin to come: first in 1957 - Bill Haley, then Jerry Lee Lewis, then Buddy Holly, Jean-Vincent, Eddie Cochrane and others. The first reaction of the youth environment was a frank imitation of American performers.
Despite the American influence, the British youth scene began to gradually acquire new features, demonstrating a certain desire for independence. The beginning of the 60s was characterized by the formation of ensembles independent of the stars, which became a prototype of future "rock bands". One of the first bands "Shadows" to accompany Cliff Richard.