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Singing Stone

Salads

Revolution rock

From The Stones to Coldplay, check out these great musical imports from across the pond.

/ 25 PHOTOS
BEATLES

The Beatles

The British are coming! That must have been the cry in 1964 at the onset of the "British Invasion." But after more than 40 years, the Brits continue to rock and Americans just can't get enough. No one personifies this phenomenon more than The Beatles.

Birthplace: Liverpool, England

Claim to fame: In addition to several accolades, the Beatles have won seven Grammy Awards.

Did you know? "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was first played by a Washington, D.C., DJ who received the record from his stewardess girlfriend.

ā€” AP
TV Animals

The Animals

Birthplace: Newcastle, England

Claim to fame: Known for their gritty, psychedelic rock covers of blues tunes, the band topped U.S. charts in 1964 with their rendition of "House of the Rising Sun," which had previously been recorded by a number of artists including Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Nina Simone.

Did you know? Alan Price (organ and keyboards) left the band in 1965 because, he said, he was scared of flying and could not travel to the U.S. with the rest of the group.

ā€” Express / Hulton Archive
Herman's Hermits

Herman's Hermits

Birthplace: Manchester, England

Claim to fame: Herman's Hermits had two more No. 1's in the U.S. with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter," which garnered two Grammy nominations in 1965, and "I'm Henry VIII, I Am."

Did you know? Lead vocalist Peter Noone was a child actor who starred in a British soap opera called "Coronation Street."

ā€” Keystone / Hulton Archive
The Who Live

The Who

Birthplace: Shepherd's Bush, West London, England

Claim to fame: Causing an all-out ruckus is now synonymous with rock 'n' roll, but The Who was the first band to make that its modus operandi. The band released five albums in the U.S. beginning in 1969.

Did you know? Rolling Stone magazine included the first time guitarist Pete Townshend smashed a guitar in its list of "50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock ā€™nā€™ Roll."

ā€” Dave Hogan / Hulton Archive
Singing Stone

The Rolling Stones

Birthplace: Dartford, England

Claim to fame: The iconic band has released 24 studio albums in the U.S. In 1986, the band received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Did you know? In 1963 the band played on the British TV show "Thank Your Lucky Stars," and the show's producer reportedly told the band's manager to lose "that vile-looking singer with the tire-tread lips."

ā€” Steve Wood / Hulton Archive
The Kinks

The Kinks

Birthplace: London, England

Claim to fame: "You Really Got Me" was a No.1 hit in England and reached No. 7 in the U.S. In 1990 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Did you know? From 1966 to 1969, the band was prevented from touring in the U.S. after their appearance on the American TV show "Hullabaloo."

ā€” Hulton Archive / Hulton Archive
Clash In New York

The Clash

Birthplace: London, England; Bromley, England and Ankara, Turkey

Claim to fame: Double album "London Calling" was raved about by U.S. critics as one of the best albums of the 1980s.

Did you know? Bassist Simonon suggested they call themselves "The Clash" after noticing how continuously the word was being used in the newspapers.

ā€” Dave Hogan / Hulton Archive
Rotten Vicious Jones Cook

Sex Pistols

Birthplace: London, England

Claim to fame: In 1977 the band's album "Never Mind the Bollocks" charted to No. 1 and is considered one of the best "punk rock" records of the time.

Did you know? Although their hit single "God Save the Queen" outsold the No. 1 record, it is only charted as No. 2 due to its subject matter.

ā€” Anonymous / VIRGIN RECORDS
Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden

Birthplace: Leyton, England

Claim to fame: "Number of the Beast" topped the British charts, making them international rock stars.

Did you know? "Ed Hunter," the band's three-disc greatest-hits album of 1999, spawned a namesake Maiden video game.

ā€” Dave Hogan / Hulton Archive
Pouting Performance

Queen

Birthplace: London, England

Claim to fame: In 1981 Queen performed in Sao Paulo, Brazil to the largest crowd of paying fans ever to witness a concert.

Did you know? Roger Taylor had a degree in biology, John Deacon had a degree in electronics, and Freddie Mercury in illustration and design. Brian May was working on a Ph.D. in astronomy.

ā€” Dave Hogan / Hulton Archive
David Bowie Performs in Brussels

David Bowie

Birthplace: Brixton, England

Claim to fame: His most popular album, 1983's "Let's Dance," had several hit singles, most notably the title track. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Bowie 39th among the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time."

Did you know? Bowie started his own mime troupe called Feathers in 1968.

ā€” Express Newspapers / Hulton Archive
Eurythmics

Eurythmics

Birthplace: London, England

Claim to fame: The duo gained a following in the U.S. with the 1983 single "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and won a Grammy in 1987 for the song "Missionary Man."

Did you know? Band members Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were romantically involved at one point.

ā€” Dave Hogan / Hulton Archive
Wham!

George Michael

Birthplace: East Finchley, North London, England

Claim to fame: Besides the unfortunate 1998 run-in with a police officer in a Beverly Hills bathroom, Michael is a two-time Grammy Award winner, for Best R&B Performance -- Duo or Group with Vocal, and for Album of the Year, both in 1988.

Did you know? His birth name was Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou.

ā€” Express Newspapers / Hulton Archive
Sir Elton John Performs in Australia

Sir Elton John

Birthplace: Pinner, Middlesex, England

Claim to fame: Known for his songwriting skills, piano pop rock and flamboyant performance style, John has won five Grammys and one Academy Award.

Did you know? The singer has admitted that he battled bulimia for several years.

ā€” Chris Mcgrath / Getty Images North America
Culture Club

Culture Club

Birthplace: London, England

Claim to fame: Though Boy George made headlines for his androgynous look, the group's real claim to fame was winning a Grammy Award in 1983.

Did you know? After winning the Grammy Award, Boy George gave a speech saying, "Thanks, America, you've got taste, style, and you know a good drag queen when you see one."

ā€” Keystone / Hulton Archive
Duran Duran

Duran Duran

Birthplace: Birmingham, England

Claim to fame: Duran Duran won two Grammys for their music videos in 1983. In addition, they were one of the most successful bands in the New Romantic genre, with 21 singles charting in the Billboard Top 100.

Did you know? In 1985 People magazine labeled the group "the prettiest boys in rock."

ā€” Dave Hogan / Hulton Archive
The Police

The Police

Birthplace: London, England

Claim to fame: Known for infusing reggae, pop and rock, the band has won five Grammy Awards.

Did you know? Before Sting made his mark with The Police, he was a secondary-school English teacher.

ā€” A&m Records / Hulton Archive
Billy Idol Playing Guitar In Concert

Billy Idol

Birthplace: Long Island, New York (Billy and his family moved back to England when he was 4 years old)

Claim to fame: It's not just his signature bleach-blond mohawk that made Idol a fan favorite. The rebellious Idol's singles "White Wedding," which went No.1 in the U.S. in 1983 and "Eyes Without a Face" which went No. 1 in 1984, were among his several hit singles.

Did you know? Playing himself, Billy Idol had a brief but funny scene in the Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore film "The Wedding Singer."

ā€” Hulton Archive / Hulton Archive
The English pop group The Spice Girls perform 12 A

Spice Girls

Birthplace: Berkshire, England

Claim to fame: The pop divas have sold more than 55 million records worldwide and their popularity was compared to Beatlemania.

Did you know? Tickets for the first London date of "The Return of the Spice Girls" World Tour sold out in 38 seconds.

ā€” Mary Ellen Matthews / AFP
Coldplay in Concert

Coldplay

Birthplace: University College, London

Claim to fame: Coldplay's first full-length album, "Parachutes," went double platinum and earned the band a Grammy in 2002 for Best Alternative Music Album.

Did you know? One of the band's first monikers was "Starfish." Now, an Italian Coldplay tribute band plays under the name.

ā€” Nick Laham / Getty Images North America
Radiohead in Concert in Cleveland

Radiohead

Birthplace: Oxfordshire, England

Claim to fame: The two albums "OK Computer" and "Kid A" won the band the Best Alternative Music Grammy and gained critical praise.

Did you know? Their original name was "On a Friday" but after being inspired by a song on a Talking Heads' album, they changed it.

ā€” Getty Images / Getty Images North America
British singer James Blunt performs, 11

James Blunt

Birthplace: Wiltshire, England

Claim to fame: Blunt was nominated for five Grammys in 2006 for his debut album "Back to Bedlam" and was the first British act to have a single ("You're Beautiful") hit No. 1 in the U.S. since Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" in 1997.

Did you know? Blunt posted an ad on eBay for someone to help transport his sister to Ireland for a funeral. The ad was answered, and his sister married the lucky man in 2007.

ā€” Afp / AFP
Rehearsals For VH1 Save The Music Foundation Concert

Joss Stone

Birthplace: Dover, Kent, England

Claim to fame: In 2005, Stone was nominated for three Grammys. In 2007, she shared an award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for her collaboration with Sly & the Family Stone, John Legend and Van Hunt on "Family Affair."

Did you know? When Stone was 14, she auditioned for the BBC TV show "Star for a Night" and not only got on the show, but won.

ā€” Scott Gries / Getty Images North America
British pop singer Amy Winehouse perform

Amy Winehouse

Birthplace: Southgate, England

Claim to fame: Besides her trademark beehive hairstyle, cat eyes and substance abuse, Winehouse became a household name after her 2006 sophomore album "Back to Black," which led to five Grammy Award wins.

Did you know? At the age of 10, Winehouse and her best friend drew inspiration from Salt-n-Pepa to create their own rap duo called Sweet 'n Sour.

ā€” Carl De Souza / AFP
UK: T4 Pop Beach

Natasha Bedingfield

Birthplace: Lewisham, London

Claim to fame: In 2007, she was nominated for a Grammy in the category Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the song "Unwritten."

Did you know? Bedingfield is an advocate for Stop the Traffik, a global coalition that works to end human trafficking.

ā€” Bruno Vincent / Getty Images Europe
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