Some female idols still had that VERY done hair and wore gowns, but many let the perms and sculptured bouffants grow out, for a longer, looser, free look. Or they had short pixie cuts, like Mia Farrow (who actually created a fashion craze accidentally; Legend has it that she hacked off her long, free-flowing hair in a fit of anger at Frank Sinatra, her then-boyfriend, soon-to-be husband.)
And mini-skirts became the rage, as did bright, vibrant colors, and the Mod look (polka dots, big oversized zippers, "poor boy" or "news boy" caps, flower patterns, geometric designs, false eyelashes, white go-go boots.....groovy, baby!).
After the ”Fab Four”, America was most excited about Billy J.Kramer and The Dakotas, Herman's Hermits, and The Dave Clark Five. The Searchers, Peter and Gordon, and The Nashville Teens were also very popular. Kramer and the Dakotas had a no. 7 hit with ”Little Children”, (1964), their first U.S. entry, but the flip side, ”Bad To Me” was much better!
Herman's Hermits were HUGE teen idols, particularly in 1965-1966. They were regulars in all the teen magazines and were featured in two films, ”Hold On!” and ”When The Boys Meet The Girls”. The group was originally known and formed in 1963 as The Heartbeats.
They took the name Herman's Hermits when they were joined by 16-year-old former child star Peter Noone, who was thought to resemble the character Sherman from the "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" segment on the Rocky and Bullwinkle TV cartoon show. Their producer Mickie Most thought that Noone looked like a young John Kennedy (the late President).
It was Most who selected the group's material, a mixture of pub songs, oldies, and new tunes. The actual recordings featured Noone on lead vocals, of course, but studio musicians were used!
The Dave Clark Five were nearly equal to the Beatles in sales and hits than any other band in 1964. Dave Clark was the group's drummer and leader, but it was actually keyboardist Mike Smith who sang most of the songs. ”Glad All Over” was their first U.S. entry, a no. 6 smash in '64. The DC5 made more appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show than any other British act!
The Hollies started out doing covers of American songs like ”Just One Look”, but later wrote many of their own hits.They were one of the best and at times, underated groups. They were the only band to regularly use a banjo.
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