Throughout the history of the British Isles, the land now known as the United Kingdom has played a significant role in the development and production of music. Drawing from church music and traditional folk traditions, the UK has used a variety of instruments and musical forms rooted in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Each of these four countries has its own distinctive styles of folk music, which remained widespread until industrialisation, after which newer popular forms such as music hall and brass bands became more prominent.
British folk and traditional music have had a lasting impact on global music, including significant influence on various American genres such as folk, march music, old-time, ragtime, blues, country, and bluegrass. The UK has also developed one of the world's largest music industries and has contributed to the creation of several influential popular music genres, including beat music, psychedelic music, progressive rock and pop, heavy metal, new wave, industrial music, and drum and bass.
In the 20th century, music from the United States, particularly blues, jazz, and rock and roll, influenced the UK’s music scene. The period known as the British Invasion in the 1960s, led by bands such as the Beatles, saw British rock groups achieve widespread international popularity. The Beatles, a band from Liverpool, are often cited as among the most influential in music history. Pop music, a term that originated in Britain in the mid-1950s to describe rock and roll and related youth styles, evolved through the work of British artists such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, who were central to the transformation of rock and roll into rock music.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_the_United_Kingdom
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