Brit Invasion: Top 10 Female Singers You Need to Know

The British Invasion, a wave of 1960s pop music, often brings to mind bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. But amidst the male rock stars, many talented female singers also made their mark. Some became one-hit wonders, while others enjoyed long and successful careers. Here are 10 of the most popular female singers of the British Invasion.

Sandie Shaw

Sandie Shaw was a leading lady of the British Invasion. Her hits include “Long Live Love” (1965) and “Puppet on a String” (1967), which won the Eurovision Song Contest. “Puppet on a String” is reportedly the biggest-selling single by a UK-based female artist of all time.

Shaw was a total package: a singer-songwriter with style and a lovely voice. Known as “the ultimate working-class It Girl,” she had international hits like “There’s Always Something There to Remind Me” and three #1 singles in the UK. In 1968, she even launched her own fashion label.

Lulu

With her cute and energetic persona, Lulu is still active in the music scene. Her career took off with the track “Shout.” This Scottish singer and actress is best known for the international hit “To Sir with Love,” the theme song from the 1967 film starring Sidney Poitier, in which Lulu also appeared. After the film, Lulu became a TV personality with her own show, Happening for Lulu. Other notable songs include “Oh Me, Oh My (I’m a Fool for You, Baby)” (1970) and the theme for the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun.

Lulu’s personal life has also made headlines, including marriages to Bee Gees member Maurice Gibb (1969–1973) and celebrity hairstylist John Frieda (1977–1991). She also had a romance with David Bowie, who produced her 1974 cover of “The Man Who Sold the World.”

Kiki Dee

Kiki Dee is remembered for her 1976 duet with Elton John, “Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart.” Dee’s talent was clear early on. She started in the 1960s doing session work for big stars and became the first British artist to sign with Motown’s Tamla Records in 1970.

Dee has released many albums and singles. Her first big hits were “Amoureuse” (1973) and “I Got the Music in Me” (1974). She later re-teamed with Elton John for a 1993 cover of Cole Porter’s “True Love” and performed in musical theater, including a role in the West End show Blood Brothers in 1988.

The Breakaways

The Breakaways, formed in 1962 in Liverpool, included Vicki Haseman (later Brown), Margot Quantrell, Barbara Moore, and Betty Prescott (replaced by Jean Ryder). They provided backing vocals for many Brit Invasion artists and recorded their own songs. The group worked with stars like Lulu, Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, and Cliff Richard, and they toured with American rock stars like Sam Cooke and Little Richard.

The group appeared on British music show Ready Steady Go and were backing singers for Cilla Black’s series Cilla.

The Breakaways became Britain’s premiere session vocalists throughout the 1960s, also recording a few girl group singles. Their first single on Pye Records, “That Boy of Mine,” became a minor hit. Though often uncredited, The Breakaways contributed a lot to the British pop sound of the 1960s and ’70s.

Mary Hopkin

After being recommended to Paul McCartney by Twiggy, Mary Hopkin became one of the first artists to record on The Beatles’ Apple label. She had experience playing local clubs and had released an album of Welsh-language songs when she signed with Apple.

Her debut English album Postcard (1969) was produced by McCartney, and Hopkin became his protégé. Their collaboration was a success. The first single, “Those Were the Days” (1968), became a gold record and Hopkin’s most memorable song. “Goodbye” was also a hit, as were “Que Sera, Sera” (1969) and “Temma Harbour” (1970).

Hopkin represented the UK in the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest, coming in second with “Knock Knock, Who’s There?” She left the music scene to focus on raising a family but has continued to record over the years.

Cilla Black

Born Priscilla Maria Veronica White, Cilla Black was a British entertainer of the 1960s and beyond. Black had 19 UK “Top 40” singles (including two #1 hits), released 15 studio albums, and performed in sold-out shows. Black’s biggest international hits include “You’re My World,” the Lennon-McCartney song “It’s For You,” and her cover of Dionne Warwick’s “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

Black started working in local night spots, sometimes as a waitress or singer alongside The Beatles. The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, recognized her potential and helped her rise to stardom.

Black made a career as a TV personality, hosting several series over the years. In the early 1990s, she recorded a duet with Dusty Springfield, “Heart and Soul,” which celebrated their heyday in the 1960s music scene.

Christine McVie

Christine McVie has been a key part of Fleetwood Mac’s success as a lead singer, songwriter, and pianist, becoming a superstar in 1975 as part of the Lindsey Buckingham/Stevie Nicks version of the band.

The daughter of a concert violinist, McVie was studying sculpture when she became a bassist in the band Sounds of Blue. After joining Chicken Shack, she released her first solo album, married Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie, and joined the band herself.

During her first 25 years with Fleetwood Mac, she wrote popular songs like “Say You Love Me,” “Songbird,” and “You Make Loving Fun.” She also released several solo albums. McVie left the band in the late 1990s but returned more than 15 years later, recording the 2017 album Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie.

Marianne Faithfull

Marianne Faithfull embodied the spirit of the late 1960s with her rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and vulnerable image. At 16, she was discovered by The Rolling Stones’ manager at a party.

Faithfull’s career began with “As Tears Go By,” the first song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. For years, Marianne Faithfull was a muse for Mick Jagger and a recording artist. In 1965, she released two solo albums: her self-titled debut, made up of pop songs, and Come My Way, a folk album. She has also recorded alternative, blues, and jazz.

In addition to her 55 years as a recording artist, Faithfull has worked as an actress on stage and screen.

Petula Clark

Petula Clark is one of the most internationally famous female vocalists of the British Invasion. Her career began at age 10 during WWII, singing on BBC radio. Her concert appearances exceeded 500 before she was 12.

This child star, often called “Britain’s Shirley Temple,” ended up with a sophisticated sound and image. This was partly achieved by recording French songs at the urging of her future husband, Claude Wolff.

After 20 years as an entertainer, Clark became a leading artist of the Brit movement, even beating The Beatles for a Grammy with her 1964 song “Downtown.” Clark’s other big hits include “Don’t Sleep in the Subway,” “I Know a Place,” and “A Sign of the Times.” She is also an actress with roles in films like Finian’s Rainbow and the 1968 remake of Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and stage shows like Sunset Boulevard.

Dusty Springfield

Dusty Springfield is remembered as one of the brightest stars of the British Invasion. Her music is cherished. Her album Dusty in Memphis was ranked #83 in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. With her beehive and panda eyes, she was visually striking and one of the greatest British female singers. Her distinctive voice led her to be called the “Queen of Blue-Eyed Soul.”

After performing with her brother Tom in The Springfields, she went solo, recording hits including “I Only Wanna Be with You,” “Son of a Preacher Man,” “The Look of Love,” and “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.” Springfield was also effectively the uncredited producer of many of her records.

Following her move to America in the early 1970s, Springfield struggled but made a comeback in the 1980s with The Pet Shop Boys. She is now considered a pop and soul music legend.