5 Forgotten Rock Bands From the 1960s You Need To Rediscover Today

Sometimes, even genuinely great rock bands are lost to time. When it comes to the following five rock bands from the 1960s, I think they’re unfairly forgotten. Even when they were active in the 1960s, I don’t believe they got the love they deserved. Let’s visit (or revisit) a few excellent rock bands from the 1960s that don’t deserve to be forgotten today!

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The Amboy Dukes

Ted Nugent might be known for being a straight-laced fellow with no interest in psychedelic drug use, but he actually first became successful in the music industry as part of the psychedelic rock band The Amboy Dukes. Though, the band wasn’t massively famous. The song “Journey To The Center Of The Mind” from 1968 was their only Top 40 hit in the US. Eventually, they called it quits in 1975 after seven albums, and I think those albums, particularly Survival Of The Fittest Live from 1971, deserve way more recognition.

The Hollies

Before Graham Nash became famous as part of Crosby, Stills & Nash, he was a youngin’ who loved skiffle and started a five-piece vocal group based around the genre. The Hollies were quite popular on the charts in Nash’s native UK. They also found Top 10 success in the US with songs like “Bus Stop” and “Stop Stop Stop” from 1966. However, by the end of the decade, Nash left the outfit and made his way to America to take on a very different sound. The Hollies are still together today, albeit with a very different lineup.

The Searchers

Unless you were big into British Invasion bands, you probably have never heard of The Searchers. Like The Beatles, The Searchers formed in Liverpool in 1959 and remained together for decades. They had some success on the US charts with hits like “Love Potion Number Nine” and “Needles And Pins”. However, The Searchers were substantially famous in the UK. And yet, you never really hear about them much anymore. It’s The Searchers from 1964 is essential listening.

The Ventures

Remember The Ventures? Formed in 1958, this outfit had a big hand in popularizing instrumental rock in the 1960s and 1970s. They had 14 singles make it to the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over 100 million records. It’s strange to me that they aren’t talked about as much as The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, considering they are the best-selling instrumental outfit of all time.

Interestingly enough, after The Ventures began to wane in popularity in the US in the 70s, they remained beloved by Japanese listeners for decades. Even today, this outfit is “big in Japan.” And, thankfully, they’re still together today.

Bread

Ah, Bread. Where other rock stars wanted to amp up the energy in the late 1960s, Bread opted for a more mellow sound that would become insanely popular in the following decade, under the loose genre name “soft rock.” This entry on our list of forgotten rock bands from the 1960s is better known for their 70s work, but I think their 1969 self-titled record is essential listening.

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