[cicero2k]

It never ceases to amaze how American blues and rock infiltrated Britain in the 1950s via vinyl pressings carried on freighters by merchant marines because regular distribution channels did not exist.

Then BAM, we get the British interpretation back at us in the 1960s.

[abb]

This likely had some influence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_radio_in_the_United_Kingdom

Pirate radio in the United Kingdom

[Frantzie]

I knew someone who played in a local band in the USA back then. They would go to the port and get the newest Beatles records from guys on ships. It allowed them to play the songs at sock hops before others.

It was actully my uncle Ted who played in a (skiffle) band.

[Reaganite Republican]

Yeah, I read a story about how Jagger and Richards re-met as teens and started playing together then...

Jagger had an armload of blues and C. Berry records under his arm on the train and Kieth just flipped at the sight... it was so rare for someone to obtain such stuff in any quantity, and obviously Mick had put significant effort into scraping it up

They knew each other as little kids but hadn’t seen each other in years and that got them talking music right then and there... they had a lot to catch up on suddenly