The Searchers

Many of the British Invasion's first wave of bands (acts like Freddie & the Dreamers and Herman's Hermits) sound kind of corny after all these years. But not the Searchers. Along with San Francisco's Beau Brummels, the Liverpool quartet pioneered the airy harmonies and dreamy guitar jangle that would serve as the foundation for the West Coast folk-rock of the Mamas & the Papas and the Byrds, who actually lifted a riff or two. Not bad for a band that wasn't even hip enough to adopt the mop top.