Swinging London is a catch-all term applied to the fashion and cultural scene that flourished in London, in the 1960s.

It was a youth-oriented phenomenon that emphasised the new and modern. It was a period of optimism and hedonism, and a cultural revolution. One catalyst was the recovery of the British economy after post-World War II austerity which lasted through much of the 1950s. Journalist Christopher Booker, a founder of the satirical magazine Private Eye, recalled the "bewitching" character of the swinging sixties: "There seemed to be no one standing outside the bubble, and observing just how odd and shallow and egocentric and even rather horrible it was."

"Swinging London" was defined by Time magazine in its issue of 15 April 1966 and celebrated in the name of the pirate radio station, Swinging Radio England, that began shortly afterward. However, "swinging" in the sense of hip or fashionable, had been used since the early 1960s, including by Norman Vaughan in his "swinging/dodgy" patter on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. In 1965, Diana Vreeland, editor of Vogue magazine, said "London is the most swinging city in the world at the moment." Later that year, the American singer Roger Miller had a hit record with "England Swings", which presented a stereotypical picture of England, with lyrics such as "Bobbies on bicycles, two by two."

London ⁱ/ˈlʌndən/ is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium. London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is the world's leading financial centre alongside New York City and has the fifth-largest city GDP in the world (and the largest in Europe). London has been described as a world cultural capital. It was the world's most visited city during 2011 and London Heathrow is the world's busiest airport by number of international passengers. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012 London will become the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.

James Stanley "Jim" McCarty (born 25 July 1943 in Liverpool, England) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for The Yardbirds and Renaissance.

He was born at Walton Hospital in Liverpool, but his family moved to London when he was two years old. He attended Hampton School in Richmond upon Thames where Paul Samwell-Smith was a fellow pupil. When playing with the early Yardbirds, he worked as a stockbroker in London Stock Exchange.

He has also played in the bands Shoot (on lead vocals), Illusion (as acoustic guitarist, with three other ex-members of Renaissance), Stairway and Pilgrim.

McCarty played in the Yardbirds reunion band Box of Frogs in the 1980s, and has been part of the Yardbirds' reformation since 1992. McCarty has also been a member of The British Invasion All-Stars, and his own Jim McCarty Band.

Most of McCarty's recordings have been issued under the names of the group he was in at the time, but two solo CDs have been issued under the name "James McCarty" -

McCarty is respected for the innovative drumming styles which he introduced into rock music, particularly psychedelic music during the 1960s. There are The Yardbirds songs, like "Train Kept A-Rollin'", when McCarty produces a train style beat, and songs like "Mister You’re a Better Man Than I" and "Shapes of Things" when he often changes tempo mid song and as well as produces a martial beat, such as the fast military gallop which drives the Shapes of Things solo. "I'm A Man" has what became known as a speed metal beat, "I'm Not Talking" has the strong back beat. Although not as flamboyant as his contemporaries Keith Moon and Mitch Mitchell, McCarty’s drumming influenced an entire generation of drummers to experiment beyond the normal rhythm patterns that were prevalent in early Rock 'n' Roll, and he is especially recognized, for his early career innovations, many of which received extensive American and European airplay, such as "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" (a psychedelic rock highlight).

Albert Allick Bowlly (7 January 1898 – 17 April 1941) was a Southern-African singer, songwriter, composer and band leader, who became a popular Jazz crooner during the British dance band era of the 1930s and later worked in the United States. He recorded more than 1,000 records between 1927 and 1941. His most popular songs include "Midnight, the Stars and You", "Goodnight, Sweetheart", "The Very Thought of You", "Guilty", and "Love Is the Sweetest Thing".

Born in Lourenço Marques in the then-Portuguese colony of Mozambique, Bowlly gained his musical experience singing for a dance band led by Edgar Adeler on a tour of South Africa, Rhodesia, India and Indonesia during the mid-1920s. He was then employed by Jimmy Liquime to perform in India, Calcutta, Singapore and the Raffles Hotel. In 1928, he arrived in England and briefly took part in a jazz band before being made redundant due to the 1930s depression. In 1930, he was spotted and signed to accompany both Roy Fox's and Ray Noble's orchestras that November. The signing with Noble led a to a successful association between the two which resulted in over 500 records being produced over a four-year period.

Barbara Ann Deeks, (born 6 August 1937) better known by her stage name Barbara Windsor, is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

Born in Shoreditch, London in 1937, Windsor was the only child of John Deeks, a costermonger, and his wife, formerly Rose Ellis, a dressmaker. Windsor is of English and Irish ancestry. She passed her 11-plus exams with the highest marks in North London, and won a place at Our Lady’s Convent in Stamford Hill. Her mother paid for her to have elocution lessons, and she trained at the Aida Foster School in Golders Green, making her stage debut at 13 and her West End debut in 1952 in the chorus of the musical Love From Judy.

Her first film role was in The Belles of St Trinian's in 1954. She joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, coming to prominence in their stage production Fings Ain't Wot They Used to Be and Littlewood's film Sparrers Can't Sing in 1963, achieving a BAFTA nomination for Best British Film Actress. She also appeared in the 1964 film comedy Crooks in Cloisters, the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and in the sitcoms The Rag Trade and Wild, Wild Women. In 1980, Windsor appeared as "Saucy Nancy" in the second series of Worzel Gummidge.