In my head, I've always paired Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles in this way. They both started out in a specific genre, made some significant personnel changes and then went mainstream and hit it big - really big! Add to that the arguing, egos, and relationships....... Well, kind of.
Lots of futile jamming of square pegs into round holes here... I'll just sit here and eat popcorn waiting for somebody to call the Partridge Family the American Small Faces...
Status Quo based an entire career on Roadhouse Blues by the Doors but their closest American analogue would be Canned Heat, complete with the laid-back vocals.
The Kinks - Paul Revere and The Raiders Gary Glitter - Twisted Sister (minus the bad stuff) Not sure if I find Steely Dan closer to The Alan Parsons Project or Supertramp.
Because the Monkees were deliberately created by Hollywood to mimic the Beatles and cash in on the phenomenon. Of all the groups listed the Monkees are the only one actually commercially manufactured in the image of its British counterpart.
Richard Thompson - Darrell Scott Both are somewhat under the radar. Both are brilliant songwriters. Both are brilliant acoustic guitarists. Both also play electric -- especially in trio format. Both interpret traditional forms. And both have played with Danny Thompson as their bass player.
Bert Jansch - Tim O'Brien Similar to the Thompson - Scott comparison, however the fact that Jansch also plays banjo makes him seem somewhat more multi-instrumental, like O'Brien. They both also tend to more traditional form, whereas Thompson and Scott venture further afield (in my opinion).
He is a super-talented musician. A ton of youtubes out there as well... you really can't go wrong (assuming bluegrass and bluegrass/irish fusion doesn't bother you).
The Kinks - The Lovin' Spoonful The Small Faces - The Young Rascals The Hollies - The Turtles The Pretty Things - The 13th Floor Elevators The Springfields - Peter, Paul & Mary
Yardbirds - Blues Project Hope this doesn’t offend, since the Blues Project, when without Tommy Flanders, were all Jewish musicians, I used to call them The Yardbergs.