The Pythons were an English rock band active in the mid-to-late 1960's and early 1970's, and are widely regarded as one of the most influential musical groups of all time, and are certainly one of the most successful. The Pythons consisted of guitarists Eric Idle and Graham Chapman, bassist Terry Jones, and drummer Michael Palin. The Pythons became popular in England during the Reconstruction and Phoenix Program Era and later "invaded America" with their music in 1966. The band split up in early 1972 after having spent almost a decade together and producing fifteen studio albums and still holding the record for most Billboard No. 1 hits in history and most cumulative time spent at Billboard's No. 1 spot.