Pick a Day

Music History Events: TV Appearances

May 11, 1965 The Byrds appear on TV for the first time when they play their cover of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" on the NBC show Hullabaloo.

May 2, 1965 The Rolling Stones make their second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, performing four songs, including "The Last Time" and "Little Red Rooster."

April 28, 1965 Barbra Streisand's first television special, My Name Is Barbra, airs on CBS.

March 18, 1965 The Standells appear on the "Far Out Munsters" episode of The Munsters.

March 14, 1965 Petula Clark makes her American TV debut singing "Downtown" and "I Know a Place" on The Ed Sullivan Show.

March 12, 1965 Singer James Darren guest stars on the "Surfin' Fred" episode (the fifth season finale) of ABC-TV's The Flintstones, playing a singer named, naturally, James Darrock.

January 28, 1965 The Who make their UK TV debut when they appear on the show Ready Steady Go! to promote their single "I Can't Explain."

January 20, 1965 The Rolling Stones and The Kinks both make their debut on ABC's Shindig! along with guests Dave Clark Five, Petula Clark, Bobby Vee, Bobby Sherman and Gerry and the Pacemakers.

January 12, 1965 NBC debuts the variety show Hullabaloo!, their answer to ABC's Shindig!. The first episode features The New Christy Minstrels, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Zombies (introduced by Jack Jones), and Woody Allen.

December 27, 1964 The Supremes appear on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, singing "Come See About Me." They would go on to appear 20 more times on Sullivan (14 with Diana Ross), more than any other rock act.

November 20, 1964 John Lennon acts out his own "Deaf Ted, Danoota, (and me)," taken from his recent book of whimsy In His Own Write, for later broadcast on BBC's comedy show Not Only... But Also, assisted by Dudley Moore and Norman Rossington.

November 18, 1964 The ABC show Shindig! features The Supremes (who sing "Baby Love" and "Come See About Me") and The Righteous Brothers (who perform "Little Latin Lupe Lu").

November 1, 1964 The Dave Clark Five makes their US TV debut on Ed Sullivan Show, earning praise from the host, who declares them, "nice, neat boys."

October 25, 1964 The Rolling Stones appear on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, performing their Chuck Berry cover "Around And Around" and their Irma Thomas cover "Time Is On My Side," which thanks to exposure on the show, becomes their first US Top 10 hit in December. The group makes five more appearances on the show.

October 7, 1964 The Beatles appear (on tape) during a special British Invasion-themed episode of the popular ABC-TV variety show Shindig!, performing "Kansas City"/"Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!," "I'm A Loser" and "Boys."

September 28, 1964 Connie Stevens premieres her first television sitcom, Wendy And Me, on ABC, featuring George Burns as her landlord. It lasts one season.

September 27, 1964 In their national TV debut, The Beach Boys appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing "I Get Around."

September 16, 1964 The musical variety show Shindig! premieres in America on ABC with performances by Sam Cooke and The Everly Brothers.

August 29, 1964 In a clear case of rock and roll being saved by the British Invasion, Billboard magazine notes that guitar sales are the highest they've been since the advent of Elvis Presley.

August 6, 1964 Rod Stewart appears on TV for the first time when his group The Hoochie Coochie Men show up on the BBC show The Beat Room.

August 1, 1964 It's the heyday of the harmonica, as the industry publication Billboard points out that The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder have all had hits with the instrument.

July 4, 1964 The Rolling Stones appear on the BBC's Juke Box Jury show as panelists, where they pass judgment on various records. A review in The Daily Sketch calls them "gum-chewing, ill-mannered, ill-humoured, illiberal and illogical jurors."

June 3, 1964 The Rolling Stones perform for the first time on American TV when they're guests on a variety show called Hollywood Palace, which is hosted that week by Dean Martin. They play their cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away," and endure ridicule from Martin, who quips, "Their hair is not that long - it's just smaller foreheads."

May 31, 1964 The family-friendly Dave Clark Five go on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, performing "Glad All Over." They're a hit with the host, who has them on 18 more times.

May 10, 1964 Dusty Springfield makes her US television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show on CBS.

May 3, 1964 Gerry and the Pacemakers make their US TV debut, performing "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" on The Ed Sullivan Show.

April 5, 1964 The Searchers make their US television debut, singing "Needles And Pins" and "Ain't That Just Like Me" on The Ed Sullivan Show.

March 26, 1964 Former Beatles drummer Pete Best appears on the game show I've Got A Secret.

March 20, 1964 The Beatles appear for the first time on the British TV show "Ready Steady Go!," where they lip-synch "Can't Buy Me Love," "It Won't Be Long" and "You Can't Do That." The show gets its highest-ever ratings for this episode.

March 8, 1964 The Dave Clark Five appear for the first time on CBS-TV's Ed Sullivan Show, performing "Do You Love Me" and "Can't You See That She's Mine." It's the first of eighteen appearances for the group.