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 14, 1964 Rapper Joseph Simmons (aka Run of Run-DMC) is born in Hollis, Queens, New York. With his partner in rhyme Darryl McDaniels (DMC), he breaks new ground in hip-hip with a flow that trades lines back and forth, as heard on their landmark cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way."
November 13, 1964 "Dirty" Walter Kibby (trumpeter, vocalist for Fishbone) is born in South Central Los Angeles.
November 12, 1964 On his 19th birthday, Neil Young writes "Sugar Mountain," where he reflects on his fleeting youth ("You can't be 20 on Sugar Mountain").
November 6, 1964 The Hank Williams biopic Your Cheatin' Heart premieres in Nashville for the Country Music Association, featuring George Hamilton as the honky-tonk legend and his son, a 15-year-old Hank Williams, Jr., overdubbing his father's singing.
October 31, 1964 "Baby Love" by The Supremes goes to #1 in America, giving them their second chart-topper (following "Where Did Our Love Go") and making them the first Motown act with two #1 hits.
October 31, 1964 Unseating The Beatles' 14-week run at the top of the US albums chart with A Hard Day's Night, Barbra Streisand hits #1 with People, which stays at the top for five weeks.
October 27, 1964 Sonny (31-year-old Salvatore Bono) and Cher (18-year-old Cherilyn Sarkisian), exchange vows and wedding rings in their first home. Their publicity materials cite this as the day of their wedding, but the duo does not officially marry until 1969.
October 26, 1964 The Beatles record "Honey Don't" for their Beatles For Sale album after the song's writer, Carl Perkins, visits them in the studio. They also record "What You're Doing," and Another Beatles Christmas Record (a cover of "Jingle Bells," along with holiday greetings to fans).
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 24, 1964 The T.A.M.I. show (Teenage Music International Show) concert is held in Santa Barbara, California, featuring Chuck Berry, The Supremes, The Beach Boys, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, The Rolling Stones, The Miracles, Jan & Dean, Lesley Gore and Gerry and the Pacemakers. The concert is released as a movie later in 1964.
October 23, 1964 J. Frank Wilson of the Cavaliers, who scored a huge teen-tragedy hit three years earlier with "Last Kiss," is badly injured in his own car crash near Lima, Ohio, one that unfortunately takes the life of the song's producer, Sonley Roush.
October 23, 1964 Robert Trujillo (bassist for Metallica and Suicidal Tendencies) is born in Santa Monica, California.
October 22, 1964 TobyMac is born Kevin Michael McKeehan in Fairfax, Virginia. Before launching his solo career, he forms DC Talk, the first popular contemporary Christian music group to blend rap and rock.
October 19, 1964 The incredibly influential English concert called the "American Negro Blues Festival" kicks off, featuring Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Sonny Boy Williamson, among others. It is the first glimpse of these bluesmen for many upcoming British R&B and rock legends.
October 18, 1964 The Animals begin their first UK tour as headliners, playing the ABC Club in Manchester with supporting acts Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, The Nashville Teens, and Tommy Tucker.
October 18, 1964 At a nine-hour session at Abbey Road Studios, The Beatles record "Eight Days A Week," "Kansas City"/"Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!," "Mr. Moonlight," "I Feel Fine," "I'll Follow The Sun," "Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby," "Rock And Roll Music," and "Words Of Love."
October 10, 1964 Dance music singer-songwriter Crystal Waters ("Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)") is born in Philadelphia.
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 30, 1964 Robby Takac (bassist/vocalist for The Goo Goo Dolls) is born in Buffalo, New York. Along with lead singer Johnny Rzeznik, he's a mainstay in the group, which remains active long after their '90s hits like "Iris" and "Black Balloon."
September 28, 1964 Songwriter Nacio Herb Brown dies in San Francisco, California, at age 68. He wrote the music for "Singin' in the Rain," with lyrics by Arthur Freed.
September 27, 1964 In their national TV debut, The Beach Boys appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing "I Get Around."
September 24, 1964 The Supremes make their first national TV appearance, performing "Where Did Our Love Go" on The Steve Allen Show.
September 22, 1964 The musical Fiddler on the Roof makes its Broadway debut at the Imperial Theatre.More
September 19, 1964 Country singer Trisha Yearwood is born Patricia Lynn Yearwood in Monticello, Georgia.
September 17, 1964 Charles Finley, who owns the Kansas City Athletics baseball team, pays The Beatles $150,000 to play a show at his Municipal Stadium. The Beatles add their version of "Kansas City" to the setlist, marking their only American performance of the song.
September 16, 1964 The musical variety show Shindig! premieres in America on ABC with performances by Sam Cooke and The Everly Brothers.
September 13, 1964 Murray The K's latest rock and roll show at the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre ends after 10 days, featuring Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Martha and the Vandellas, The Shangri-Las, and Jay and the Americans.
September 5, 1964 British group The Animals hit #1 in America with "The House Of The Rising Sun," a folk song set in New Orleans about either a brothel or a prison.More
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.
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