November 27, 1963 The Elvis Presley film Fun in Acapulco premieres. The soundtrack features the Top 10 hit "Bossa Nova Baby."
November 26, 1963 Adam Gaynor (rhythm guitarist for Matchbox Twenty) is born in Manhattan, New York.
November 23, 1963 The first episode of Dr Who is broadcast; it features the classic electronic music theme.
November 23, 1963 "Walk In The Room"/"Till You'll Say You'll Be Mine" is released by Jackie DeShannon; the A-side is later covered by numerous artists.
November 22, 1963 US president John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. The incident inspires several songs, including Connie Francis' "In The Summer Of His Years" and The Beach Boys' "Warmth Of The Sun."
November 22, 1963 Phil Spector (who is Jewish) releases A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector, which he worked on all summer with his best musicians. US president John F. Kennedy is killed the same day, and the album suffers dismal sales, although some of the songs, including The Ronettes' version of "Frosty The Snowman," later become holiday favorites.
November 18, 1963 Beatles manager Brian Epstein asks the group's fans to please refrain from pelting the group with Jelly Babies (soft, jelly-like sweets) at their concerts. The Beatles had made the mistake of remarking how much they liked them.
November 17, 1963 Headmaster John Weightman of Surrey Grammar School in Guildford, England, bans the popular Beatle "moptop" haircuts, explaining that "this ridiculous style brings out the worst in boys physically. It makes them look like morons."
November 16, 1963 Nino Tempo and April Stevens' "Deep Purple" hits #1 in the US. The famous band later name themselves after the song.
November 8, 1963 Dick Clark begins his latest "Caravan of Stars" tour in Teaneck, New Jersey, featuring The Ronettes, Little Eva, Bobby Vee, Brian Hyland, and the Dovells.
November 4, 1963 When The Beatles play The Royal Variety Performance in London in front of an audience that includes the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, John Lennon says, "Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands. All the rest of you, rattle your jewelry."
November 4, 1963 Newsweek runs a story on Bob Dylan insinuating he stole the song "Blowin' In The Wind" from a high school student. Dylan never comments on it, and the rumor slowly grows into an urban legend.More
November 2, 1963 Dion performs "Donna The Prima Donna" on the British TV show Ready Steady Go!, but gets irritated when audience members dance around him. He walks out on the show even though he is slated for another song.
November 2, 1963 Folk music is in the air as Peter, Paul and Mary's album In The Wind hits #1 in America.
November 2, 1963 The female UK duo The Caravelles reach the Hot 100 at #84 with "You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry," starting a run of 38 years when at least one British act is on the American chart.
November 1, 1963 The Beatles make their first appearance as a tour headliner at a show in Gloucestershire, England. On the set list: "I Saw Her Standing There," "From Me To You" and "All My Loving."
October 31, 1963 Guitarist Johnny Marr is born in Ardwick, Manchester, England. Along with lead singer Morrissey, he's the creative force in The Smiths. After that group breaks up in 1987 he does time in The Pretenders, Modest Mouse and The The before touring and recording as a solo artist.
October 28, 1963 The Beach Boys release "Be True To Your School," featuring part of the Hawthorne High fight song, where the Wilson brothers went to school.
October 25, 1963 John Leven (bass guitarist for Europe) is born in Stockholm, Sweden.
October 13, 1963 The largest audience in British television history watch The Beatles perform on "Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium."
October 12, 1963 "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs hits #1 in America, where it stays for five weeks, longer than any other song in 1963.
October 7, 1963 Pete Seeger copyrights "We Shall Overcome." The song dates to the early 1900s, but Seeger adapted it into the well-known version that became a civil rights anthem. He lists three others as songwriters, including two representatives of the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee, where he developed the song. Royalties from the song go to the We Shall Overcome Fund, which supports the school and its outreach efforts.
October 4, 1963 Dusty Springfield interviews The Beatles when they appear on the British TV show Ready, Steady, Go.
September 29, 1963 The Rolling Stones begin their first British tour at the New Victoria Theatre in London. They are the support act on a bill with the Everly Brothers and Bo Diddley.
September 16, 1963 Currently the #1 song in the UK, The Beatles' "She Loves You" is released by the tiny Swan label in America, but the Stateside public has no idea who the group is, and the single fails to chart. When Capitol releases "I Want To Hold Your Hand," Beatlemania ensues and the song hits #1. A re-released "She Loves You" single follows it to the top.
September 10, 1963 While traveling in London, John Lennon and Paul McCartney encounter Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham, who worked as a promoter for The Beatles earlier in the year. Oldham invites them to The Stones rehearsal, where Lennon and McCartney complete a song they were working on, "I Wanna Be Your Man," and give it to The Stones, which they use as their second UK single.
August 28, 1963 At the March On Washington, where Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his "I have a dream" speech, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Odetta and Mahalia Jackson sing for equal rights.More
August 26, 1963 British singer Cilla Black makes her concert debut, opening for The Beatles at the Odeon in Southport, Lancashire, England.
August 23, 1963 In the UK, The Beatles release "She Loves You," which becomes the best-selling UK single of all time, a record that isn't broken until 1977, when Paul McCartney releases "Mull Of Kintyre."
August 22, 1963 R&B/Soul singer James DeBarge (of DeBarge) is born in Detroit, Michigan.
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