April 14, 1963 The Beatles, who are filming an appearance on the show Thank Your Lucky Stars at a nearby studio, stop by the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, England, where the upstart The Rolling Stones are performing. The bands meet for the first time backstage and hang out that evening.
April 8, 1963 Julian Lennon is born John Charles Julian Lennon, the first child of John Lennon and his first wife, Cynthia. Imbued with many of his father's talents for music, he releases his debut album, Valotte, in 1984 with the hit "Too Late for Goodbyes"
April 8, 1963 Frank Sinatra hosts the 35th Academy Awards, held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Lawrence of Arabia wins Best Picture, with composer Maurice Jarre taking home Best Original Score. Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer land Best Original Song for "Days Of Wine And Roses" from the film of the same name.
March 30, 1963 Lesley Gore records "It's My Party" at Bell Studios in New York. That night, her producer Quincy Jones finds out that Phil Spector has recorded the song with his group The Crystals, so Jones rush-releases it to get Gore's version to radio stations first.
March 25, 1963 In Nashville, Johnny Cash records "Ring Of Fire," a song co-written by his friend and collaborator June Carter that was first recorded by her sister Anita. The song becomes one of his biggest hits, and June marries Johnny five years later.
March 23, 1963 Dion DiMucci marries Sue Butterfield two years after releasing his hit "Runaround Sue." His bride has nothing to do with the song, but often tells people she is so they will remember her. Their marriage lasts a lifetime.
March 18, 1963 Jeff LaBar (guitarist for Cinderella) is born in Darby, Pennsylvania.
March 14, 1963 Mike Muir (lead vocalist for Suicidal Tendencies) is born in Venice, California, and raised in Santa Monica.
March 11, 1963 The Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers attract record company interest with a show at the Marquee Club in London. They later sign with HMV (a division of EMI) and change their name to Manfred Mann.
March 10, 1963 Bass player Jeff Ament is born in Havre, Montana. He moves to Seattle in the early '80s, and with guitarist Stone Gossard forms Mother Love Bone, which evolves into Pearl Jam.
March 10, 1963 Three days after an emotional public service, Patsy Cline's body is buried quietly at Shenandoah Memorial Park in Winchester, Virginia.
March 8, 1963 The Four Tops get a $400 advance to sign with Motown. They spend the rest of the year singing backup for other acts, including The Supremes.
March 8, 1963 "Please Please Me" by The Beatles shows up at #40 on the Chicago radio station WLS' weekly Silver Dollar Survey, marking the first time a Beatles song makes a radio station survey in America. WLS very likely became the first US radio station to play a Beatles song when they put "Please Please Me" on the air.
March 5, 1963 Having ironically just finished a tribute concert for the family of a country music DJ who'd been killed in a car crash, country legend Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins fly back to Nashville, with Cline's manager, Randy Hughes, at the controls. Bad weather postpones the flight an extra day, however, and, anxious to get going, Hughes phones his wife in Nashville, who informs him that the weather is clearing there. Unfortunately, she is actually in the storm's eye, and when the four proceed on, Hughes, who is not rated "on instruments," loses all visibility and attempts to land on a nearby highway. Instead, he skirts some trees, which bring the plane down in a nearby swamp. Cline, her other fellow stars, and Hughes are all killed in the accident.
March 4, 1963 The Beach Boys release "Surfin' U.S.A.," a reworking of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen."
February 25, 1963 The Beatles release "Please Please Me" in America. It gets little attention, but becomes one of their big hits a year later when Beatlemania strikes and the song is re-released.
February 22, 1963 Along with manager Brian Epstein and British music publisher Dick James, The Beatles form their Northern Music publishing company (later owned by Michael Jackson).
February 21, 1963 General Public/The English Beat toaster Ranking Roger (real name: Roger Charlery) is born in Birmingham, England.
February 11, 1963 At EMI Studios in London (later re-named Abbey Road), The Beatles record 10 songs in one day, nine of which are included on their first UK album, Please Please Me. Songs done at the session are: "There's A Place," "I Saw Her Standing There," "A Taste Of Honey," "Do You Want To Know A Secret," "Misery," "Hold Me Tight," "Anna (Go To Him)," "Boys," "Chains" and "Twist And Shout."
February 9, 1963 Hattie Carroll, a 51-year-old bartender in Baltimore, is killed after a disgruntled patron hits her with a cane. Bob Dylan writes a song about it called "The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll," which appears on his The Times They Are A-Changin' album.
February 9, 1963 Country singer Travis Tritt is born in Marietta, Georgia.
February 7, 1963 Weeks before her tragic death in a plane crash, Patsy Cline wraps up her final recording sessions, including a contemporary rendition of the 1925 pop ballad "Always" and a cover of country song "Sweet Dreams."
February 4, 1963 Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman (lead guitarist for The Offspring) is born in Los Angeles, California.
February 2, 1963 The Beatles begin their first British tour at the Gaumont in Bradford. They're listed last on the bill, which includes The Honeys, The Kestrals, The Red Price Orchestra and 16-year-old Helen Shapiro.
January 26, 1963 Andrew Ridgeley is born in Windlesham, Surrey, England. He meets George Michael in high school and together they form the duo Wham!.
January 26, 1963 Dionne Warwick lands her first solo hit when her debut single, "Don't Make Me Over," peaks at #21 on the Hot 100. It also marks the beginning of her longtime collaboration with songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
January 13, 1963 A pre-famous Bob Dylan appears in a British television play called The Madhouse on Castle Street, playing an itinerant musician. No recording exists, but Dylan supposedly played "Blowin' In The Wind" during the show, marking the first broadcast of the song.
January 11, 1963 Despite warnings that a marriage would shatter his image as a teen idol, Frankie Avalon marries former beauty queen Kay Diebel. The union is successful and welcomes eight children, starting with Frankie Jr. in September.
January 7, 1963 Gary U.S. Bonds sues Chubby Checker, claiming that Checker's "Dancing Party" is essentially a rewrite of Bonds' hit "Quarter To Three." The case is settled out of court.
December 8, 1962 Marty Friedman (lead guitarist for Megadeth) is born in Washington, D.C. He picks up the guitar at age 14 after seeing Kiss in concert.
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