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Pick a Day

Timeline : The Beatles

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September 11, 1962

At Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles record their first British singles: "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You."

October 25, 1962

The Beatles give their first-ever radio interview, on Radio Clatterbridge, a closed-circuit radio station serving Cleaver and Clatterbridge Hospitals in Wirral, near Liverpool. Paul is quoted as saying "John is, in fact, the leader of the group."

October 12, 1962

Little Richard headlines a package bill at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton, England, where he meets The Beatles for the first time, who are also on the bill.

October 5, 1962

Parlophone releases the first Beatles single, "Love Me Do," in the UK. Radio Luxembourg puts it on the air, marking the first time a Beatles single is played on the radio.

November 30, 1962

For the first time, The Beatles make the "favourite group" list in the New Musical Express' reader's poll.

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 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 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.

March 22, 1963

In the UK, The Beatles release their debut studio album, Please Please Me. It goes to #1 a few months later; in early 1964, they conquer America.

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.

April 27, 1963

With The Beatles yet to enter the picture, some unusual acts rule the pop chart. Little Peggy March is at #1 with "I Will Follow Him."

April 18, 1963

After a Beatles performance at Royal Albert Hall in London for the radio show Swingin' Sound '63, Paul McCartney meets the actress Jane Asher. They become one of the most popular couples in England and get engaged, but they never marry and split up in 1968. This relationship inspires several Beatles songs, including "All My Loving" and "I'm Looking Through You."

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.

May 18, 1963

Roy Orbison begins a UK tour in Slough, England, with The Beatles, whose song "From Me to You" is #1 in that territory.

May 8, 1963

The Beatles land their first #1 hit when "From Me to You" tops the UK chart. The song goes nowhere in America, where word of The Beatles is still just a whisper.

May 5, 1963

The Beatles' UK debut album Please Please Me goes to #1 in that territory.

June 29, 1963

Del Shannon's cover of The Beatles' "From Me to You" enters the Hot 100 at #96, becoming the first Lennon-McCartney composition to chart in America. Shannon's version peaks at #77; in the UK the Beatles original hits #1 in May.

June 26, 1963

John Lennon and Paul McCartney compose "She Loves You" in a hotel room in Newcastle, England, while on tour there.

June 4, 1963

Pop Goes The Beatles debuts on the BBC. the band is a big draw on the network, but this is the first time they get their own show, where they perform, take requests, and crack jokes. They record a rock version of "Pop Goes The Weasel" for the theme song. It lasts 16 episodes.

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 3, 1963

The Beatles play The Cavern Club in Liverpool for the last time. They played the first of their 292 shows there in 1961 when they made their debut performance.

August 3, 1963

The Beatles show up on a Billboard chart for the first time when "From Me to You" bubbles under on the Hot 100, reaching a peak of #116 the following week. Their US breakthrough doesn't happen until January 1964, when "I Want To Hold Your Hand" rises up the chart, hitting #1 in February.

August 1, 1963

Beatles Monthly magazine debuts. It publishes for six years.

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.

October 17, 1963

The Beatles record the first of their "Christmas Records," spoken word greetings sent out on vinyl to members of their fan club.

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 4, 1963

Dusty Springfield interviews The Beatles when they appear on the British TV show Ready, Steady, Go.

November 22, 1963

The Beatles release their second studio album, With The Beatles.

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