- Jan 1 Simon & Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" reaches #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
- Jan 8 The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" album goes #1 & stays #1 for 6 weeks
- Jan 8 The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" single goes #1 & stays #1 for 3 weeks
- Jan 8 The Who and The Kinks perform on the last "Shindig" TV show on ABC
"Can't Help Thinking About Me"
Jan 14 David Bowie releases his 1st single "Can't Help Thinking About Me"
- Jan 19 British composer Michael Tippett's cantata "Vision of St Augustine" premieres in London
"Sweet Charity"
Jan 29 Neil Simon, Cy Coleman, and Dorothy Fields' musical "Sweet Charity", starring Gwen Verdon, and directed by Bob Fosse, opens at the Palace Theater, NYC for 608 performances, winning a Tony Award for choreogrphy
Shostakovich's 11th String Quartet
Jan 30 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 11th string quartet
- Feb 28 Cavern Club (Beatles hangout) in Liverpool, England closes
Music History
Mar 3 Canadian-American rock band "Buffalo Springfield" forms (Stephen Stills, Neil Young, et al)
More Popular Than Jesus
Mar 4 John Lennon says "We (the Beatles) are more popular than Jesus"
- Mar 5 11th Eurovision Song Contest: Udo Jurgens for Austria wins singing "Merci, Cherie" in Luxembourg
- Mar 6 Barry Sadler's "Ballad of the Green Berets" becomes #1 (13 weeks)
- Mar 7 Leon Gluckman and Jeremy Taylor's folk music revue "Wait A Minim!" opens at John Golden Theater, NYC; runs for 457 performances
Golden Boy
Mar 8 Lee Adams and Charles Strouse's musical adaptation of Clifford Odet's "Golden Boy", starring Sammy Davis Jr. closes at Majestic Theater, NYC, after 569 performances
- Mar 12 Love's 1st album released "Love"
Grammy Awards
Mar 15 8th Grammy Awards: "Taste of Honey", Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra & Barbra Streisand win
- Mar 18 "Pousse Cafe" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 3 performances
- Mar 19 "Poussé Cafe" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 3 performances
- Mar 25 Beatles pose for photographer Robert Whitaker with mutilated dolls and butchered meat for album cover of "Yesterday & Today", it is later pulled from circulation and replaced with a different photo
It's a Bird... It's A Plane...It's Superman
Mar 29 Charles Strouse and Lee Adams' musical "It's a Bird... It's A Plane...It's Superman" opens at Alvin Theatre, NYC; runs for 129 performances
Color Me Barbra
Mar 30 "Color Me Barbra", Barbra Streisand's second TV special and the first in color, premieres on CBS
- Apr 1 "Hold On, I'm Comin'" single released by Sam & Dave
Strangers in the Night
Apr 11 Frank Sinatra records "Strangers in the Night" single for his album of the same name. Later reaches #1 Billboard charts
- Apr 12 Rocker Jan Berry crashes his Corvette into a parked truck, an accident which leaves him with long-lasting health issues
Aftermath
Apr 15 The Rolling Stones release "Aftermath", their fourth studio album in UK (6th in US)
- Apr 27 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 2nd Cello Concert
Music Premiere
Apr 28 David Diamond's 5th Symphony premieres with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein; the work was dedicated to the conductor
- May 1 Last British concert by Beatles (Empire Pool in Wembley)
- May 6 The Rolling Stones release the single "Paint It Black", featuring prominent sitar played by Brian Jones, in the US
- May 7 Mamas & Papas "Monday Monday" hits #1
- May 13 The Rolling Stones release "Paint it Black" in the UK
- May 14 A Lover's Concerto by Mrs Miller hits #95
- May 16 The Beach Boys release their groundbreaking album "Pet Sounds", containing hit singles "Sloop John B" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and "God Only Knows"
- May 21 "Downtown" by Mrs Miller hits #82
- May 21 "Time for Singing" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 41 performances
- May 21 Louie Louie by The Kingsmen reentered the chart & hits #97
Mame
May 24 Jerry Herman's musical "Mame", starring Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur, opens at Winter Garden Theater, NYC; runs for 1508 performances, wins 3 Tony Awards
- May 28 "Ballad Of Irving", parody song by Frank Gallop peaks at #34 in US
- May 28 Dmitri Shostakovich's 11th String quartet premieres in Leningrad
- May 30 The Beatles release single "Paperback Writer" / "Rain" in US; "Rain" featured experimental studio tricks of slowed down bass and drums tracks, and backwards vocals in the fade out
Music Concert
Jun 1 George Harrison is impressed by sitarist Ravi Shankar's concert in London
- Jun 4 Novelty single "Batman & His Grandmother" by Dickie Goodman hits #70
Music Concert
Jun 10 Janis Joplin plays her 1st gig with Big Brother & The Holding Company, at Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco, California
- Jun 10 Janis Joplin's 1st live concert (Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco)
- Jun 10 The Beatles release single "Paperback Writer" / "Rain" in UK; "Rain" featured experimental studio tricks of slowed down bass and drums tracks, and backwards vocals in the fade out
- Jun 11 "(I'm A) Road Runner" by Jr Walker & The All-Stars peaks at #20
- Jun 11 "I Am A Rock" by Simon & Garfunkel peaks at #3
- Jun 11 "On A Clear Day You..." closes at Mark Hellinger NYC after 280 performances
- Jun 11 "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones peaks at #1 in the US
- Jun 11 "Skyscraper" closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 248 performances
- Jun 11 "Sloop John B" by The Beach Boys hits #1 in UK
Music History
Jun 16 Rowan & Martin host "The Dean Martin Show" Summer Series, on NBC-TV
- Jun 25 Beatles' "Paperback Writer" single goes #1 & stays #1 for 2 weeks
- Jun 25 Dmitri Shostakovich's 13th Symphony, premieres in Leningrad
- Jun 26 "Time for Singing" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 41 performances
- Jun 30 The Beatles land in Tokyo, Japan for what becomes their final concert tour there - they perform 5 shows at the Budokan Hall over 3 days, and collaborate on a painting while there
Beatles Attacked
Jul 4 Beatles attacked in the Philippines after (unintentionally) insulting Imelda Marcos
- Jul 16 David Heneker's musical "Half a Sixpence", starring Tommy Steels, and based on H.G. Well's 1905 novel "Kipps", closes at Broadhurst Theater, NYC, after 511 performances
- Jul 17 Charles Strouse and Lee Adams' musical "It's a Bird... It's A Plane...It's Superman" closes at Alvin Theatre, NYC. after 129 performances
- Jul 23 Frank Sinatra's album "Strangers In The Night" hits #1 on the US charts, (Grammy for Record Of The Year and Best Male Vocal Performance)
Music Concert
Jul 25 Brian Jones' final performance as a Rolling Stone
You Can't Hurry Love
Jul 25 The Supremes release single "You Can't Hurry Love"
- Jul 30 Beatles' "Yesterday... & Today" album goes #1 & stays #1 for 5 weeks
- Jul 31 Two Alabama radio hosts, Tommy Charles and Doug Layton of WAQY in Birmingham ask listeners to send in Beatles albums and merchandise to burn in response to John Lennon's anti-Jesus remark that "Christianity will go" [1]
- Aug 3 South African government bans records by The Beatles
- Aug 5 The Beatles release single "Yellow Submarine" with "Eleanor Rigby" in the UK
- Aug 5 The Beatles release their "Revolver" album in the UK
- Aug 8 South African Broadcasting bans the playing of all Beatles songs due to John Lennon's remark that the band was "more popular than Jesus"
- Aug 9 The Beatles release their "Yellow Submarine" single and its album "Revolver" in the US
- Aug 11 The Beatles arrive in Chicago, Illinois for their third (and final) US tour
- Aug 12 Last Beatle concert tour of North America begins with two shows at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois
- Aug 12 Longview, Texas radio station KLUE holds a "Beatles Bonfire" to burn Beatles records and memorabilia; station is struck by lightning the following day
- Aug 12 The Beatles hold press conference at the Astor Tower Hotel, in Chicago, Illinois; John Lennon apologizes for his "more popular than Jesus" remark
- Aug 13 Longview, Texas radio station KLUE is struck by lightning the day after holding a "Beatles Bonfire", knocking an engineer unconscious and causing extensive damage to equipment
- Aug 14 Cleveland Stadium's 1st rock concert: The Beatles headline; fans break through barriers and rush stage causing a 30-minute delay while order is restored
- Aug 16 The Beatles in concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; their second and final show in the city
- Aug 19 Beatles pelted with rotten fruit and firecrackers during concert at Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee; Ku Klux Klan demonstrated outside the show and burned records
- Aug 21 1st concert at Busch Memorial Stadium: (St. Louis, Missouri): The Beatles headline; it is their second show of the day, having played in the afternoon 341 miles away in Cincinnati, Ohio after getting rained out on the night before
- Aug 22 The Beatles arrive in New York City and hold two press conferences, one for the press and one for their fans
- Aug 23 The Beatles' last concert in Queens, New York City at Shea Stadium before a crowd of 45,000, and 11,000 unsold seats
- Aug 29 The Beatles' last public concert before a crowd of 25,000, and 7,000 unsold seats, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California
- Sep 10 Beatles' "Revolver," album goes #1 & stays #1 for 6 weeks in the UK
Music History
Sep 10 Neil Diamond has his first Billboard chart success with single "Cherry Cherry"
TV Show Appearance
Sep 11 Rolling Stones 4th appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show"; perform 3 songs, including "Paint It Black"
Metropolitan Opera House
Sep 16 Metropolitan Opera House opens in Lincoln Center, New York with Leontyne Price as Cleopatra in "Antony and Cleopatra" by Samuel Barber
Music History
Sep 21 Jimmy Hendrix changes spelling of his name to "Jimi"
- Sep 25 Dmitri Shostakovich's 2nd Cello Concert premieres in Moscow
- Oct 7 Rolling Stones record four songs for their 1st live LP "Got Live If You Want It!" at a concert at Colston Hall in Bristol
- Oct 13 Jimi Hendrix Experience rock trio debuts with American guitarist Jimi Hendrix, British bassist Noel Redding and British drummer Mitch Mitchell in Évreux, Normandy, France
Music History
Oct 18 Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's musical "The Apple Tree", starring Alan Alda and Barbara Harris, opens at Shubert Theater, NYC; runs for 463 performances
- Oct 25 Jimi Hendrix Experience play their first UK gig as a private showcase at The Scotch of St. James in London
- Nov 5 The Monkees score their 1st Billboard No. 1 - ‘Last Train To Clarksville’, written by Bobby Hart and Tommy Boyce
John Meets Yoko
Nov 7 John Lennon meets Yoko Ono at an avante-garde art exposition at Indica Gallery in London [1]
Caberet
Nov 20 John Kander and Fred Ebb's "Cabaret" opens at Broadhurst Theater, NYC; runs for 1166 performances, wins 8 Tony Awards
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Nov 24 The Beatles began recording sessions for their album "Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
Music History
Nov 26 Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn's musical "Walking Happy", based on the 1916 novel "Hobson's Choice", opens at Lunt Fontanne Theater, NYC; runs for 161 performances
- Dec 3 Television pop group "The Monkees" make their live concert debut at the Honolulu International Centre Arena, in Hawaii
I Do! I Do!
Dec 5 Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones' musical "I Do! I Do!", starring Robert Preston and Mary Martin, and directed by Gower Champion, opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 561 performances
- Dec 15 Oscar Brand and Paul Nassau's musical "A Joyful Noise", starring John Raitt, opens at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC; runs for 12 performances
- Dec 16 Jimi Hendrix Experience releases its 1st single, "Hey Joe" in the UK
- Dec 16 The Beatles release "Everywhere it's Christmas" in UK
- Dec 24 Oscar Brand and Paul Nassau's musical "A Joyful Noise", starring John Raitt, closes at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC, after 12 performances
- Dec 26 Jimi Hendrix writes the song "Purple Haze" backstage at the Upper Cut Club, London
- Dec 27 Flander and Swann's musical revue "At the Drop of Another Hat" opens at Booth Theater, NYC; runs for 105 performances
- Dec 31 The Monkees single "I'm a Believer", written by Neil Diamond, hits #1 and stays there for 7 weeks
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