[edit] Events - January 1 - Top of the Pops premieres on BBC television.
- January 3 - Footage of the Beatles performing a concert in Bournemouth, England is shown on The Jack Paar Show.
- January 15 - Vee Jay Records files a lawsuit against Capitol Records and Swan Records over manufacturing and distribution rights to Beatles albums. On April 9, Capitol Records is granted an injunction restraining Vee Jay Records from further manufacturing, distributing or advertising recordings by the Beatles.
- January 18 - The Beatles appear on the Billboard magazine charts for the first time.
- February 1 - Indiana Governor Matthew E. Welsh declares the song "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen pornographic. He requests that the Indiana Broadcasters Association ban the record. Governor Welsh claimed that hearing the song made his "ears tingle." Publisher Max Firetag offers $1,000 to anyone that can find anything "suggestive" in the song's lyrics.
- February 7 - The Beatles arrive in the United States and are greeted by thousands of screaming fans at New York's Kennedy Airport.
- February 9 - The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, which breaks television ratings records.
- February 16 - The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.
- February 22 - Plácido Domingo makes his international breakthrough at the première of Ginastera's Don Rodrigo in New York City.
- February 23 - The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.
- March - Capitol Records is bombarded with requests for heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay's album, I Am the Greatest, following Clay's defeat of Sonny Liston in February.
- March 6 - Elvis Presley's 14th motion picture, Kissin' Cousins is released to theaters.
- March 14 - Billboard Magazine reports that sales of Beatles records make up 60% of the entire singles market.
- March 16 - Disc jockey Alan Freed is charged with tax evasion.
- March 21 - Italy wins the 9th Eurovision Song Contest, held in the Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen, with the song "Non ho l'età", sung by 16-year-old Gigliola Cinquetti.
- March 24 - John Lennon's first book, In His Own Write is published.
- March 27 - The Beatles occupy the top six spots on the Australian pop chart.
- March 28 - Wax likenesses of The Beatles are put on display in London's Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. The Beatles are the first pop stars to be displayed at the museum.
- April 4 - The Beatles occupied all five top positions on Billboard's Hot 100 with their singles "Can't Buy Me Love", "Twist and Shout", "She Loves You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and "Please Please Me".
- April 11 - The Beatles hold 14 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Previously, the highest number of concurrent singles by one artist on the Hot 100 was nine by Elvis Presley, December 19, 1956.
- April 16 - The Rolling Stones release their eponymous début album.
- May 2 - In the United States, The Beatles' Second Album climbs to the #1 spot on the LP charts in only its second week of release.
- June 5 - The Rolling Stones start their first US tour.
- July 31 - Country singer Jim Reeves dies in an airplane crash near Nashville.
- August 8 - Bob Dylan releases his fourth album, Another Side of Bob Dylan.
- August 22 - The Supremes are on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the first of five successive number one hits, "Where Did Our Love Go".
- August 26 - The Kinks release their iconic single "You Really Got Me".
- September 16 - Shindig! premieres on ABC.
- September 22 - Fiddler on the Roof opens on Broadway.
- October 19 - Simon & Garfunkel release Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., which is initially a total flop upon first release. After release of their second album, Sounds of Silence, in 1966, it hits #30 on the Billboard charts.
- October 24 - The Rolling Stones start their second US tour.
- October 25 - The Rolling Stones perform on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time.
- October 29 - The T.A.M.I. Show is filmed.
- October 31 - The Supremes are on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the second of five successive number one hits, "Baby Love".
- November - A deal with UK impresario W. H. Miller lands the Anita Kerr Quartette on Capitol Records for North America.
- December 11 - Sam Cooke is killed under mysterious circumstances in Los Angeles, California. Shortly thereafter, "A Change Is Gonna Come," a song considered by many to be his best, is released.
- December 19 - The Supremes are on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the third of five successive number one hits, "Come See About Me".
- Simon & Garfunkel make their first recording for Columbia Records.
- Dalida is the first star to receive a Platinum Disc in Europe.
- 11 year old Keith Green becomes the youngest person ever to sign a contract with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) after publishing, recording and releasing the song "The Way I Used to Be".
- Marianne Faithfull's musical career begins.
- Sonny and Cher begin performing together.
[edit] New Bands [edit] Albums released [edit] Biggest hit singles The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in 1964. | # | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries | | 1 | The Beatles | I Want to Hold Your Hand | 1964 |  | UK 1 - Dec 1963, US BB 1 - Jan 1964, US CashBox 1 of 1964, Canada 1 - Jan 1964, Norway 1 - Jan 1964, Germany 1 - Feb 1964, Australia 1 for 5 weeks Jul 1963, Australia 2 of 1963, RYM 2 of 1964, DDD 4 of 1963, South Africa 6 of 1963, US BB 7 of 1964, Global 7 (10 M sold) - 1963, POP 7 of 1964, Rolling Stone 16, RIAA 28, Scrobulate 29 of oldies, Acclaimed 30, Germany 40 of the 1960s, WXPN 350 | | 2 | Roy Orbison | Oh, Pretty Woman | 1964 | | UK 1 - Sep 1964, US BB 1 - Sep 1964, Canada 1 - Aug 1964, Norway 1 - Oct 1964, Germany 1 - Jan 1965, Éire 1 - Oct 1964, Holland 3 - Jan 1965, US CashBox 4 of 1964, DDD 8 of 1964, RYM 13 of 1964, South Africa 15 of 1964, 16 in 2FM list, US BB 17 of 1964, POP 17 of 1964, Australia 20 of 1964, RIAA 43, OzNet 62, Germany 64 of the 1960s, Acclaimed 77, Europe 83 of the 1960s, Party 147 of 2007, Rolling Stone 222, Belgium 234 of all time, WXPN 655 | | 3 | The Animals | House of the Rising Sun | 1964 | | UK 1 - Jun 1964, US BB 1 - Aug 1964, Canada 1 - Aug 1964, Australia 1 for 2 weeks Apr 1964, France 4 - Oct 1972, DDD 4 of 1964, RYM 5 of 1964, Netherlands 3 1964, Poland 6 - Oct 1982, Europe 7 of the 1960s, Germany 9 - Jan 1965, US BB 38 of 1964, POP 38 of 1964, US CashBox 53 of 1964, Acclaimed 55, Italy 66 of 1965, Scrobulate 80 of oldies, 89 in 2FM list, Rolling Stone 122, Belgium 124 of all time, TheQ 227, RIAA 240, OzNet 275, Germany 296 of the 1960s | | 4 | The Beatles | A Hard Day's Night | 1964 | | UK 1 - Jul 1964, US BB 1 - Jul 1964, Canada 1 - Jul 1964, Norway 1 - Aug 1964, Éire 1 - Aug 1964, Australia 1 for 4 weeks Mar 1964, Germany 2 - Sep 1964, Australia 3 of 1964, RYM 6 of 1964, DDD 11 of 1964, South Africa 14 of 1964, US CashBox 18 of 1964, Scrobulate 39 of oldies, Europe 96 of the 1960s, Rolling Stone 153, Germany 254 of the 1960s, Acclaimed 411, OzNet 815 | | 5 | The Beatles | I Feel Fine | 1964 | | UK 1 - Dec 1964, US BB 1 - Dec 1964, Canada 1 - Nov 1964, Holland 1 - Jan 1965, Norway 1 - Dec 1964, Éire 1 - Dec 1964, Australia 1 for 6 weeks Jul 1964, Germany 3 - Jan 1965, Australia 8 of 1964, RYM 8 of 1964, DDD 9 of 1964, US CashBox 19 of 1965, Scrobulate 40 of oldies, Germany 207 of the 1960s | [edit] Singles released See also: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1964 (USA) [edit] Published popular music - "The Addams Family theme song" w.m. Vic Mizzy
- "Anatevka" - w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
- "Anyone Who Had a Heart" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
- "Baby, I Need Your Loving w.m. Edward Holland, Brian Holland & Lamont Dozier
- "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island" w.m. Frank DeVol and Sherwood Schwartz
- "Before the Parade Passes By" w.m. Jerry Herman, from the musical Hello, Dolly!
- "Bewitched theme song" w.m. Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller
- "Chapel Of Love" w.m. Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry
- "Chim Chim Cher-ee" w.m. Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
- "Cryin' Time" w.m. Buck Owens
- "Dear Heart" w. Jay Livingston & Ray Evans m. Henry Mancini
- "Do You Love Me?" w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
- "Feed the Birds" w.m. Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman from the film Mary Poppins
- "Gimme Some" w. Lee Adams m. Charles Strouse
- "Glad All Over" w.m. Dave Clark & Mike Smith
- "Goin' Out of My Head" w.m. Teddy Randazzo & Bobby Weinstein
- "Golden Boy" w. Lee Adams m. Charles Strouse
- "Hang on Sloopy" w.m. Bert Russell & Wes Farrell
- "Have I the Right" w.m. Ken Howard & Alan Blaikley
- "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte", m. Frank DeVol from the film of the same name
- "If I Were a Rich Man" w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock. Introduced in the musical Fiddler on the Roof by Zero Mostel. Performed by Chaim Topol in the 1971 film version.
- "Invisible Tears" w.m. Ned Miller and Sue Miller
- "It's Over" w.m. Roy Orbison & Bill Dees
- "Let's Go Fly a Kite" w.m. Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman from the film Mary Poppins
- "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
- "Miracle of Miracles" w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
- "Now I Have Everything" w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
- "Oh, Pretty Woman" w.m. Roy Orbison & Bill Dees
- "Pass Me By" w. Carolyn Leigh m. Cy Coleman. Introduced by Digby Wolfe in the film Father Goose
- "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" w.m. Jerry Herman, from the musical Hello, Dolly!
- "So Long, Dearie" w.m. Jerry Herman, from the musical Hello, Dolly!
- "A Spoonful of Sugar" w.m. Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman from the film Mary Poppins
- "Style" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen from the film Robin And The Seven Hoods
- "Sunrise, Sunset" w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
- "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" w.m. Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman from the film Mary Poppins
- "That's Life" w.m. Dean Kay & Kelly Gordon
- "To Life" w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock from Fiddler on the Roof
- "Tradition" w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
- "Where Did Our Love Go?" w.m. Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland and Edward Holland
- "A World Without Love" w.m. John Lennon and Paul McCartney
- "Zorba's Dance" m. Mikis Theodorakis
[edit] Classical music [edit] Musical theater [edit] Musical films [edit] Births - January 5 - Grant Young, Soul Asylum
- January 10 - Brad Roberts, Crash Test Dummies
- January 11 - Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen, composer
- January 29 - Roddy Frame, Aztec Camera
- February 4 - Noodles of The Offspring
- February 5 - Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses
- February 23 - John Norum, Europe guitarist
- March 11 - Vinnie Paul, drummer (Pantera, Damageplan and Hellyeah!)
- March 19 - Yoko Kanno, composer
- March 20 - Tracy Chapman
- April 12 - Amy Ray, Indigo Girls
- April 16 - Dave Pirner, Soul Asylum
- April 17 - Maynard James Keenan, Tool
- April 25 - Andy Bell, Erasure
- May 26 - Lenny Kravitz, guitarist
- May 30 - Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine & Audioslave
- May 31 - Darryl McDaniels, Run-D.M.C.
- June 6 - Jay Bentley, Bad Religion
- June 13 - Robbie Merrill, Godsmack
- June 22
- July 20 - Chris Cornell, Soundgarden & Audioslave
- July 22 - Will Calhoun, Living Colour
- August 1 - Adam Duritz, Counting Crows
- August 5 - Adam Yauch, Beastie Boys
- August 17 - Colin James
- September 7 - Eazy-E, NWA
- September 23 - Koshi Inaba, B'z
- September 27 - Stephan Jenkins, Third Eye Blind
- September 30 - Robby Takac, Goo Goo Dolls
- October 5 - Dave Dededer, Presidents of the United States of America
- October 6 - Matthew Sweet
- October 7 - Sam Brown
- October 10 - Neneh Cherry, singer
- October 20
- October 23 - Robert Trujillo (Metallica)
- November 6
- November 14
- November 24 - Tony Rambola (Godsmack)
- December 8 - Sandy Burnett, record producer
- December 13 - Hideto Matsumoto (Hide)
[edit] Deaths - January 7 - Colin McPhee, Canadian composer and musicologist
- January 9 - Big Boy Goudie, jazz saxophonist
- January 15 - Jack Teagarden, jazz trombonist and vocalist, 58 (pneumonia/heart attack)
- January 22 - Marc Blitzstein, composer
- February 25 - Johnny Burke, lyricist
- April 4 - Georgia Caine, Broadway star
- May 10 - Carol Haney, dancer and choreographer, 39 (pneumonia)
- June 10 - Louis Gruenberg, pianist and composer
- June 29 - Eric Dolphy, American jazz saxophonist, flautist and bass clarinettist, 36 (diabetic coma)
- July 1 - Pierre Monteux, French conductor
- July 10 - Joe Haymes, bandleader and arranger
- July 31 - Jim Reeves, American country singer, 40 (plane crash)
- August 14 - Johnny Burnette, rockabilly singer, 30 (drowned)
- September 20 - Lazare Lévy, French pianist and teacher
- September 28 :
- October 10 :
- October 15 - Cole Porter, songwriter and composer
- October 29 - Vasily Agapkin, Soviet composer
- November 5 - Buddy Cole, jazz pianist and orchestra leader, 45 (heart attack)
- November 30 - Don Redman, US arranger, bandleader and saxophonist
- December 2 - Sam H. Stept, Russian-born US songwriter, pianist and conductor, 67
- December 9 - Edith Sitwell, poet and collaborator of William Walton
- December 11 :
- December 14 - Francisco Canaro, Uruguayan violinist and tango orchestra leader
- December 21 - Theodor Blumer, composer and conductor
[edit] Awards [edit] Grammy Awards [edit] Eurovision Song Contest [edit] See also Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1964, 1963 in music, other events of 1964, 1965 in music and the list of 'years in music' |
