1963 in music

Events

• January 1 - The Beatles start a 5 day tour in Scotland to support the release of their new single, "Love Me Do".
• January 7 - Gary U.S. Bonds files a $100,000 lawsuit against Chubby Checker, claiming that Checker stole "Quarter to Three" and turned it into "Dancin' Party." The lawsuit is later settled out of court.
• January 11 - The Whiskey-a-Go-Go night club in Los Angeles, the first disco in the USA, is opened.
• January 12 - Bob Dylan portrays a folk singer in The Madhouse of Castle Street, a radio play for the BBC in London.
• February 16 - The Beatles receive their first #1 hit single, when "Please Please Me" tops the charts in the UK
• February 16 - Paul Anka marries Marie-Ann DeZogheb
• February 22 - The Beatles form Northern Songs Publishing Company.
• March 5 - Patsy Cline is killed in small plane crash near Camden, Tennessee, while on her way to Nashville, Tennessee from St. Louis, Missouri.
• April 29 - 19 year old Andrew Loog Oldham signs a contract with The Rolling Stones, becoming their manager. Oldham had seen the band in concert the previous day at the Crawdaddy Club in London.
• The Beatles record their first album, Please Please Me
• The Righteous Brothers begin performing together;
• Lonnie Mack begins his musical career;
• The Kinks form
• Herman's Hermits form
• Philips introduce the Musicassette at the Berlin Funkaustellung
• Coxsone Dodd opens the first black-owned recording studio in Jamaica, named Studio One
• Lord Shorty's "Clock and Dagger" is widely considered the first soca recording

Albums released

• Please Please Me - The Beatles
• In Dreams - Roy Orbison
• Follow The Boys - Connie Francis

Top hits on record

• "Please Please Me" - The Beatles
• "She Loves You" - The Beatles
• "Love Me Do" - The Beatles
• "I Want To Hold Your Hand" - The Beatles
• "From Me To You" - The Beatles
• "In Dreams" - Roy Orbison
• "Blue Bayou" - Roy Orbison
• "Pretty Paper" - Roy Orbison
• "He's So Fine" - The Chiffons
• "Bo Diddley" - Buddy Holly
• "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" - Buddy Holly
• "Surf City" - Jan & Dean
• "It's My Party" - Leslie Gore
• "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" - Gene Pitney
• "Be My Baby" - The Ronettes
• "Wipe Out" - The Surfaris
• "If I Had A Hammer" - Trini Lopez
• "Da Doo Ron Ron" - The Crystals
• "Pipeline" - The Chantays
• "Walk Like A Man" - The Four Seasons
• "Heat Wave" - Martha & the Vandellas
• "Up On The Roof" - The Drifters
• "I Can't Stay Mad At You" - Skeeter Davis
• "Only In America" - Jay & the Americans
• "Wonderful Summer" - Robin Ward

Published popular songs

• "18 Yellow Roses"     Bobby Darin
• "Abilene"     w.m. John D. Loudermilk, Lester Brown, Bob Gibson, Albert Stanton
• "All My Loving"     w.m. John Lennon & Paul McCartney
• "Another Saturday Night"     w.m. Sam Cooke
• "As Usual"     Zanetis
• "Charade"     w. Johnny Mercer m. Henry Mancini
• "Da Do Ron Ron"     w.m. Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry
• "Detroit City"     w.m. Mel Tillis & Danny Dill
• "Dominique"     Soeur Sourire
• "Don't Talk To Him"     Richard, Welch
• "Don't You Forget It"     w. Al Stillman m. Henry Mancini
• "Flash! Bang! Wallop!"     w.m.David Heneker
• "From Me To You"     w.m. John Lennon & Paul McCartney
• "Good Morning, Good Day"     w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
• "Half A Sixpence"     w.m.David Heneker
• "Hello, Dolly!"     w.m. Jerry Herman
• "How Do You Do It?"     w.m. Mitch Murray
• "I Call Your Name"     w.m. John Lennon & Paul McCartney
• "I Like It"     Murray
• "I Saw Her Standing There"     w.m. John Lennon & Paul McCartney
• "I Want To Hold Your Hand"     w.m. John Lennon & Paul McCartney
• "I Will Follow Him"     w. (Eng) Norman Gimbel & Arthur Altman m. J. W. Stole & Del Roma
• "I'll Get You"     w.m. John Lennon & Paul McCartney
• "It Won't Be Long"     w.m. John Lennon & Paul McCartney
• "It's My Party"     w.m. Herb Wiener, Wally Gold & John Gluck Jnr
• "Kissin' Cousins"     w.m. Fred Wise & Randy Starr
• "Losing You"     w.(Eng) Carl Sigman m. Jean Renard
• "Make The World Go Away"     w.m. Hank Cochran
• "Move Over Darling"     Kanter
• "On Broadway"     w.m. Cynthia Weil, Barry Mann, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
• "On The Beach"     Welch, Marvin, Richard
• "Our Day Will Come" w.m. Bob Hillard & Mort Garson
• "The Pink Panther"     w. Johnny Mercer m. Henry Mancini
• "Pretty Paper"     Willie Nelson
• "Reverend Mr Black"     Billy Edd Wheeler, Jed Peters
• "She Loves You"     w.m. John Lennon & Paul McCartney
• "Surf City"     w.m. Jan Berry & Brian Wilson
• "Surfer Girl"     w.m. Brian Wilson
• "Talk Back Trembling Lips"     w.m. John D. Loudermilk
• "The Times They Are A-Changin' "     w.m. Bob Dylan
• "Viva Las Vegas"     Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman
• "Washington Square" w.m. Bob Goldstein & David Shire
• "Wives And Lovers"     w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
• "You Were Made For Me"     Murray

Musical theater

• 110 In The Shade     Broadway production
• At The Drop Of Another Hat     London production
• The Boys From Syracuse     London production
• Carnival     London production
• A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum     London production
• The Girl Who Came To Supper opened at the Broadway Theater on December 8, 1963
• Half A Sixpence     London production
• Here's Love     Broadway production
• How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying     London production
• Oh! What a Lovely War     London production
• Oliver!     Broadway production
• On The Town     London production
• Pickwick     London production
• She Loves Me     Broadway production
• Wish You Were Here     London production

Musical films

• Bye Bye Birdie
• Summer Holiday

Births

• January 4 - Robin Guthrie, Cocteau Twins
• January 26 - Jazzie B, Soul II Soul
• January 26 - Andrew Ridgeley, Wham!
• January 28 - Dan Spitz, Anthrax
• February 2 - Eva Cassidy
• February 19 - Seal
• March 1 - Dan Michaels, The Choir, The Swirling Eddies, owner of Galaxy21 Music
• March 4 - Jason Newsted, Metallica
• March 10 - Jeff Ament, Pearl Jam
• March 15 - Bret Michaels, Poison
• April 8 - Julian Lennon, son of John Lennon
• June 25 - George Michael
• June 30 - Yngwie J. Malmsteen, guitar preformer
• July 22 - Emily Saliers, Indigo Girls
• August 3 - James Hetfield, Metallica
• August 12 - Sir Mix-A-Lot
• August 22 - Tori Amos
• August 22 - James DeBarge, DeBarge
• October 26 - Natalie Merchant
• October 30 - Jerry DeBorg, Jesus Jones
• November 1 - Rick Allen, Def Leppard
• November 2 - Bobby Dall, Poison
• December 26 - Lars Ulrich, Metallica
• December 31 - Scott Ian, Anthrax

Deaths

• January 6 - Lina Barbanell, German singer and actress
• March 5 - Patsy Cline, plane crash
• May 10 - Irving Aaronson, bandleader and composer
• October 11 - Edith Piaf, French singing superstar
• November 26 - Amelita Galli-Curci, Operatic soprano

Awards

Grammy Awards

• Grammy Awards of 1963

Eurovision Song Contest

• Eurovision Song Contest 1963

Referenced By