1964 in music

Table of contents

1 Events
2 Albums released
3 Top hits on record
4 Published popular songs
5 Musical theater
6 Musical films
7 Births
8 Deaths
9 Awards

9.1 Grammy Awards
9.2 Eurovision Song Contest

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 injuction 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 Welsh declares the song "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen pornographic. He requests that the Indiana Broadcasters Association ban the record. Governor Welsh claimed that his "ears tingle" when he heard the song. 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 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 Beatle records make up 60% of the entire singles market.
March 16 - Disc jockey Alan Freed is charged with tax evasion.
March 21 - For the first time in history, all Top Ten singles on the U.K. chart are by British acts.
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 Tussaud's 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 Top Pop Singles chart 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.
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, making it the first album ever to reach #1 that quickly.
September - Shindig! premieres on ABC.
September 22 - Fiddler On The Roof opens on Broadway.
October 19 - Simon and 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.
Simon and Garfunkel form to record for Columbia Records, marking first time that ethnic names are used in pop music.
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".
Frank Zappa's musical career begins.
Phil Ochs' musical career begins.
Marianne Faithfull's musical career begins.
Sonny and Cher begin performing together.
MC5 forms.
The Mamas & the Papas form.

Albums released

A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles
With the Beatles - The Beatles
Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M - Simon and Garfunkel
A Love Supreme - John Coltrane
Early Orbison - Roy Orbison
More of Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits - Roy Orbison
It Hurts to Be in Love - Gene Pitney
Johnny Horton's Greatest Hits - Johnny Horton
Simmer Down - The Wailing Wailers (Bunny Wailer, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh)

Top hits on record

"Baby Love" - The Supremes
"Can't Buy Me Love" - The Beatles
"Chug-A-Lug" - Roger Miller
"Dancin' In The Street" - Martha & the Vandellas
"Dawn" - The Four Seasons
"Fun Fun Fun" - The Beach Boys
"Glad All Over" - Dave Clark Five
"Goldfinger" - Shirley Bassey
"A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles
"Hello Dolly" recorded by Louis Armstrong
"House Of The Rising Sun" - The Animals
"I Feel Fine"/"She's A Woman" - The Beatles
"I Get Around" - The Beach Boys
"It's Over" - Roy Orbison
"She's Not There" - The Zombies
"Oh, Pretty Woman" - Roy Orbison
- This is reported to be the fastest selling single in history
"Twist and Shout" - The Beatles
"Under The Boardwalk" - The Drifters
"Walk on By" - Dionne Warwick
"Wishin' and Hopin'" - Dusty Springfield
"You Really Got Me" - The Kinks

Published popular songs

"Anatevka" - w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
"Chim Chim Cher-ee - w.m. Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sheman
"Do You Love Me?" - w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
"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
"If I Were A Rich Man" - w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
"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
"So Long, Dearie" - w.m. Jerry Herman
"Sunrise, Sunset" - w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
"To Life" - w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
"Tradition" - w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock

Musical theater

Anyone Can Whistle - Broadway production
Fiddler On The Roof - Broadway production
Funny Girl - Broadway production
Golden Boy - Broadway production
Hello, Dolly - Broadway production
Little Me - London production
Robert And Elizabeth - London production
Salad Days - London revival
She Loves Me - London production
What Makes Sammy Run - Broadway production

Musical films

A Hard Day's Night
Mary Poppins
Robin And The Seven Hoods
The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies De Cherbourg)
The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Viva Las Vegas

Births

January 5 - Grant Young, Soul Asylum
January 10 - Brad Roberts, Crash Test Dummies
January 29 - Roddy Frame, Aztec Camera
February 4 - Noodles of The Offspring
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 12 - Mr. Brett, Bad Religion & NOFX
May 26 - Lenny Kravitz
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 Merril, Godsmack
June 22 - Mike Edwards, Jesus Jones
July 20 - Chris Cornell, Soundgarden & Audioslave
July 22 - Will Calhoun, Living Colour
August 1 - Adam Duritz, Counting Crows
August 17 - Colin James
September 7 - Eazy-E, NWA
September 30 - Robby Takac, Goo Goo Dolls
October 5 - Dave Dededer, Presidents of the United States of America
October 6 - Matthew Sweet
October 10 - Neneh Cherry
October 20 - Jim Sonefeld, Hootie & The Blowfish
November 6 - Corey Glover, Living Colour
November 6 - Greg Gaffin, Bad Religion
November 14 - Joseph Run Simmons, Run DMC
November 14 - Nic Dalton, The Lemonheads
November 24 - Tony Rambola, Godsmack