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- The Beatles went to assess drummer Pete Best at the Casbah Coffee Club in Liverpool. Pete Best was then playing with The Blackjacks and was the daughter of club owner Mona Best.
- The Beatles performed under this name for the first time at the Indra Club on Grosse Freiheit in Hamburg. It was the first of a total of 48 nights during their first Hamburg engagement. Club owner Bruno Koschmider demanded “Mach Shau”, meaning a proper show, which led to their wild stage performances.
- The Beatles gave their first public performance at the Indra club in Hamburg.
- The Beatles began a two-year period during which they served as the main band at Liverpool’s Cavern Club.
- The Beatles performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in the afternoon and then played on the riverboat M.V. Royal Iris on the River Mersey as the support act for Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band. It was one of four “riverboat shuffles” in which the group participated.
- The group and their manager Brian Epstein decided to fire drummer Pete Best. Best played his final concert the following night at The Cavern in Liverpool. Ringo Starr, who was nearing the end of a three-month engagement with Rory Storm & the Hurricanes at a Butlin’s holiday camp, received a phone call from John Lennon asking him to join. Ringo gave Rory Storm three days' notice and made his first appearance as a member of The Beatles on August 18.
- Granada TV filmed The Beatles' lunchtime performance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, including the song “Some Other Guy”, which was the first time the group was filmed by television cameras. However, because of the grainy picture and poor sound quality, Granada did not broadcast the footage at the time and placed it in its archive. It was first broadcast on November 6, 1963, on the program “Scene at 6:30”. In the meantime, The Beatles' actual television debut took place live from a studio in Manchester on October 17, 1962, on the program “People and Places”.
- The Beatles officially performed with their new drummer Ringo Starr for the first time at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, just days after the dismissal of original drummer Pete Best.
- The Beatles played their first official concert with new drummer Ringo Starr at the Cavern Club in Liverpool after Pete Best was dismissed.
- The Beatles performed at lunchtime at the Cavern Club in Liverpool and in the evening at the Riverpark Ballroom in Chester with Gerry & the Pacemakers.
- The Beatles made their first appearance on the U.S. Billboard charts when “From Me to You” debuted at No. 125 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.
- The Beatles played their final concert at Liverpool’s Cavern Club. They had previously performed at the club 292 times. Tickets sold out within 30 minutes, and manager Brian Epstein limited attendance to 500 for safety reasons.
- The Beatles first appeared on the U.S. music charts when “From Me to You” debuted at No. 116 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100.
- The Beatles performed at the Queen's Theatre in Blackpool. Because of the crowds of fans, they had to enter the theater through a construction site, climb scaffolding onto the roof, and were then lowered through an opening in the roof.
- The Beatles arrived in Jersey in the English Channel. Before their first of four evenings at Springfield Ballroom, they spent the day driving go-karts and relaxing by the pool at The Revere Hotel.
- The Beatles byli na prvním místě britského albového žebříčku se svým albem „Please Please Me“.
- The Beatles arrived on the island of Guernsey, where they performed two concerts at Candie Gardens. They flew there from Jersey in a twelve-seat aircraft and were to receive £1,000 for both concerts.
- The Beatles released the single “She Loves You” in the UK, backed with “I'll Get You”. By 1977, the single had become the best-selling British single of all time, with sales of 1.93 million copies. It entered the UK chart on August 31 and spent 31 consecutive weeks on the chart, including 18 weeks in the Top Three. The record was not surpassed until 1977, when Paul McCartney achieved it with “Mull Of Kintyre”. The single also became their best-selling single in the UK and reached number one in charts in several countries around the world.
- The Beatles released the single „She Loves You“ with „I'll Get You“ on the B-side in the U.K. The song entered the U.K. chart on August 31 and remained there for 31 weeks, including 18 weeks in the Top Three.
- The Beatles performed at the Gaumont Cinema in Bournemouth on August 2, 1964. One of the supporting acts was The Kinks, then still described as a “new and unknown London group.”
- The Beatles reissued four singles in the United States: “Do You Want To Know A Secret”, “Please, Please Me”, “Love Me Do” and “Twist And Shout”.
- The Beatles began recording their fourth studio album at EMI Studios in London, then still untitled and later released as Beatles For Sale. The album marked a departure from the carefree tone of their earlier recordings, partly because of the band's exhaustion after a series of concert tours. Recording was completed on October 26 and the album was released on December 4, 1964. It later reached No. 1 in Australia, Finland, Germany and the UK.
- The Beatles recorded the song “Baby's In Black” on this day.
- The Beatles' first film, A Hard Day's Night, premiered in New York.
- A Hard Day's Night was released in U.S. theaters and became a major film success for The Beatles.
- The Beatles flew from London to San Francisco with brief stops in Winnipeg and Los Angeles to begin their first full US concert tour. The first concert was scheduled for the following day at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, and they were accompanied by The Righteous Brothers, The Exciters, Jackie DeShannon and Bill Black's Combo. More than 9,000 fans were waiting for them when they arrived in San Francisco, and the protective barriers gave way under the pressure of the crowd. The group escaped only seconds before the barriers collapsed.
- The Beatles began their first North American tour at Cow Palace in San Francisco before an audience of 17,130. This took place more than six months after their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and the tour was scheduled to cover 26 cities. They performed 12 songs that made up their concert repertoire throughout the tour: “Twist and Shout”, “You Can’t Do That”, “All My Loving”, “She Loves You”, “Things We Said Today”, “Roll Over Beethoven”, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “If I Fell”, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, “Boys”, “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Long Tall Sally”. The support acts were The Righteous Brothers, The Bill Black Combo, The Exciters and Jackie DeShannon. The 33-minute concert ended with an escape by ambulance after fans surrounded their limousine; John, Paul, Ringo and George were taken to safety by ambulance. Journalist Ivor Davis travelled with them throughout the tour and later described his experiences in the book “The Beatles and Me on Tour”.
- The Beatles performed at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, before 20,261 fans. The opening acts were The Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, The Righteous Brothers, and Jackie DeShannon. The concert was broadcast locally by CKNW.
- The Beatles performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California.
- The Beatles' album „Something New“ received a gold certification.
- The Beatles released the single „Matchbox / Slow Down“ in the U.S.
- The Beatles arrived in San Francisco to begin their first US tour and were welcomed by 9,000 fans. Because of the crowd, they were taken into a protected area so photographers could photograph them; however, fans pushed against the barrier and The Beatles narrowly escaped before it collapsed.
- The Beatles performed in front of 14,000 fans at Cincinnati Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- The Beatles appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine.
- The Beatles began a three-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Help!” It was their eighth consecutive UK No. 1 hit, and the song reached No. 1 on charts in eleven countries that year.
- Parlophone Records released The Beatles' fifth studio album, “Help!,” which also served as the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The original UK version contained fourteen tracks, seven of which, including the title track and “Ticket to Ride,” appeared in the film and made up the first side of the vinyl album. The album reached No. 1 in Australia, Finland, the UK and the U.S. that year and also included “Yesterday.”
- The Beatles se skladbou „Help!“ dostali na první místo britského singlového žebříčku.
- The Beatles' second film, Help!, premiered in New York, two weeks after its London premiere. The band members were not particularly happy with the film.
- In the US, The Beatles released their fifth studio album Help!, one week after its UK release. The album also served as the soundtrack to the film of the same name and reached No. 1 on the charts in Australia, the UK, Finland, and the US.
- The film Help! premiered in New York. It was the US premiere of The Beatles' second film, which had already been released in London on July 29, 1965. The US release of the album of the same name also took place that day.
- The Beatles arrived at Kennedy International Airport in New York ahead of the start of their North American tour.
- They filmed a performance for the CBS-TV program The Ed Sullivan Show at Studio 50 in New York. They performed “I Feel Fine”, “I’m Down”, “Act Naturally”, “Ticket to Ride”, “Yesterday” and “Help!”. The recording was broadcast on September 12, 1965, and was their fourth appearance on the show. Their fifth album Help! also began a nine-week run at number one on the UK chart.
- They opened their third North American tour with a concert at Shea Stadium in New York before 55,600 fans, setting a world record at the time for attendance at a pop concert. The concert grossed $304,000, of which the group received $160,000. The bill also included Brenda Holloway, The King Curtis Band, The Young Rascals and Sounds Incorporated.
- The Beatles performed at a stadium in Atlanta before a sold-out crowd of 35,000 people. Tickets cost $5.50.
- The Beatles played two concerts at Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas.
- During their North American tour, The Beatles played two concerts at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. Between the performances, Carl Wilson and Mike Love of The Beach Boys visited them in their dressing room.
- The Beatles held a star-studded party in Beverly Hills, during which John Lennon and George Harrison took LSD for the second time. During the experience, actor Peter Fonda said that he knew what it was like to be dead, which inspired Lennon to write the song „She Said She Said“.
- The Beatles' second feature film “Help!” went into wide theatrical release across North America following its London premiere on July 29 and New York premiere on August 11.
- The Beatles performed at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, before a sold-out audience of 35,000 people. Fans paid $5.50 for the highly sought-after tickets.
- On the final day of their five-day break during their North American tour, The Beatles visited a recording session by The Byrds and later, at around 10:00 p.m., visited Elvis Presley at his home on Perugia Way in Bel Air, Los Angeles. The meeting was initially somewhat stiff, but Elvis broke the tension by suggesting that they play together, followed by a jam session on Chuck Berry songs. Colonel Tom Parker and Brian Epstein played pool in the meantime. It was The Beatles' only personal meeting with Elvis Presley.
- During their US tour, The Beatles performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California. Tickets cost $3. The live album "The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl", released in May 1977, was compiled from two performances at the Hollywood Bowl in 1964 and this 1965 concert.
- The Beatles performed two concerts at Cow Palace in San Francisco, California, during their North American tour, before a total audience of 28,700.
- The controversy over John Lennon’s remark that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus Christ” spread throughout the United States. Several radio stations began boycotting the group’s music, followed by protests and record burnings.
- The Beatles released their seventh studio album, “Revolver,” in the UK on Parlophone. The album reached No. 1 on the UK Record Retailer chart and later topped the U.S. Billboard Top LPs, where it spent six weeks at No. 1. It topped the UK chart for seven weeks. The U.S. release followed three days later.
- The Beatles released the album “Revolver”, which marked a major development in their studio work. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spent a total of 77 weeks on the chart. It included, among others, the psychedelic track “Tomorrow Never Knows” and the song “Taxman”.
- The Beatles released the double A-side “Eleanor Rigby” / “Yellow Submarine”.
- In response to John Lennon's remark that The Beatles were bigger than Jesus Christ, the South African Broadcasting Corporation banned all Beatles recordings from radio broadcasts. Sales of their records in stores remained permitted, and the ban lasted nearly five years.
- The Beatles arrived at O'Hare Airport in Chicago to begin their final tour of the United States.
- At a press conference in Chicago, John Lennon explained his controversial remark that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus” and clarified that he had intended to describe the group’s influence on young people in England at the time.
- The Beatles began the American leg of their final concert tour with a performance at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago.
- KLUE-AM radio station in Longview, Texas, held a “Beatles Bonfire” event at which Beatles records and other items were destroyed in response to John Lennon's controversial statement that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus Christ”. The following morning, lightning struck the station's transmission tower, interrupting the broadcast and knocking the news director unconscious.
- The London Catholic newspaper The Catholic Herald published an editorial calling John Lennon's recent statement that the group was “bigger than Jesus” generally accurate but “arrogant”. Meanwhile, the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano accepted Lennon's public apology.
- They performed at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. It was the first concert held at the stadium. The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd and Aerosmith also performed there later.
- During their US tour, they performed at D.C. Stadium in Washington before more than 32,000 fans. Five members of the Ku Klux Klan, led by the Imperial Wizard of Maryland, protested against the concert.
- During their US tour, The Beatles performed at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, playing their set during a severe electrical storm.
- The Beatles played two concerts at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto during their final concert tour. The afternoon performance was attended by 15,000 people and the evening performance by 17,000. The opening acts were The McCoys, Bobby Hebb, The Cyrkle and The Ronettes.
- At a press conference in Toronto, The Beatles supported Americans refusing military service who were moving to Canada and expressed their opposition to war and killing for any reason.
- The Beatles began a four-week reign at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with the single “Yellow Submarine” / “Eleanor Rigby.”
- During their US tour, The Beatles performed at Sam Houston Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee, where they played two concerts for more than 25,000 fans. Tickets cost $5. Because of opposition to John Lennon’s remark that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus”, local members of the Ku Klux Klan protested against the group, and the group faced an assassination threat. Shortly before the first performance, they received an anonymous phone call warning that one or all of the group’s members would be shot on stage that evening. Tension peaked during the second, evening concert, when a loud firecracker landed on stage during “If I Needed Someone”. Despite the interruption, the group finished the song, reportedly at a much faster tempo, and then performed the entire concert set. The evening passed without further incidents.
- During their final U.S. tour, The Beatles had to cancel and postpone their appearance at the open-air Crosley Field stadium in Cincinnati. Heavy rain and the lack of a roof meant that performing would have posed an almost certain risk of electric shock.
- During their final US tour, The Beatles performed in two cities after a concert the previous day had been cancelled because of rain. They first performed at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio. They then flew to St. Louis, Missouri, where they played at Busch Stadium under a tarpaulin because of heavy rain. The conditions were extremely unpleasant, and this concert convinced Paul McCartney that The Beatles should stop touring and concentrate on studio work.
- The Beatles' album “Revolver” received gold certification.
- The Beatles played a concert at Shea Stadium in New York, which became their final performance as part of their American concert tour.
- The Beatles performed for the second time at Shea Stadium in New York during their final US tour. Unlike the previous year, the concert was not sold out, with 11,000 tickets remaining unsold out of the total capacity of 55,600. The opening acts were The Remains, Bobby Hebb, The Cyrkle and The Ronettes. The Beatles performed eleven songs and received $189,000 for the appearance, more than for their previous performance at the stadium. The concert also marked the end of their live performing career in the US.
- The Beatles were at number one on the UK singles chart with the double A-side “Yellow Submarine – Eleanor Rigby”, their eleventh number-one single. Paul McCartney said that he took the name Eleanor from actress Eleanor Bron, who appeared with The Beatles in the film “Help!”, while Rigby came from the name of a shop in Bristol, Rigby & Evens Ltd, Wine & Spirit Shippers.
- During their final US tour, The Beatles played two concerts at the Coliseum in Seattle, Washington. The 3:00 p.m. afternoon concert attracted only 8,000 fans in the 15,000-capacity arena, while the evening concert was sold out.
- The Beatles performed a concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on August 28, 1966, before 45,000 spectators, as part of their final US tour. After the concert, they attempted to leave the stadium in an armored vehicle, but the main gate was locked, forcing them to wait inside the vehicle for two hours before they could leave. On the same day, they performed their final official live concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
- The Beatles played their final paid public concert in front of 25,000 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. They performed 11 songs in just over half an hour, opening with "Rock & Roll Music" and closing with "Long Tall Sally". John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who knew it would be their final concert, took photographs during the performance. Although the album "Revolver" had been released only a few weeks earlier, not a single song from it was performed.
- The Beatles released the single "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out", which was among the songs commemorated as part of the musical anniversaries for August 29.
- “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles was the best-selling single in the U.S. according to Cashbox magazine. A week later, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart and later topped the charts in nine other countries.
- The Beatles scored their fourteenth US No. 1 single with “All You Need Is Love”, which remained at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. The song became a worldwide hit that year and topped the charts in eleven countries. It was the British contribution to Our World, the first live global television broadcast, in which The Beatles performed it from the EMI studios in London on 25 June. The programme was transmitted by satellite and watched by more than 400 million people in 25 countries. Backing vocals on the recording were provided by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, Graham Nash, Marianne Faithfull and Gary Leeds of the Walker Brothers.
- The Beatles continued recording the song “Your Mother Should Know” at Chappell Recording Studios in London's Mayfair. The temporary relocation of the recording session was due to scheduling conflicts at EMI Studios. During the session, they concentrated on layering backing vocals for the song intended for the “Magical Mystery Tour” project. This evening was also the last visit to the studio by their manager Brian Epstein; he died four days later.
- The Beatles met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at the Park Lane Hilton in London.
- John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at his lecture at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane in London. They later traveled to India and studied transcendental meditation with him.
- The Beatles released the single “Baby You’re a Rich Man” in the US.
- Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull joined The Beatles in Bangor, North Wales, where they were collectively seeking guidance from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. After his lecture, The Beatles held a press conference at which they announced that they had become his disciples and joined his “Spiritual Regeneration Movement”. The group also announced that they were giving up drug use; according to the sources, the group was to donate one week's earnings to the movement each month.
- The Beatles announced that they would manage their own affairs following the death of their manager Brian Epstein.
- The Beatles officially launched their own multimedia company and record label, Apple Corps.
- The Beatles recorded the song “Yer Blues”.
- The Beatles recorded 14 versions of George Harrison's new song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at Abbey Road, developing it from its original acoustic version into an electric arrangement.
- The Beatles released the single “Hey Jude” on the A-side and “Revolution” on the B-side through Apple Records, their first release on their own Apple Records label. The single was released in both the UK and the US; “Hey Jude” became the group's biggest hit, spending nine weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 1 on 23 charts worldwide and selling more than eight million copies. The song received three Grammy nominations but did not win any of them.
- At Trident Studios in London, The Beatles began recording a new John Lennon song, “Dear Prudence”. They built the song instrument by instrument using the studio’s eight-track equipment. John Lennon and George Harrison played guitars, while Paul McCartney played drums because Ringo Starr had left The Beatles on August 22.
- The Beatles released their first single in the UK on their own Apple Records label. The single contained “Hey Jude” and “Revolution”.
- The Beatles nahráli skladbu „The End“.
- The Beatles took the photograph for the “Abbey Road” album cover at the crossing outside the Abbey Road studios in London. Photographer Iain MacMillan took six shots, and the entire photo session lasted less than ten minutes. The photograph later became one of the most famous images in music history and also fueled speculation about Paul McCartney's alleged death.
- The Beatles worked on the song “You Never Give Me Your Money” during the recording of the album Abbey Road.
- The Beatles gathered at Tittenhurst Park in Sunninghill, England, the home of John and Yoko Lennon, for their final joint photo session. Photographers Ethan Russell and Monte Fresco of the Daily Mirror took photographs, and The Beatles' assistant Mal Evans also took additional pictures. Three of Ethan Russell's photographs from the session were later used on the front and back covers of the compilation album “Hey Jude”, released by Capitol in 1970. Yoko Ono and a pregnant Linda McCartney, who would give birth to her daughter Mary six days later, also appeared in some of the photographs.
- The Beatles filmed a short film for the song “The Long and Winding Road”.
- The Beatles had their final professional group photo session at John Lennon's Tittenhurst Park estate.
- The city of Liverpool named four streets after members of The Beatles: John Lennon Drive, Paul McCartney Way, George Harrison Close and Ringo Starr Drive.
- The Beatles fans paid $271,180 for memorabilia at an auction in London, England.
- Rolling Stone magazine named The Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band the best album made during the previous 20 years. The next places went to Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, Exile on Main St., The Beatles (The White Album) and Blood on the Tracks.
- A two-sided acetate recording of The Beatles featuring live recordings of “Kansas City” and “Some Other Guy” from the Cavern Club in Liverpool in 1962 was sold at Christie's auction in London for $32,000 (£16,500), which at the time was a record price for a recording.
- The Beatles were voted “Favourite Recording Artist of All Time” in a poll conducted by the British music magazine Mojo. They finished ahead of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Queen, and Elton John.
- A pizza-stained piece of paper signed by three of the four members was sold for $48,000 (£17,441) to an anonymous collector at an auction in Melbourne. John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison signed it during the band's 1964 Australian tour at a hotel in Adelaide. Ringo Starr had laryngitis and did not join the tour.
- John Duff Lowe and Colin Hanton of The Quarrymen unveiled a plaque at the site where the group that later became The Beatles made their first recordings. John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison recorded Buddy Holly's “That'll Be The Day” and the Lennon-Harrison song “In Spite Of All The Danger” there as The Quarrymen in 1958.
- The album "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" was voted by the British public as the best album ever to reach No. 1 in a poll held to mark the 50th anniversary of the UK album chart. The Beatles also had "Revolver" at No. 6, "Abbey Road" at No. 8, and "The Beatles" ("White Album") at No. 10 among the top ten.
- An unpublished series of photographs of The Beatles by Astrid Kirchherr was exhibited at the Victoria Gallery and Museum in Liverpool, documenting their early years, their stay in Tenerife and the filming of “A Hard Day’s Night” in Liverpool in 1964.
- GottaHaveRockAndRoll offered 24 concert contracts from The Beatles' concerts during their 1964 North American tour for auction. Each document was signed by the band's manager Brian Epstein or NEMS employee Bernard Lee.