Events in 1964
- The musical film Viva Las Vegas starring Elvis Presley was premiered.
- 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.”
- After an intensive search, the bodies of country singer Jim Reeves and his manager and musical collaborator Dean Manuel were found on August 2, 1964, in the wreckage of their plane, which had crashed 42 hours earlier. At 1:00 p.m. local time, radio stations across the United States officially announced Reeves’s death. Reeves was known for hits including “Four Walls,” “I Won't Forget You,” and “Mexican Joe.”
- The BBC broadcast the documentary “Follow the Beatles,” which featured the group during the filming of “A Hard Day's Night.”
- The Kinks released their third single, “You Really Got Me,” in the UK on Pye Records. The song became their breakthrough hit, later reaching No. 1 on the UK chart and No. 7 in the U.S.
- Adam Yauch, also known as MCA, rapper, bassist and founding member of the Beastie Boys, was born in New York City.
- The Beach Boys recorded “When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)” at United Western Studios in Hollywood. The song later reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 7 on the Cashbox chart and No. 1 on the Canadian singles chart.
- Rod Stewart made his first television appearance as a member of The Hoochie Coochie Men on the BBC program “The Beat Room.”
- Anglický hudebník, skladatel a kytarista Ian Dench, člen alternativně rockové skupiny EMF, se narodil v Cheltenhamu v Gloucestershire v Anglii.
- The Rolling Stones, Ronnie Scott, Tubby Hayes, Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds a Mose Allison vystoupili na čtvrtém ročníku Richmond Jazz Festivalu v anglickém Richmondu.
- Bob Dylan released the album "Another Side of Bob Dylan" on Columbia Records.
- Earl-Jean Reavis of The Cookies entered the Billboard Top 40 at No. 38 with "I'm Into Something Good", her highest chart position. Three months later, Herman's Hermits reached No. 13 with the same song.
- The soundtrack to Elvis Presley's film "Kissin' Cousins" reached No. 5 on the U.K. album chart.
- The Animals entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at No. 60 with “House of the Rising Sun”. The song later rose to No. 1 and became their only U.S. No. 1 hit.
- The Young World Singers released “Ringo For President” on Decca Records. The song was created ahead of the U.S. presidential election and reached No. 132 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- The Rolling Stones performed at the New Elizabeth Ballroom at Belle Vue in Manchester. Two police officers fainted and another was taken to hospital with broken ribs while trying to control more than 3,000 screaming teenagers.
- Rapper, singer and songwriter Neneh Cherry was born in Stockholm, Sweden.
- 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”.
- Mick Jagger was stopped in Liverpool and fined £32 for speeding and driving without insurance. He was on his way to visit two fans who had been injured in a traffic accident.
- Hamish Seelochan of The Pasadenas was born. The group had the UK No. 4 hit “I'm Doing Fine Now” in 1992.
- 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.
- The High Numbers, later known as The Who, performed at the Railway Hotel in Harrow, England. Just before the show, a fight took place outside the hotel in which singer Roger Daltrey was attacked by a relative. Daltrey returned to the stage after the incident and the band began playing.
- A Hard Day's Night was released in U.S. theaters and became a major film success for The Beatles.
- “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart. The recording became an international hit and also reached No. 1 in the US, Sweden, and Canada.
- The Supremes recorded “Baby Love”, written and produced by the Holland–Dozier–Holland team. The song later became their second US No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and their first UK No. 1.
- The rockabilly singer and lead vocalist of The Rock and Roll Trio died in a boating accident while fishing on Clear Lake, California, at the age of 30. His unlit boat was struck by an inattentive motorboat, throwing him overboard and causing him to drown. His body was found on August 16, but the coroner determined that he had drowned on August 14. In 1961, his US single “Your Sixteen” reached number 8 and its UK release reached number 3.
- They released the UK EP 5 x 5, recorded at Chess Studios on Chicago's South Side, the home studio of their blues heroes. Keith Richards said that when they arrived at the building, they found Muddy Waters painting the ceiling. Several months later, the EP was expanded to album length and released in America as 12 x 5.
- Dean Martin's “Everybody Loves Somebody” knocked The Beatles' “A Hard Day's Night” from the No. 1 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100. It became his biggest hit and reached No. 11 in the UK. The song dated back to 1949 and had been unsuccessfully recorded by several other artists before Martin.
- Following the success of The Beatles film A Hard Day's Night, The Dave Clark Five signed a film deal with Warner Bros. for the project Catch Us If You Can, which was released in the US under the title Having A Wild Weekend and premiered in the UK in July 1965.
- Matt Lukin, founding member and bassist of Melvins and Mudhoney, was born in Aberdeen, Washington.
- Elvis Presley had a private meeting with Colonel Parker concerning Larry Geller.
- Singer and songwriter Maria McKee was born in Los Angeles, California. She became known as a member of Lone Justice and later pursued a solo career.
- 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 High Numbers, later known as The Who, performed at The Scene club in London’s Soho.
- The Rolling Stones played the second of six concerts at the New Theatre Ballroom on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands.
- Shirley Bassey recorded “Goldfinger” in London for the upcoming James Bond film of the same name.
- Elvis Presley reached No. 16 on the U.S. chart with “Such A Night”.
- 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 Four Tops' “Baby I Need Your Loving” jumped from No. 90 to No. 54 on the U.S. chart.
- Liberty Records announced that the album “The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles” was selling at a rate of 25,000 copies per day. The album later reached No. 14 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and remained on the chart for more than five months. Chipmunks creator Ross Bagdasarian had actually spoken with The Beatles before beginning the project and later said that the group was very supportive.
- The Supremes achieved their first U.S. No. 1 single when “Where Did Our Love Go” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. It was the first of five consecutive No. 1 singles for the group and also the first of their twelve total U.S. No. 1 hits. The song also reached No. 1 on the R&B chart, No. 3 in the United Kingdom, and No. 1 in Canada and New Zealand. Holland–Dozier–Holland originally wrote it for The Marvelettes, who rejected it because they thought it sounded too childish. At the top of the Billboard Hot 100, The Supremes replaced Dean Martin with “Everybody Loves Somebody”; The Beatles were at No. 3 with “A Hard Day's Night”.
- The Beatles performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California.
- The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein first met Elvis Presley's manager „Colonel“ Tom Parker over lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles after Epstein's telegram led to their meeting during The Beatles' American visit.
- Oteil Burbridge, bassist for The Allman Brothers Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Col. Bruce Hampton and The Aquarium Rescue Unit, was born.
- The Beatles' album „Something New“ received a gold certification.
- The Beatles released the single „Matchbox / Slow Down“ in the U.S.
- Roy Orbison and The Candy Men released the song “Oh, Pretty Woman”. The song became a commercial success and a major international hit, reaching No. 1 on singles charts in eleven countries.
- 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 Kinks released “You Really Got Me” in the United States.
- Disney released “Mary Poppins”, the Sherman brothers' musical starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. It was Andrews' first film role, and she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the title character.
- The Beatles performed in front of 14,000 fans at Cincinnati Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- The Beatles appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine.
- After a concert in New York, The Beatles met Bob Dylan for the first time at the Delmonico Hotel in Manhattan, where Dylan offered them marijuana and The Beatles tried it for the first time. Their mutual friend and writer Al Aronowitz was also present. Dylan was surprised that The Beatles had never tried marijuana because he had mistakenly interpreted the line “I can't hide” from “I Want to Hold Your Hand” as “I get high”. Paul McCartney later said that after the experience he felt as though he were “thinking for the first time”.
- Billboard reported that guitar sales in the US and UK had risen sharply as a result of the British Invasion. Sales during the first half of the year were 40% higher than during the same period in 1963, while sales of more expensive models increased by more than 80%. The magazine also reported that guitar sales had reached their highest level since the rise of Elvis Presley.
- Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody" spent its fifth week at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.
- Monument Records released Roy Orbison's single "Oh, Pretty Woman". Four weeks later, it reached No. 1 on Billboard and entered the Top 10 in fifteen other countries. The single sold more than seven million copies worldwide. The title was inspired by Orbison's wife Claudette, who announced during a conversation that she was going out. When Orbison asked if she had enough money, his co-writer Bill Dees remarked that a beautiful woman never needs money.
- The Honeycombs reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with their debut single "Have I the Right?", which became their first and only career number-one hit. Produced by the legendary Joe Meek, the track became a massive international success, also topping the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Sweden, while peaking at No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and selling over two million copies worldwide.
- The Supremes remained at No. 1 on the R&B chart with "Where Did Our Love Go".
- Robert Clivilles, producer and DJ from the American group C+C Music Factory, was born. In 1991, the group had the UK No. 4 single “Things That Make You Go Hmmm...” and the US No. 1 single “Gonna Make You Sweat”.
- The Beatles performed at Convention Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during their US tour. The city had experienced race riots several days before the concert, and The Beatles, who supported the civil rights movement, were shocked that their 13,000-member audience was entirely white.
- The Rolling Stones began their first US tour with a concert in San Antonio, Texas.
- The Rolling Stones recorded a cover version of Willie Dixon’s “Little Red Rooster” at Regent Sound Studios in London. Brian Jones’s prominent slide guitar helped create the recording’s distinctive sound, which became the only purely blues song to reach number one on the UK singles chart.
- Elvis Presley's single “Such a Night” reached number 13 in the UK.
- The Animals made their first appearance in the US at the Paramount Theatre in Brooklyn, New York. Their major hit “House of the Rising Sun” had just reached number one on the US chart that week.
- The Rolling Stones scored their first UK number-one single with “It's All Over Now,” which one source says was released around this date.
- American DJ and electronic music producer Kevin Saunderson was born in New York City. He became known as a member of Detroit techno pioneers the Belleville Three and as a member of Inner City.
- Ringo Starr received a gold-plated snare drum from William Ludwig, president of Ludwig Drum Company, at a press conference in Chicago. Starr's popularity greatly boosted sales of Ludwig drums; he later gave the drum to road manager Mal Evans and never used it on tour himself. The drum was later displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Grammy Museum.
- The Animals reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “House of the Rising Sun,” beginning a three-week run at the top. It became their only US number-one single and later topped the charts in Canada, Finland, Spain and the UK. The record label had originally listed a shorter running time to make the song more suitable for radio airplay.
- The Beatles reached number 12 on the US singles chart with “And I Love Her,” while “If I Fell” was listed at number 92 according to the source. A second record gives number 53 for “If I Fell.” The Beatles performed “And I Love Her” outside the EMI studios only once.
- American rapper Eazy-E, born Eric Wright, was born on September 7, 1964, in Compton, California. As a member of N.W\.A. and founder of Ruthless Records, he helped establish West Coast rap and gangsta rap. He is often referred to as the “godfather of gangsta rap”. He died on March 26, 1995, from AIDS-related complications.
- The Beatles played two concerts at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, the first at 6:30 p.m. and the second at 10:00 p.m. More than 35,000 fans paid an average of $5 for tickets. During an afternoon press conference, a reporter asked John Lennon how long he thought The Beatles would last, and Lennon replied, “Longer than you.” Clarence “Frogman” Henry and Jackie DeShannon also performed at the concerts.
- Vee-Jay Records released the double album “The Beatles vs. The Four Seasons” shortly before its rights to distribute Beatles recordings expired. The album contained no new material and combined the previously released recordings “Introducing… The Beatles” and “Golden Hits of the Four Seasons”. It remained on the US Billboard chart for three weeks and reached No. 142.
- The Kinks released their debut album The Kinks.
- The Animals' debut album entered the US Billboard album chart and eventually reached No. 7, largely thanks to the song "House Of The Rising Sun." The British version of The Animals album was released a month later, had significantly different content, and reached No. 6 on the UK chart.
- The Beatles filmed a performance for broadcast on the television program Shindig! at the Granville Theatre in London. The album A Hard Day’s Night had already been on the chart for 12 weeks, 11 of them at No. 1. At No. 2 was Something New by The Beatles, followed by Everybody Loves Somebody by Dean Martin and Peter, Paul and Mary in Concert. The Top 10 also included All Summer Long by The Beach Boys, How Glad I Am by Nancy Wilson, Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz and João Gilberto, Funny Girl by Barbra Streisand, Hello, Dolly! by Louis Armstrong, and Keep On Pushing by The Impressions.
- The Supremes' song "Baby Love" entered the music charts.
- American guitarist and singer David Dederer was born in Seattle, Washington. He became famous as co-founder of the alternative rock band The Presidents of the United States of America.
- Elvis Presley appeared at Allied Artists studio, where work began on the film Tickle Me.
- American alternative rock and power pop singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer Matthew Sweet, whose full name was Sidney Matthew Sweet, was born in Lincoln, Nebraska.
- The Beatles spent the afternoon recording “Eight Days A Week” at EMI Studios (Abbey Road) in London. Paul McCartney later said the title was inspired by a remark from a driver who said he worked eight days a week. Late that evening they visited The Ad Lib club, where they socialized with The Ronettes and Mick Jagger. The song was later released as a U.S. single on February 15, 1965, and reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart.
- Police stopped soul singer Joe Tex in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while he was driving his new Cadillac. He was charged with watching a television set installed in the dashboard while driving and became only the second American motorist to be formally charged with the offense.
- The Beatles appeared via recording on the American television program Shindig!, whose special episode was devoted to the British Invasion. From London, they performed I'm a Loser, Boys, and Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!.
- Roy Orbison reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Oh, Pretty Woman.” It was his third UK single to top the chart, and the song's title was inspired by his wife Claudette.
- The Beatles recorded “She's a Woman” at Abbey Road Studios in London, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. They made seven takes, with the sixth selected as the best, and added overdubs during a further evening session. The entire recording session lasted five hours from start to finish. The song was released as a single in November and reached the Top 10 in several countries.
- Bobby Darin began filming his eighth movie, That Funny Feeling, in Hollywood, starring alongside his wife Sandra Dee.
- Brian Epstein signed a contract to manage the New Christy Minstrels, whose members in subsequent years would include Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes and Barry McGuire.
- Manfred Mann held the #1 position with "Do Wah Diddy Diddy." Martha & the Vandellas were at #2 with "Dancing In The Street," while Roy Orbison's "Oh Pretty Woman" was #3. The rest of the Top 10 included Gale Garnett, J. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers, The Shangri-Las, Chad & Jeremy, Gene Pitney, The Beach Boys and Betty Everett & Jerry Butler.
- The Beach Boys recorded "Dance Dance Dance" at RCA Victor Studios in Los Angeles, with Glen Campbell playing guitar, including the lead guitar intro. The song became their twelfth US Top 40 hit, reaching No. 8; Campbell later toured with the band from December 1964 into early March 1965.
- The Beatles performed two shows at De Montfort Hall in Leicester, England.
- The Rolling Stones canceled their planned South African tour because of an anti-apartheid embargo imposed by the British Musicians' Union, which banned members from playing for segregated audiences. The band did not perform in South Africa until March 1995, after apartheid had ended.
- Betty Everett and Jerry Butler entered the U.S. Top 10 with the song “Let It Be Me.”
- Dance music singer and songwriter Crystal Waters, known for the song “Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless),” was born in Philadelphia.
- Gale Garnett's single “We'll Sing in the Sunshine” reached number four on the U.S. chart.
- Gene Pitney's single “It Hurts to Be in Love” reached the U.S. Top 10.
- Graham Crabb, drummer of the British alternative rock band Pop Will Eat Itself, was born on October 10, 1964. The group had hits including “X Y & Zee” and “Get the Girl! Kill the Baddies!”
- The single “A Summer Song” by Chad & Jeremy rose to number seven on the U.S. chart.
- The single “Last Kiss” by J. Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers moved from number nine to number five on the U.S. chart.
- Manfred Mann's single “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” was at number one on the U.S. chart cited by the source.
- The single “Dancing in the Street” by Martha and the Vandellas was climbing the U.S. chart and challenging the song then at number one.
- Roy Orbison's single “Oh, Pretty Woman” fell to number three on the U.S. chart.
- The Beach Boys reached another U.S. Top 10 position with “When I Grow Up (To Be a Man).”
- The Beatles performed at De Montfort Hall in Leicester during their UK tour. Ringo Starr arrived in his new Facel Vega, and according to contemporary reports reached a speed of 140 miles per hour on the M6 motorway.
- The London five-piece group The Honeycombs entered the U.S. Top 40 with “Have I the Right?”, which had previously topped the UK chart. In the U.S. it reached number five and sold more than two million copies worldwide.
- “The Leader of the Pack” by The Shangri-Las entered the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one seven weeks later. It became the only one of their six U.S. Top 40 hits to top the chart. In the UK it reached number 11, despite being rejected for broadcast by the BBC because of its story about a motorcycle accident and death. The Shangri-Las' single “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” reached number six on the U.S. chart.
- The Shangri-Las' single “Leader of the Pack” was released. Of their six U.S. Top 40 hits, it became the only one to reach number one. In the UK it peaked at number 11.
- The Who performed at Wolsey Hall in Cheshunt, England.
- Production begins on Tickle Me, starring Elvis Presley.