| 1960s British Rock and Pop Chronology |
 |
| 1959 |
|
|||
| 1 | Havana:
Batista flees Cuba as Fidel Castro's troops seize several key cities European Market Pact goes into effect |
||
| 2 | Conway
Twitty: "It's Only Make Believe" [continues as UK #1] The Big Bopper: "Chantilly Lace" [Mercury AMT 1002; charts; UK #12] Max Bygraves: "My Ukelele" [Decca F 11077; charts; UK #19] |
||
| USSR launches Lunik I towards moon | |||
| 3 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#17] features 'Cuddly' Dudley, Don Lang, Peter Elliott, Vince Taylor & His Playboys, & William Marshall | ||
| 7 | Washington: Official American recognition of Fidel Castro's Cuban government | ||
| 8 | Paris: DeGaulle proclaimed President of France | ||
| 9 | Shirley
Bassey: "As I Love You" [Philips PB 845, re-charts; UK #1] Ronnie Hilton with the Michael Sammes Singers: "The World Outside" [HMV POP 559; charts; UK #18] |
||
| 10 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#18] features 'Cuddly' Dudley, Don Lang, Mona Baptiste, Peter Elliott, Terry Dene, & Vince Taylor & His Playboys | ||
| 11 | Royal Albert Hall, London: NME Winner's Poll Concert features Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde, Alma Cogan, Lonnie Donegan, and the Mudlarks | ||
| 16 | Billy Fury: "Maybe Tomorrow" [Decca F 11102; release] | ||
| 17 | Britain and Egypt reach agreement over Suez Canal | ||
| ABC: Oh Boy! [#19] features Bill Forbes, Cliff Richard & the Drifters, Mona Baptiste, & Peter Elliott | |||
| 23 | Jane
Morgan: "The Day the Rains Came" [UK #1 for 1 week] The Everly Brothers: "Problems" [London HLA 8781; charts; UK #6] Russ Conway: "The World Outside" [Columbia DB 4234; charts; #24] Alma Cogan: "Last Night on the Back Porch" [HMV POP 573; charts; UK #27] |
||
| 24 |
ABC: Oh
Boy! [#20] features Bill Forbes, the Hewitt Singers, Lonnie Donegan
& His Skiffle Group, & Mike Preston |
||
| 30 | Elvis
Presley: "One Night" / "I Got Stung" [UK #1 for 3 weeks] Paul Anka: "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings" [Columbia DB 4241; charts; UK #10] Cliff Richard and the Drifters: "Livin' Lovin' Doll" [Columbia DB 4249; charts; UK #20] Frankie Vaughan: "That's My Doll" [Philips PB 895; charts; UK #28] Buddy Holly: "Heartbeat" [Coral Q 72346; charts; UK #30] |
||
| 31 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#21] features Cliff Richard & the Drifters, Don Lang, & Shirley Bassey | ||
|
|||
| 1 | Havana: Fidel Castro becomes Prime Minister of Cuba | ||
| 3 | Iowa:
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson die in
a plane crash Cape Canaveral, Florida: US Army launches Pioneer IV satellite |
||
| 6 | Lonnie
Donegan: "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor (on the Bedpost Overnight)"
[Pye 7N 15181; charts; UK #3] Lord Rockingham's XI: "Wee Tom" [Decca F 11104; charts; UK #16] |
||
| Cape Canaveral, Florida: successful test-fire of a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile | |||
| 7 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#22] features Betty Miller, Bill Forbes, & Marty Wilde | ||
| 13 | Chris
Barber's Jazz Band: "Petite Fleur" [Pye Nixa NJ 2026; charts; UK #3] The Beverly Sisters: "Little Drummer Boy" [Decca F 11107; charts; UK #6] Robert Earl: "Wonderful Secret of Love" [Philips PB 891; charts; UK #17] |
||
| 14 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#23] features Alma Cogan, Billy Fury, Don Lang, Marty Wilde, the Mudlarks, Peter Elliot, & Shirley Bassey | ||
| 19 | Britain signs an agreement with Turkey and Greece granting Cyprus independence | ||
| 20 | Shirley
Bassey: "As I Love You" [UK #1 for 4 weeks] Russ Conway: "Side Saddle" [Columbia DB 4256; charts, UK #1] |
||
| 20 | NME: "Court Will Decide Who Is Lord Rockingham: Robinson Challenges Good for Title" | ||
| 21 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#24] features Betty Miller, Don Lang, Gerry Dorsey, Marty Wilde, & Rikki Henderson | ||
| Melody Maker: Jack Good replaces Lord Rockingham's XI (and director Harry Robinson) with the John Barry Seven. Good retains ownership of Rockingham identity, Robinson takes band on tour. (1) | |||
| Macmillan visits Moscow | |||
| 23 | UK and USSR agree to expand trade and culture relations | ||
| 27 | Buddy
Holly: "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" [Coral Q 72360; charts; UK #1] Malcolm Vaughan: "Wait for Me" [HMV POP 590; charts; UK #13; last chart] Billy Fury: "Maybe Tomorrow" [Decca F 11102; charts; UK #18] Michael Flanders: "Little Drummer Boy" [Parlophone R 4528; charts; UK #20] Reg Owen: "Manhattan Spiritual" [Pye International 7N25009; charts; UK #20] |
||
| 28 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#25] features Bill Forbes, 'Cuddly' Dudley, Dickie Pride, Marty Wilde, Mike Preston, & Tony Sheridan | ||
|
|
|||
| Other February Artifacts | |||
| The Drifters [Shadows]: "Feelin' Fine" | |||
|
|||
| 6 | Marty
Wilde: "Donna" [Philips PB 902; charts; UK #3] Russ Conway: "The World Outside" [Columbia DB 4234; re-charts; UK #24] |
||
| 7 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#26] features Cliff Richard & the Drifters, Marion Ryan, Marty Wilde, Mike Preston, & Vince Eager | ||
| 9 | London: Government announces plan for atomic submarine | ||
| 13 | Eddie
Cochrane: "C'mon Everybody" [London HLU 8792; charts; UK #6] Dickie Valentine: "Venus" [Pye Nixa 7N 15192; charts; UK #20] |
||
| 14 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#27] features Bill Forbes, Billy Fury, Chris Andrews, Don Lang, Peter Elliott, Teddy & Freddy, and Tony Sheridan | ||
| 18 | Ottawa: Macmillan and Eisenhower meet | ||
| 20 | The Platters: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" [UK #1 for 1 week] | ||
| NME: Cliff Richard to star in the film version of Espresso Bongo | |||
| 21 | London: EMI ceases production of 78 rpm discs | ||
| ABC: Oh Boy! [#28] features 'Cuddly' Dudley, Dickie Valentine, Gerry Dorsey, Marty Wilde, & Tony Sheridan | |||
| 27 | Russ Conway: "Side Saddle" [UK #1 for 4 weeks] | ||
| 28 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#29] features Cliff Richard, The Drifters, the Marino Marini Quartet, Pierce Rodgers, & Ronnie Carroll | ||
|
|
|||
| Other March Events | |||
| London: Oh Boy! moves from ABC's studios in Wardour Street, Soho to Teddington. | |||
|
|||
| 3 | NME: Harry Robinson and Jack Good work out an amicable agreement over the name "Lord Rockingham" | ||
| 4 | Melody Maker: Wilde Attacks Session Men [complains that session musicians "can't feel rock"] (20) | ||
| ABC: Oh Boy! [#30] features Brenda Lee, Chris Andrews, Dickie Pride, Dean Webb, Don Lang, Lorie Mann, Mike Preston, & Tony Sheridan | |||
| 9 | US: NASA presents its first 9 astronauts | ||
| 11 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#31] features Bill Forbes, 'Cuddly' Dudley, Dickie Pride, Lorie Mann, Marty Wilde, & Pierce Rodgers | ||
| 13 | Cape Canaveral, Florida: US launches Discoverer II polar satellite | ||
| 15 | New York City: Castro arrives to win support for his new government | ||
| 17 | Ricky Nelson: "It's Late" [London HLP 8817; charts; UK #3] | ||
| 18 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#32] features Dickie Pride, the Inkspots, Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group, Lorie Mann, Pierce Rodgers, & Tony Sheridan | ||
| 24 | Buddy
Holly: "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" [UK #3 for 3 weeks] The Crickets: "Love's Made a Fool of You" [Coral Q 72365; charts; UK #26] |
||
| 25 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#33] features Bill Forbes, Billy Fury, 'Cuddly' Dudley, Dickie Pride, Don Lang, Michael Cox, Nicky Martin | ||
|
|||
| 1 | Anthony
Newley: "I've Waited So Long" [Decca F 11127; charts; UK #3] Frankie Vaughan and the Kaye Sisters: "Come Softly to Me" [Philips PB 913; charts; UK #9] Joan Regan: "May You Always" [HMV POP 593; charts; UK #9] |
||
| 2 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#34] features Alma Cogan, Cliff Richard & the Drifters, Marty Wilde, & Mike Preston | ||
| 7 | Agreement for UK to purchase atomic weapon components from the US | ||
| 8 | Johnny Kidd and the Pirates: "Please Don't Touch" [UK release; rec 18 Apr 59] / "Growl" [ditto] | ||
| Cliff
Richard and the Drifters: "Mean Streak" [Columbia DB 4290; charts; UK #10] Anthony Newley: Idle on Parade [Decca DFE 6566; EP charts; UK #13] Lonnie Donegan: "Fort Worth Jail" [Pye Nixa 7N 15198; charts; UK #14] |
|||
| 9 | Melody Maker: "Stars, theatre staff scared of these Rock and Riot Shows" [injuries from "pay-day rowdies" who throw fire extinguisters and chairs] (1, 20) | ||
| ABC: Oh Boy! [#35] features Billy Fury, Conway Twitty, 'Cuddly' Dudley, Dean Webb, Dickie Pride, Marty Wilde, Maureen Kershaw, Tony Sheridan & the Wreckers | |||
| 15 | Elvis
Presley: "A Fool Such as I" / "I Need Your Love Tonight" [UK #1 for 5
weeks] Russ Conway: "Roulette" [Columbia DB 4298; charts; UK #1] Bert Weedon: "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" [Top Rank JAR 117; charts; UK #10] Ricky Nelson: "Never Be Anyone Else But You" [London HLP 8817; charts; UK #14] Cliff Richard and the Drifters: "Never Mind" (/ "Mean Streak") [Columbia DB 4290; charts; UK #21] |
||
| 16 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#36] features Bill Forbes, Conway Twitty, Don Lang, Marty Wilde, Mike Jackson, Mike Preston, & Pierce Rodgers | ||
| 22 | Ruby
Wright: "Three Stars" [Parlophone R 4556; charts; UK #19] Fats Domino: "Margie" [London HLP 8865; charts; UK #18] The Everly Brothers: "Take a Message to Mary" [London HLA 8863; charts; UK #29] |
||
| 23 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#37] features Bill Forbes, Billy Fury, Cliff Richard, Dickie Pride, Marty Wilde, Renee Martz, & Terry White | ||
| 28 | London: UK announces end of import quotas | ||
| Cape Canaveral, Florida: US launches and recovers two monkeys | |||
| 29 | The Everly Brothers: "Poor Jenny" [London HLA 8863; charts; UK #14] | ||
| 30 | ABC: Oh Boy! [#38] the final show of the series features Bill Forbes Billy Fury, Cliff Richard, 'Cuddly' Dudley, Dickie Pride, Don Lang, Lorie Mann, Marty Wilde, Mike Preston, & Peter Elliott | ||
|
|
|||
| Other May Artifacts | |||
| Lansdowne Road, Holland Park, London: Lansdowne Recording Studios Open. Owned by Denis Preston and designed by Joe Meek, the studios would become a favorite for independent producers. | |||
|
|||
| 1 | BBC TV: Jukebox Jury premiers and features Alma Cogan, Gary Miller, Pete Murray and Susan Stranks. The program replaces Drumbeat. | ||
| 5 | Marty
Wilde: "A Teenager in Love" [Philips PB 926; charts; UK #2] Ruby Murray: "Goodby Jimmy Goodbye" [Columbia DB 4305; charts; UK #10; last chart] |
||
| 9 | Board of Trade now allows direct purchase of US LPs and musical instruments | ||
| 10 | UK launches third "Black Knight" missile | ||
| 11 | London: Hovercraft unveiled | ||
| 12 | Anthony
Newley: "Personality" [Decca F 11142; charts; UK #13] Craig Douglas: "A Teenager in Love" [Top Rank JAR 133; charts; UK #13] Johnny Kidd: "Please Don't Touch" [HMV POP 615; charts; UK #25] |
||
| 19 | Russ Conway: "Roulette" [UK #1 for 2 weeks] | ||
| 23 | Manchester: Northern Royal Variety Show [Marty Wilde and Cliff Richard are the first rockers on the show] | ||
| 26 | Lonnie
Donegan: "Battle of New Orleans" [Pye 7N 15206; charts; UK #2] Billy Fury: "Margo" [Decca F 11128; charts; UK #28] |
||
| Quebec: Queen Elizabeth and President Eisenhower open the St. Lawrence Seaway | |||
|
|
|||
| Other June Artifacts | |||
| Billy Fury: "Margo" [enters UK charts] | |||
|
|||
| 3 | Bobby Darin: "Deam Lover" [UK #1 for 4 weeks] | ||
| 9 | South Vietnam: 2 US soldiers killed | ||
| 10 | Cliff
Richard and the Drifters: "Living Doll" [Columbia DB 4306; charts; UK
#1] Paul Anka: "Lonely Boy" [Columbia DB 4324; charts; UK #3] |
||
| USSR launches and recovers 2 dogs and a rabbit | |||
| 17 | Tanzania:
Mary Leakey discovers the fossil remains of Zinjanthropus boisei New York: Billie Holiday dies |
||
| 21 | Britain: Obscene Publications Act comes into effect allowing works with "literary merit" | ||
| New York: Judicial ruling that Lady Chatterley's Lover can be shipped through the mail | |||
| 24 | Elvis
Presley: "A Big Hunk o' Love" [RCA 1136; charts; UK #4] Frankie Vaughan: "The Heart of a Man" [Philips PB 930; charts; UK #5] Tony Brent: "Why Should I Be Lonely" [Columbia DB 4304; charts; UK #24; last chart] |
||
| 25 | Dover: Saunders-Roe Hovercraft makes first channel crossing (2 hrs) | ||
| 31 | Cliff
Richard and the Drifters: "Living Doll" [UK #1 for 6 weeks] Buddy Holly: "Midnight Shift" [Brunswick 05800; charts; UK #26] |
||
|
|
|||
| Other July Artifacts | |||
| The Drifters
[Shadows]: "Jet Black" The "Drifters" change their name to the "Shadows" |
|||
|
|||
| 7 | Craig
Douglas: "Only Sixteen" [Top Rank JAR 159; charts; UK #1] Winifred Atwell: "Summer of the Seventeenth Doll" [Decca F 11143, charts, UK #24] |
||
| London: Royal pregnancy announced | |||
| Florida: launch of "Explorer Six," which will send back a picture of the Earth | |||
| 14 |
Tommy Steele: "Tallahasse
Lassie" [Decca F 11152; charts; UK #16] |
||
| 21 | Russ
Conway: "China Tea" [Columbia DB 4337; charts; UK #5] Ronnie Hilton: "The Wonder of You" [HMV POP 638; charts; UK #22] |
||
| 22 | Melody Maker: Gala [label] cuts price of 45 rpms to 4s starting 1 October [competitor prices at 6s; LPs recently went to 16s 9d] | ||
| 26 | Introduction of the Morris Mini-Minor and the Austin Seven | ||
| 28 | Manuel
and his Music of the Mountains: "Theme from Honeymoon" [Columbia
DB 4323; charts; UK #22] Tommy Steele: "Give, Give, Give" [Decca F 11152; charts; UK #28] |
||
|
|||
| 4 | Ricky Nelson: "Sweeter than You" [London HLP 8927; charts; UK #19] | ||
| 5 | Introduction of Subscriber Trunk Dialing (STD) in UK | ||
| 11 | Craig
Douglas: "Only Sixteen" [UK #1 for 4 weeks] The Everly Brothers: "('Til) I Kissed You" [London HLA 8934; charts; UK #2] Ricky Nelson: "Just a Little Too Much" [London HLP 8927; charts; UK #11] Lonnie Donegan: "Sal's Got a Sugar Lip" [Pye 7N 15267; charts; UK #13] Buddy Holly: "Peggy Sue Got Married" [Coral Q 72376; charts; UK #13] |
||
| 12 | USSR launches Lunik II to moon (lands 13/14 Sept) | ||
| ABC TV: Boy Meets Girls debuts with Marty Wilde | |||
| 18 | Frankie Vaughan: "Walkin' Tall" [Philips PB 931; charts; UK #28] | ||
| 25 | Marty Wilde: "Sea of Love" [Philips PB 959; charts; UK #3] | ||
|
|||
| 2 | Miki and Griff: "Hold Back Tomorrow" [Pye 7N 15213; charts; UK #26] | ||
| 3 | UK postal codes introduced | ||
| 4 | USSR launches Lunik III to moon, transmits pictures from dark side | ||
| 8 | UK general election: Conservatives maintain majority | ||
| 9 | Jerry
Keller: "Here Comes Summer" [UK #1 for 1 week] Cliff Richard and the Shadows: "Travellin' Light" [Columbia DB 4351; charts; UK #1] Johnny and the Hurricanes: "Red River Rock" [London HL 8948; charts; UK #3] Cliff Richard and the Shadows: "Dynamite" [Columbia DB 4351; charts; UK #16] Chris Barber's Jazz Band: "Lonesome" [Columbia SCD 2166; charts; UK #27] |
||
| 16 | Bobby
Darin: "Mack the Knife" [UK #1 for 2 weeks] Fats Domino: "I Want to Walk You Home" [London HLP 8942; charts; UK #14] Eddie Cochrane: "Somethin' Else [London HLU 8944; charts; UK #22] |
||
| Washington: US announces opposition to UK jet sale to Cuba | |||
| 23 | Clinton
Ford: "Old Shep" [Oriole CB 1500; charts; UK #27] Joe "Mr. Piano" Henderson: "Treble Chance" [Pye Nixa N 15147; charts; UK #28] |
||
| New York City: Frank Lloyd Wright's Gugenheim Museum of Art opens | |||
| 30 | Cliff
Richard and the Shadows: "Travelin' Light" [UK #1 for 5 weeks] Emile Ford and the Checkmates: "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For" [Pye 7N 15225; charts; UK #1] Paul Anka: "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" [Columbia DB 4355; charts; UK #7] Mike Preston: "Mr. Blue" [Decca F 11167; charts; UK #12] Dickie Valentine: "One More Sunrise (Morgen)" [Pye 7N 15221; charts; UK #14; last chart] David MacBeth: "Mr. Blue" [Pye 7N 15231; charts; UK #18] Dickie Pride: "Primrose Lane" [Columbia DB 4340; charts; UK #28] |
||
| 39 Gerrard Street, Soho, London: Ronnie Scott opens his first jazz club | |||
|
|||
| 1 | First section of the M1 Motorway opened | ||
| 4 | Lansdowne Studios, Holland Park: Joe Meek storms out of a recording session and his position as manager. | ||
| New York City: The Sound of Music opens | |||
| 6 | Gracie Fields: "Little Donkey" [Columbia DB 4360; charts; UK #20] | ||
| 10 | New York City: UN passes resolution condemning South African apartheid | ||
| 13 | Frankie
Laine: "Rawhide" [Philips PB 965; charts; UK #6] Russ Conway: "Snow Coach" [Columbia DB 4368; charts; UK #7] |
||
| 20 | Adam
Faith: "What Do You Want" [Parlophone R 4591; charts; UK #1] Russ Conway: "More and More Party Pops" [Columbia DB 4373; charts; UK #5] The Beverly Sisters: "Little Donkey" [Decca F 11172; charts; UK #14] Anne Shelton: "Village of St. Bernadette" [Philips PB 969; charts; UK #27] Bert Weedon: "Nashville Boogie" [Top Rank JAR 221; charts; UK #29] |
||
| London: Expresso Bongo featuring Cliff Richard and music by Monty Norman premieres | |||
| 27 | Winifred Atwell: "Piano Party" [Decca F 11183; charts; UK #10; last chart] | ||
| 28 | Melody Maker: "New LPs at only 7s 11d" [US LPs now cheaper] | ||
|
|
|||
| Other November Artifacts | |||
| Lonnie Donegan: "San Miguel"/"Talking Guitar Blues" [UK release; UK charts 4 December; UK #19] | |||
|
|||
| 4 | Johnny Kidd and the Pirates: "Feelin'" [rec 2 Nov] /"If You Were the Only Girl in the World" [UK release] | ||
| Adam
Faith: "What Do You Want" [UK #1 for 3 weeks] Tommy Steele: "Little White Bull" [Decca F 11177; charts; UK #6] Lonnie Donegan: "San Miguel" [Pye 7N 15237; charts; UK #19] |
|||
| Cape Canaveral, Florida: launch and recovery of a monkey | |||
| 5 | Melody Maker: "Musicians See Red at Pink Zone" [plan eliminates parking in West End prohibits drummers and bassists from working and puts a damper on lunch jazz] (HL) | ||
| 11 | Marty Wilde: "Bad Boy" [Philips PB 972; charts; UK #7] | ||
| 18 | Adam
Faith: "What Do You Want" [continues as UK #1] Emile Ford and the Checkmates: "What Do You Want to Make those Eyes at Me For" [UK #1 for 6 weeks] Max Bygraves: "Jingle Bell Rock" [Decca F 11176; charts; UK #7] Fats Domino: "Be My Guest" [London HLP 9005; charts; UK #11] Alma Cogan: "We Got Love" [HMV POP 670; charts; UK #26] |
||
|
|
|||
| Other December Artifacts | |||
| The Shadows: "Saturday Dance" |
|
|
|||
| Other 1959 Artifacts | |||
| London: Vox
introduces its AC30 amplifier late in the year Abbey Road Studios, London: EMI purchases a Telefunken four-track stereo tape recording deck that uses 1" tape. |
|||
| London: MacGibbon and Kee publish Colin MacInnes' Absolute Beginners | |||
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |||
 |
|||
| Return to UK Rock Chronology Index | |||
|
|||
| This site is a living document. I welcome corrections and suggestions. Gordon Thompson, Department of Music, Skidmore College | |||
| Copyright © 1995 — 27 June, 2007 ; Gordon Thompson |
