(Many thanks for inspiration for this page go to sixtiescity.com & www.timelines.ws)
Music.....
Starting with best selling 45rpm singles of 1964;- Jim Reeves had the top two sellers of the year, I Love You Because & I Wont Forget You. Other big names who also sold well were Roy Orbison (its over), The Batchelors (I Believe & Diane), Beatles, Cilla Black, Manfred Mann, The Rolling Stones, The Searchers, The Tremeloes. Something of a surprise in seventh spot was Millie Small's, My Boy Lollipop, who I later saw perform live in Bradford at a Reggae Festival with the Upsetters.
The best selling '33 1/3rd rpm' LP was the film soundtrack from West Side Story, with the Beatles holding three out the top 5 other placings the Stones were at '3', with Roy Orbison in sixth spot. The Shadows had two of their own in the best selling top twenty, and a third with Cliff Richard.
Going briefly through the year, January 1st heralded the first 'Top of the Pops' programme, from a disused Church In Manchester..... Five days later the 'Stones' started 'their' first tour, supported by the Ronettes..... March saw the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen with Matt Monroe's 'I Love the Little Things' finishing second to Italy's Gigliola Cinquetti..... Radio Caroline - Britain's first Pirate Radio Station commenced broadcasting five miles of Harwich when on Easter Sunday, DJ Simon Dee played the Beatles 'Can't by me Love''..... In May two more arrived, first Radio Atlanta, then Radio Sutch..... Brighton & Margate actually witnessed Riots as large groups of Mods & Rockers came face to face..... In June a crowd of 300,000 welcomed the Beatles to Adelaide, Australia..... July had all 5 Rolling Stones as members of the panel on TV's 'Juke Box Jury',.... whilst further 'music boats' were Radio Caroline North (off I.O.M.), Invicta (Off Whitstable) & Radio Noordzee International..... The month ended tragically when on the 31st, Jim Reeves was reported killed in a plane crash near Nashville.....
August brought more sad news when American vocalist Johnny Burnette was drowned whilst fishing..... In September two short lived Pirate Radio ships, Lambay & Shannon were located of Ireland, whilst Radio Sutch (Screaming Lord) changed its name to Radio City..... November heralded the first British commercial Radio Station with Radio Manx..... In December Radio London started to broadcast from a former US Navy minesweeper in the Thames estuary, two of their disc Jockeys just happened to be Dave Cash and a young lad called Maurice Cole (later to become Kenny Everett)..... December 11th was another sad day with Soul Legend Sam Cooke shot dead in Los Angeles.
World News......
January 1st - The Palestinian Guerilla Group 'Fatah' founded by Yasser Arafat made its first armed attack against Israel..... January 7th - The Actor Nicolas Cage was born..... January 16th - The Musical 'Hello Dolly' opened on Broadway and ran for 2,844 shows..... Elsewhere in 1964;- Huddersfield Town Supporter Harold Wilson was our Prime Minister..... The statue of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen Harbour was decapitated..... The Japanese Shunkansen 'Bullet' train commenced services..... 'Bonanza' was the top T.V. show in the U.S..... Dr. Amar Bose founded his now famous Acoustic loudspeaker company..... The Winter Olympics were held in Innsbruck, Austria..... The Addams Family & The Munsters appeared on T.V. screens..... Roald Dahl published 'Charlie & the Chocolate Factory'..... Andy Warhol created 'Brillo boxes' and 'Orange Marylin'..... Dr Martin Luther King received the Nobel Peace Prize..... President Johnson became number 36 in the top spot in America's Whitehouse..... Lyricist & composer Cole Porter 73, died..... Botswana & Malta, Malawi & Nyasaland gain Independence from Britain..... Comedian Harpo Marx died at 75yrs old..... Race riots took place in Philadlephia, USA..... The Palestinian Liberation Army were formed..... Arthur Ashe became the first 'African-American' to play in the American Davis Cup Tennin team..... Laws were approved in the USA to require Health Warnings on Cigarette packets starting from 1965..... The Summer Olympic Games were staged in Tokyo..... India's first own Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru died..... Sidney Poitier became the first black actor to win an Acadamy Award Oscar..... Actor Peter Lorre died..... The hit musical 'Funny Girl' opened on Broadway featuring Barbara Streisand and ran for 1,348 shows..... 'The Great Train Robbers' were sentenced to a total of 307 years in Prison..... Boxer Cassius Clay beat Sonny Liston to take the World Heavyweight Title..... Elizabeth Taylor married her fifth husband (Richard Burton) in Montreal, Canada..... Leaders in England & France agreed to jointly build a rail tunnel under the English Channel.
