This Day in Beatle History

February 27

1964 (Feb 27) - Former Cavern Club Employee Cilla Black is #1

21 year-old former hairdresser and cloakroom attendant at The Cavern Club, Cilla Black was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart.’ Written by Bacharach and David it was Black’s first UK No.1. Also this week’s UK Top Ten was the first ever to feature only UK acts.

February 28

1966 (Feb 28) - 'Cavern Club' Closes and Fans Protest

The Cavern Club closes. Police were called after over a 100 music fans barricaded themselves inside the club to protest it’s closure. The club had run up debts of over £10,000. The Beatles made a total of 292 appearances at The Cavern Club, their final performance at the club was on 3 August 1963.

1967 (Feb 28) - Work Begins on 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'

On the last day of February, work begins on the song ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’

1987 (Feb 28) - First Five Beatles Album Released on CD

The first five Beatles albums, Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, Beatles for Sale and Help! were released on Compact disc. Capitol Records decided to release the original UK mixes of the Beatles albums, (the first four CDs were released in mono). This marked the first time that many of these mono mixes were available in the US.

March 1

1966 (Mar 1) -Cavern Club The Site of a 'Sit In'

A hundred Beatles fans stage a sit-in at Liverpool’s Cavern Club. It is the first live home for the band and it is closing due to bankruptcy.

1967 (Feb 29) - John's US Visa Expires

John Lennon’s US Visa expires. He now begins a four year fight for immigrant status.

1967 (Mar 1) - Beatles Working on 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'

Working at Abbey Road studios, London, The Beatles started recording a new John Lennon song ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’. Despite the supposed drug references, John always insited the song was inspired by a drawing his 3 year-old son Julian returned home from school with one day. The picture, which was of a little girl with lots of stars, was his classmate – Lucy O’Donnell, who also lived in Weybridge, and attended the same school as Julian. When John asked what the picture was, Julian replied “Lucy in the sky with diamonds”.