This Day in Beatle History

February 8

2008 (Feb 20) - Beatles' Autographed Rolling Stones Album Auctioned

A 1976 Rolling Stones album bought for £2 at a car boot sale sold for £4,000 at an auction. The ‘Black and Blue’ LP was signed by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Paul and Linda McCartney and George Harrison as well as members of the Rolling Stones. The seller obtained the album after haggling the cost down from £3.

February 9

1961 (Feb 9) - First Cavern Club Appearance as 'The Beatles'

The Beatles appeared at The Cavern Club, Liverpool, for the very first time (as The Beatles), they would go on to make a total of 292 other appearances at the Club. They were paid £5 for this luchtime appearance and George Harrison was nearly denied admission to play because he was wearing jeans.

1962 (Jun 6) - First Beatles Recordings at What Will Become 'Abbey Road'

The first Beatles recording session took place at EMI studios. The group recorded four tracks, one of which was ‘Love Me Do’ the four musicians received payments for the session of £7.10 ($12.07) each.

1964 (Feb 9) - US Live TV Debut on 'The Ed Sullivan Show'

The Beatles made their US live debut on CBS-TV’s ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’; they performed five songs including their current No.1 ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’. Never before had so many viewers tuned-in to a live television program, which with 73 million viewers, was three-fourths of the total adult audience in the United States.The show had received over 50,000 applications for the 728 seats in the TV studio. During the day they record a segement for the Sullivan show that will air on February 23.

1966 (Feb 18) - Brian Wilson Finishes 'Good Vibrations'

Beach Boy Brian Wilson finished recording the future classic song ‘Good Vibrations’, which went on to become the band’s third US number-one hit. As a child, his mother told him that dogs could pick up “vibrations” from people, so that the dog would bark at “bad vibrations” Wilson turned this into the general idea for the song.

1967 (Feb 9) - Videos For 'Penny Lane' & 'Strawberry Fields Forever' First Shown

The film for the latest Beatles single ‘Penny Lane’ and ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ was shown on BBC-TV’s Top Of The Pops.  It was the first Beatles single not to make No.1 in the UK since 1963, held off the top by Engelbert Humperdinck’s ‘Release Me.’

1968 (Jan 20) - 'Judy In Disguise' is #1. Inspired by 'Lucy In The Sky'?


One Hit Wonders John Fred and the Playboy Band started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Judy In Disguise, (With Glasses)’.  It topped at No.3 in the UK.  The song was allegedly inspired by The Beatles ‘Lucy In The Sky’.

1972 (Feb 9) - Wings Plays First Gig of UK College Tour

Paul McCartney’s Wings played the first night of a UK College tour in Nottingham. The group arrived unannounced asking social secretaries if they would like them to perform that evening. The band’s intended first stop on the tour, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, refused to allow them to play so they drove on to Nottingham. Admission was 40p, British pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz was the opening act for the tour.

1976 (Feb 9) - 'Jet' Enters the Pop Charts

Paul McCartney and Wings ‘Jet’ enters the pop charts.

1982 (Feb 9) - George Presents UNICEF over 9 Million

George Harrison presented UNICEF with a cheque for $9 million (£5.3 million), ten years after the fundraising The Concert For Bangladesh.

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