This Month in Beatles History

january

1944

January: The McCartney family moved to Roach Avenue in Knowsley Estate, Liverpool.

1958

Shows!
January 10: New Clubmoor Hall, Liverpool
January 24: The Cavern, Liverpool

1959

Shows!
January 1: Wilson Hall, Liverpool
January 24: Woolton Village Club, Liverpool

1960

January: Stuart Sutcliffe, John's friend from art school, bought a bass and joined the Quarrymen.

1961

Shows!
January 5: Litherland Town Hall, Liverpool
January 6: St. John's Hall, Bootle in Lancashire
January 7: Aintree Institute, Liverpool; Lathom Hall, Liverpool
January 13: Aintree Institute, Liverpool
January 14: Aintree Institute, Liverpool
January 15: Casbah Coffee Club, Liverpool
January 18: Aintree Institute, Liverpool
January 19: Alexandra Hall, Liverpool
January 20: Lathom Hall, Liverpool
January 21: Lathom Hall, Liverpool; Aintree Institute, Liverpool
January 25: Hambleton Hall, Liverpool
January 26: Litherland Town Hall, Liverpool
January 27: Aintree Institute, Liverpool
January 28: Lathom Hall, Liverpool; Aintree Institute, Liverpool
January 29: Casbah Coffee Club, Liverpool
January 30: Lathom Hall, Liverpool

1962

Shows!
January 3: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 5: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 6: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 7: Casbah Coffee Club, Liverpool
January 9: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 10: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 11: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 12: Cavern Club, Liverpool; Tower Ballroom, Wallasey
January 13: Hambleton Hall, Liverpool
January 14: Casbah Coffee Club, Liverpool
January 15: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 17: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 19: Cavern Club, Liverpool; Tower Ballroom, Wallasey
January 20: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 21: Casbah Coffee Club, Liverpool
January 22: Cavern Club, Liverpool; Kingsway Club, Southport
January 24: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 26: Cavern Club, Liverpool; Tower Ballroom, Wallasey
January 27: Aintree Institute, Liverpool
January 28: Casbah Coffee Club, Liverpool
January 29: Kingsway Club, Southport
January 30: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 31: Cavern Club, Liverpool

Events!
January 1
The Beatles's Decca audition. They recorded fifteen songs chosen by their manager, Brian Epstein: "Like Dreamers Do," "Money," "Till There Was You," "The Sheik of Araby," "To Know Her is to Love Her," "Take Good Care of My Baby," "Memphis, Tennessee," "Sure to Fall," "Hello Little Girl," "Three Cool Cats," "Crying, Waiting, Hoping," "Love of the Loved," "September in the Rain," "Besame Mucho," and "Searchin'." The group & Epstein were told they would be notified later and hurried out of the studio by Mike Smith, the manager. He later turned them down and told Brian, "Guitar groups are on their way out, Mr. Epstein. You really should stick to selling records in Liverpool." He became known as "the man who turned down the Beatles."

January 4
A poll of five thousand readers of Mersey Beat voted The Beatles as Liverpool's most popular group.

January 24
The Beatles signed a management contract with Brian Epstein, witnessed by Alistair Taylor, at Brian's NEMS office.

1963

Shows!
January 3: Two Red Shoes Ballroom, Morayshire
January 4: Town Hall, Ross and Cromarty
January 5: Museum Hall, Stirlingshire
January 6: Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen
January 10: Grafton Rooms, Liverpool
January 11: Cavern Club, Liverpool; Plaza Ballroom, Staffordshire
January 12: Invicta Ballroom, Chatham in Kent
January 14: Wolverham Welfare Association Dance, Civic Hall, Wirral
January 17: Cavern Club, Liverpool; Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead
January 18: Floral Ballroom, Lancashire
January 19: Town Hall Ballroom, Whitchurch in Shropshire
January 20: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 23: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 24: Assembly Hall, Wales
January 25: Co-operative Hall, Darwen
January 26: El Rio Club, Macclesfield in Cheshire; King's Hall, Staffordshire
January 27: Three Coins Club, Manchester
January 28: Majestic Ballroom, Newcastle upon Tyne
January 30: Cavern Club, Liverpool
January 31: Cavern Club, Liverpool; Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead

Events!
January 1
The Beatles' engagement at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany, ended, and they flew back to London.

January 11
The single "Please Please Me"/"Ask Me Why" was released in the UK.

1964

Shows!
January 1-11: The Beatles' Christmas Show, Astoria Cinema, London
January 12:London Palladium
January 17-29: Olympia Theatre, Paris

Events!
January 13
The single "I Want to Hold Your Hand"/"I Saw Her Standing There" was released in the US.

January 14
The Beatles left for Paris to begin a three-week engagement at the Olympia Theatre.

January 17
In the evening a telephone call brought The Beatles news that "I Want to Hold Your Hand" had reached number one in America. Mal Evans, their roadie, reported that the four of them went mad: "They always act this way when anything big happens - just a bunch of kids, jumping up and down with sheer delight. Paul clumbed on my back, demanding a piggyback..."

January 20
The album Meet the Beatles was released in the US.

January 30
The single "Please Please Me"/"From Me to You" was released in the US.

1965

Shows!
January 1-16: Another Beatles Christmas Show, Hammersmith Odeon, London

Events!
January 25
John and wife Cynthia flew to the Alps to join George Martin on a skiing holiday.

January 29
The single "If I Fell"/"Tell Me Why" was released in the UK.

1966

January 1
The album Rubber Soul entered the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

January 7
John and Ringo met to discuss The Beatles' next film.

January 8
Paul went to Liverpool to visit his family, while John, George, and Ringo went to a party at Mick Jagger's house.
This was also the day that Rubber Soul reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

January 21
George married Patti Boyd in Surrey. Paul and Brian Epstein were the best men.

1967

January 4-6
Work continued on "Penny Lane" at Abbey Road Studios.

January 6
The album The Family Way, written by Paul, was released in the UK.

January 9-10
Work continued on "Penny Lane."

January 12
More work on "Penny Lane".

January 13
Paul and Ringo went to the Bag O'Nails club to see The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

January 17
Sgt. Pepper sessions at Abbey Road. David Mason added the piccolo trumpet solo to "Penny Lane".

January 19
The basic track for "A Day in the Life" was recorded.

January 20
Vocal tracks added to "A Day in the Life".

January 25
Paul improvised a new mix of "Penny Lane" because he wasn't happy with the old one.

January 27
The Beatles and Brian Epstein signed a new nine-year worldwide recording contract with EMI.

January 30
EMI needed a new Beatles single to release, so Brian Epstein asked George Martin for two tracks from the Sgt. Pepper sessions. Martin reluctantly gave him "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields."
The Beatles began filming promotional films for "Strawberry Fields" and "Penny Lane" at Knole Park.

January 31
The pirate station Radio London became the first station to play "Penny Lane" on the air.

1968

January 5
John ended the feud with his father, Alfred, and told the Daily Mirror: "From now on I hope we'll be in close contact all the time."
George worked on the soundtrack to the film Wonderwall at Abbey Road.

January 30
George completed work on Wonderwall.

1969

January: Get Back was filmed at Twickenham Studios. January 13
The album Yellow Submarine was released in the US.

January 17
UK release of Yellow Submarine.