Daily Events - 1963

January 1
            Wanda Jackson is at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California.

January 2
             Dionne Warwick sings "Don't Make Me Over" on American Bandstand.

January 4
            Johnny Thunder sings "Lop De Lop" on American Bandstand today.

January 10
          Sam Cooke is performing at Miami's Harlem Square Club.

January 13
          Brenda Lee performs on The Ed Sullivan Show which is broadcast live by CBS-TV from the Convention Hall in Miami.

January 15
            The Dreamlovers are the Musical guests on American Bandstand.

Mid-January
Dick Dale and the Del-Tones are playing at the Harmony Park Ballroom in Anaheim, California. Gene Vincent marries for a third time to an English girl named Margaret Russell.

January 19
             Frankie Avalon weds Kay Deibel the former Miss Rheingold Beer

January 23
            Bryan Hyland begins a twenty-three city tour in England.

January 26
             Skeeter Davis is in Macon, Georgia

January 27
             Neil Sedaka appears on the Ed Sullivan Show.

January 28
            Steve Alaimo makes his national television debut on American Bandstand singing "Everyday I Have to Cry." 

January 28
            Elvis Presley begins his latest movie Fun in Acapulco.

January 29
          The Paris Sisters are on CBS-TV's Red Skeleton Show. 

           Bobby Darin is on Steve Allen's late night show.

Late January
Danny and the Juniors begin a tour of Canada. 

The Motortown Revue hits the road again after a holiday rest. The Motown-Tamla-Gordy acts head for their first stop the Royal Theater in Baltimore.

February 1
                  Linda Scott appears on the Arthur Godfrey CBS-TV special Sounds of New York. Scott sings "I Told Every Star" and duets with Godfrey on "Mississippi Mud."

February 6
                   Barbara Lynn opens at the Royal Theater in Baltimore for a week.

February 10
                  A new television program seen locally on Sunday afternoon from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m debuts on Detroit's WKYZ-TV.  It feature rhythm and blues and naturally all the inaugural acts are from Motown Records.

February 13
                   In the Chapel of the Orly Airport in Paris, Paul Anka marries Marie Ann de Zogheb, daughter of Count and Countess Charles Zogheb.  Zogheb is a Lebanese businessman.

February 14
                    Skeeter Davis performs "End of the World" on American Bandstand.

                    The Four Seasons appear on Steve Allen's late night show.

February 15
                     Jackie Wilson and Bobby Rydell are at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh.  Also on the bill are the Orlons, Lou Christie, the Exciters, Little Anthony, the Rocky Fellers, the Jive Five, the Belmonts, the Debonaires and the '5' Royales. 

                    Chubby Checker arrives in Hong Kong.

February 18
                     Brook Benton is at the Riverside Ballroom in Phoenix.

February 20
                     Lou Chrisite sings "The Gypsy Cried" on American Bandstand.

February 22
                    LaVern Baker begins a week at the Regal Theater in Chicago.

February 24
                     Jay and the Americans entertain at the Motion Picture Association Commissioner's Breakfast at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

February 28
                     Marcie Blaine is welcomed to American Bandstand.

Late February
Jimmy Clanton, the Four Seasons, Ral Donner and Oscar Brown Jr. perform at a combination TV show/record hop held at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago

March 2
               The Limbo Party featuring Chubby Checker comes to the Cow Place in San Francisco.

March 4
                 Johnny Tillotson is at the Casino Royale in Washington, DC.

Early March
Little Eva leaves for an European tour that will open with two weeks in Paris.

March 14
                  Jo Ann Campbell sings "Mother Please (I'd Rather Do It Myself)" on American Bandstand.

March 15
                  The Cookies are headling for a week at the Apollo Theater.

March 17
                 The Chris Montez,Tommy Roe, Beatles tour in England continues with shows today at the Embassy Cinema, Petersborough.

March 18
                 Johnny Tillotson is at the Casino Royale in Washington, DC.

March 22
                  Ben. E. King opens at the Regal Theater in Chicago for a week.

March 24
                  Chubby Checker is a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show.

March 25
                  The Dreamlovers are on American Bandstand.  

March 26
               Bobby Rydell appears in a comedy role on the Red Skelton CBS-TV show.

March 27
                  Gene Chandler is at the Elegante Club in Brooklyn

March 28
                  Wanda Jackson begins a sixteen day tour of the western U.S. with a show in Phoenix.

March 29
                  Jan and Dean perform "Linda" on American Bandstand.

March 31
                  Jackie Wilson appears for the fourth time on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Late March
Ike and Tina Turner are on a one-nighter swing through Texas.

April 1
            Cliff Richard and the Shadows make an appearance on The Ed Sullivan show that had previously been taped in London.

April 5
            Gene Pitney headlines the Show of Stars that currently are in the Hawaiian Islands.

Early April 
Bobby Vee flies to Hamburg, West Germany, where he will record two of his hits in German. 

Tommy Roe is touring Germany. 

Bobby Rydell is in London on a promotional tour.

April 12
           Fresh from her European tour, Brenda Lee is booked into the Deauville Hotel in Miami. 

         Jimmy Soul sings "If You Wanna Be Happy" on American Bandstand.

April 13
            Ruth Brown headlines the Little Cotton Club in Carteret, New Jersey. 

            Gene Vincent joins the Beatles for six weeks at the Star Club in Hamburg, West Germany.

           Little Eva begins two weeks at the Olympia Theater in Paris

April 14
            Frank Ifield appears on CBS-TV's Ed Sullivan Show.

April 15
            Johnny Tillotson flies to London to begin a five week stay.

            Neil Sedaka is performing in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Mid-April
Bo Diddley is playing a two-nighter at the Cadillac Club in Memphis.

April 17
            A videography of Duane Eddy is telecast on British television.

April 19
            The Motortown Revue begins a three month coast to coast tour.

April 20
             Rick Nelson marries Kristin Harmon, daughter Tom Harmon a former University of Michigan All-American and professional football player. She will join the cast of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Life magazine called it the Wedding of the Year, but might not have realized that she
bride was seventeen and pregnant.             

April 24
             Eighteen year old Brenda Lee marries nineteen year old Ronnie Shacklett in Nashville.  Shacklett is the son of Nashville City Councilman Earl Shacklett.  The wedding takes place at Radnor Church of Christ and the couple will honeymoon in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. 

            Peggy March makes her national television debut on NBC-TV's The Perry Como Show.

April 25
             Bobby Rydell celebrates his twenty-first birthday a day early at a party thrown by his manager at the Luau 400 Club in New York City.

April 26
             Little Anthony and the Imperials play a high school prom in Jeanette, Pennsylvania.

April 28
             Ray Charles is at New York's Carnegie Hall.

April 29
             The Motortown Review is at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh.

April 30
            Jerry Lee Lewis leaves for a six week tour of the British Isles, France and Germany.

Late April
Neil Sedaka is in England to appear on the television show Sunday Night At the Palladium. 

Del Shannon and Johnny Tillotson are in England to begin their tour. 

Bobby Rydell is named National Chairman of the Teenagers Drive Against Leukemia. Proceeds raised by the drive will be donated to St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis.

May  1
          Jerry Lee Lewis begins his tour of England at a week shows in and around London.

May 2
         Brenda Lee makes her nightclub debut at the Copacabana in New York City.

May 4
         Ray Charles is at the Donnelley Theater in Boston.   A strong advance sales force a second show and Charles becomes the first performer to sell out two shows in one day at the Donnelley. The gross of $30,00 is another record for the venue and the city.

May 7
          Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent are both playing the Rialto Theater in York, England. 

          Skeeter Davis is appearing for one night in Detroit.

Early May
Jerry Lee Lewis takes time  off from his tour of England to appear in the British musical film Sing and Swing.

May 8 
          Darlene Love appears on American Bandstand and sings "Today I Met the Boy I'm Gonna Marry." 

          Del Shannon and Johnny Tillotson are performing at London's Royal Albert Hall in a concert that includes the Beatles.  Shannon tells Lennon and McCartney that he'd like to record one of their songs for the American market, and they give him "From Me To You."

May 12
         Ray Charles and the Raelettes come to England for his first British tour.

May 15
          At the fifth annual Grammy Award ceremonies honoring 1962 releases, Ray Charles wins for Best R&B Recording for "I Can't Stop Loving You."

Mid-May
Dick Clark's Spring Shower of Stars begins twenty shows in the Midwest. On the tour are Lou Christie, Steve Alaimo, Paul and Paula, Dick and Dee Dee and Johnny Cymbal. 

The Four Seasons are touring England.

May 18 
          Roy Orbison starts his first tour of England. Misplacing his regular glasses just before leaving, Orbison is forced to wear his prescription sunglasses for this tour, thus adding to his mystique.  His first show is at the Adelphi Cinema in Slough.  

         Jackie DeShannon makes her national television debut on Jackie Gleason variety show on CBS-TV.

May 21
          Little Stevie Wonder's performance in Detroit is tape recorded for release on the album Recorded Live - The 12 Year Old Genius.

May 3 
          Ray Charles begins three days at the Olympia Theater in Paris.

May 24
           Skeeter Davis sings "End of the World" on American Bandstand.

May 27
           Ruth Brown is at the Cafe Tia Juana in Cleveland.

May 28
         Paul and Paula are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

May 29
          Dion begins ten days at the Boulevard Club in New York City.

May 30
          Lesley Gore makes her national TV debut on American Bandstand singing "It's My Party."

June 3 
         Lonnie Mack Day is proclaimed by the mayor of Mack's hometown Aurora Indiana.  Mack entertains that evening at the Moose Lodge Hall. 

         Linda Scott opens at the Club Elegante in Brooklyn, New York.

June 8 
         Johnny Cymbal begins a British tour.

June 9 
          Neil Sedaka is on The Ed Sullivan Show.

June 14 
        Dion headlines the rock and roll show at the Pittsburgh Civic Center. Also on the bill are the Shirelles. the Chiffons. Little Peggy March, Freddy Cannon, the Impressions and Dionne Warwick. 

         Bobby Vinton sings "Blue On Blue" on American Bandstand.

Mid-June
Jerry Lee Lewis ends his European tour. Back in Memphis he begins at the Oriental Club, a private membership club where he will regularly perform when he isn't on tour.

June 16
         Chicago's WBKB-TV begins a new Sunday teen oriented program Danceville U.S.A.  Appearing on the first two shows are the Four Seasons, Jimmy Clanton, Ral Danner, Barbara Lewis, Joe Dowell, and Ray Stevens.  The first two show were pre-recorded at Oak Park High School.

June 23 
          Elvis Presley's 1956-57 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show are a highlight of that program's 15th anniversary special on CBS-TV.

June 28 
         Sam Cooke is headling at the Apollo Theater.

June 29 
          Rick Nelson is at the Arkansas Dairy Festival and Teen Jamboree in Little Rock.

July 3
          After fifteen years in the business, LaVern Baker has her first Las Vegas booking, and a month at the Riveria Hotel.

July   4
         Joey Dee and the Starliters perform "Dance, Dance, Dance" on the Independence Day edition of American Bandstand.

July 6
           Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp, the Earls and the Percells entertain fans before the Mets baseball game at the Polo Grounds in New York.

Early June
Elvis Presley is filming Viva Las Vegas for M-G-M.

July  8
           Little Stevie Wonder performs "Fingertips" on American Bandstand.

July 10 
           Link Wray and the Raymen perform "Jack the Ripper" on American Bandstand.

July 11
          Sam Cooke is at the Club Harlem in Atlantic City for a week.

July 15 
         The Dick Clark Caravan of Stars begins a cross country tour. Appearing are Gene Pitney, Paul and Paula, Lou Christie, Barbara Lewis, Johnny Tillotson, the Tymes, the Orlons, the Crystals, the Dovells, Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, Ruby and the Romantics, and Big Dee Irwin.  

         In Charlotte, North Carolina, Brenda Lee makes her debut in summer stock theater as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

Mid-July
  Neil Sedaka leaves for an extensive tour that will take him to South America, Europe and South Africa.

July 20
          The Tymes are headling at the Apollo Theater this week. Mel Carter sings "When a Boy Falls in Love" on American Bandstand.

July 22 
           With Dick Clark on vacation, Freddy Cannon hosts American Bandstand.

July 23 
           Lesley Gore sings "It's My Party" on the Keefe Braselle show on CBS-TV. 

July 23 
           Jan and Dean perform "Surf City" on Steve Allen's late night show.

July 24 
          Roy Orbison is the guest host on American Bandstand and sings "Falling."

July 25
           Brian Hyland is American Bandstand's guest host today.

July 26 
           Ronnie and the Hi-Lites entertain at the new Hy-Lite teen club in Atlantic City. 

           Jimmy Clanton closes out the guest hosting this week at American Bandstand.

August 1
          The Dovells sing "Betty In Bermudas" on American Bandstand.

August 2
          Jerry Lee Lewis opens at the Thunderbird Hotel in Las Vegas for a reported $9500. It is reported that both RCA Victor and Liberty Records are courting Lewis in anticipation of Lewis' contract expiring with Sun Records in September. Supposedly Liberty is offering a five year contract with a $10,000 yearly guarantee. Reportedly Lewis is holding out for $25,000. 

          Sam Cooke is at the Regal Theater in Chicago.

          Freddy Scott sings "Hey Girl" on American Bandstand.

August 4
          Chubby Checker is on a major European tour.

August 7
         Jo Ann Campbell drops by American Bandstand.

Early August  
Bobby Rydell is doing summer stock theater performing in West Side Story for one week in Warren and Columbus, Ohio.

August 9
          Steve Alaimo performs on American Bandstand.

August 12
         Ray Charles is at the Cow Place in San Francisco.

August 23
         Lou Rawls appears for ten day at the Twenty Grand Club in Detroit.

         Jerry Lee Lewis is at the Vapor's Club in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

August 29
              Fats Domino performs "Red Sails In the Sunset" on American Bandstand.

August 30
          Murray the K's Holiday Review at the Brooklyn Fox Theater includes Ben E,. King, Litle Stevie Wonder, Jan and Dean, The Drifters, the Shirelles, Gene Pitney, The Miracles, Paul and Paula, the Angels, the Dovells, Jay and the Americans, the Tymes, the Chiffons and Randy and the Rainbows. 

          After six years of weekly programs, American Bandstand is moving to Saturdays only. The final program is dedicated to all the regulars that appeared over the years.  In Memphis, Jerry Lee Lewis' wife has a baby daughter, Phoebe Allen.

Late August
Johnny and the Hurricanes are in Charlotte, Michigan.

September 2
         Chubby Checker begins two days at the Star Club in Hamburg, West Germany.

September 4
          Diane Ray collapses during a recording session in Nashville. Rushed to St. Thomas Hospital she will spend a week recuperating from exhaustion.

September 6
           After eight years Jerry Lee Lewis' relationship with Sun Records ends. Within a month he will sign with Smash Records a subsidiary of Mercury Records.

September 7
           Gene Pitney and Frankie Avalon appear at the Brooklyn Fox Theater. 

          Little Peggy March appears at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Louisville, Kentucky.

Early September
Del Shannon and his manager Irving Michanik are in London talking to the owners of the Amy-Mala Records about a possible move to that label.

September 8
           The Four Seasons are on The Ed Sullivan Show. 

           Gene Vincent goes from England to Germany for a sixteen day tour.

September 9
           Two days before his tour of England, Roy Orbison loses his voice and can't speak at the London press conferences. He is ordered to bed with a 50-50 chance that the tour will go on.

September 11
           Fully recovered from his bought with laryngitis, Roy Orbison begins his tour at the Adelphi Theater in Slough.

September 13
           Gene Vincent returns briefly from West Germany to appear on Go, Man, Go a London TV program. Backing him are the Hollies.

September 14
           The Beach Boys perform at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California, in a show that benefits the El Camino High School's senior class.  

           American Bandstand presents Dion singing "Donna the Prima Donna" and Major Lance performing "Monkey Time." 

          This weekend in England Freddy Cannon will be appearing in Swinging Time and Thank Your Lucky Stars. 

           Paul Anka is at the Olympia Theater in Paris.

September 19
           The Everly Brothers and Bo Diddley arrive in England to prepare for the upcoming six week tour.

September 21
           The Summer Shower of Stars completes its run.   Garnett Mimms performs "Cry Baby" on American Bandstand. 

          Via videotape Cliff Richard appears on tonight's CBS-TV's The Ed Sullivan Show.

September 24
          Gene Pitney is currently touring Canada. 

           The Beach Boys guest on Red Skelton's CBS-TV's program tonight. They sing "Surfin' U.S.A." and "The Things We Did Last Summer."

September 28
           The Beach Boys perform at the Surf Party at San Francisco's Cow Palace. On the bill are Jan and Dean, Dee Dee Sharp, Freddy Cannon, the Coasters, Ray Stevens, Bobby Freeman, the Ronettes, Trini Lopez, the Jaynetts, Dionne Warwick, the Righteous Brothers, and the Drifters.  

           The Ronettes appear and perform "Be My Baby" by videotape on American Bandstand.

Late September
Joey Dee and the Starliters are touring New Zealand. 

Johnny Thunder is in England. 

Chubby Checker is at the Song Festival in Taormina, Italy.

October 2 
          Del Shannon is back in England, The backing band consists of two members of Cliff Richard's Shadows  and the opening acts are Gerry and the Pacemakers and Cilia Black.

October 5 
         The Sam Cooke and Dion tour plays the Keil Opera House in St. Louis. Tickets run $2-$3.50. 

         Little Richard sails to England to join the Everly Brothers tour of the British Isles. 

          Jerry Lee Lewis signs a five year recording contract with Smash Records that will guarantee him $10,000 yearly. 

          Gene Vincent ends his tour of West Germany and goes to France to perform for three weeks.

October  6
          The Angels sing "My Boyfriends Back" on The Ed Sullivan Show. 

          Roy Orbison close his tour of England at King George's Hall in Blackburn.

Early October
Dion performs at the Civic arena in Pittsburgh.

October 8
           The Biggest Show of Stars for 1963 plays the Forum in Witchita, Kansas. Tickets are $2,00, $2.50 and $3.00.  The headliners are Fabian, Brenda Lee and Duane Eddy, Jimmy Clanton, Freddy Cannon, Bill Black's Combo Chubby Checker,  Jimmy Charles, the Casuals and Bobby Vinton.

August 2
           Sam Cooke's tour stops at Shreveport Louisiana. When Cooke attempts to check into the Holiday Inn where he had reservations, he is told the rooms won't be ready until noon. Cooke then went to the Royal Hotel where most of the Black entertainers were staying. Within minutes, he is arrested and charged with attempting to procure lodging in a White only motel. Bond is paid from the previous night's ticket sales. The press picked up the story and Cooke found himself as being hailed as a civil rights spokesperson.

October 12 
           The Chiffons sing "He's So Fine" on American Bandstand.

October 13 
           Lesley Gore is a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show.

October 15
           Enroute to England, Dion and Timi Yuro join Neil Sedaka for a performance at the Olympia Theater in Paris.

Mid-October
Jerry Lee Lewis is booked to play the "World's Largest Nightclub" the Chez Paris in Chicago. After years of neglect as a recording artist, this date, coupled with his new Smash Records contract, will turn his career around.

October 18
                      After serving about eighteen months of a three year sentence for violating the Mann Act, Chuck Berry is released on parole from the Federal Medical Facility in Springfield, Missouri. Berry has lost almost four years in front of the public as a result of legal proceedings, three trials and his imprisonment. While in prison he composed some of his best work "You Never Can Tell," "Nadine," and "No Particular Place To Go" as well as starting an autobiography, which was eventually published in 1987.

October 19 
            Joey Dee and the Starliters are in Belgium  Otis Redding is at the Hunt High School Gym in Fort Valley, Georgia. 

          Little Peggy March sings "I Will Follow Him" on American Bandstand.

October 20
          England's Cliff Richard and the Shadows and Frank Ifield appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.

October 23 
           While on tour in England, Bo Diddley videotapes appearances for several local television shows including Saturday Club for the BBC and Scene for ITV.

October 25 
           Chubby Checker opens for two weeks at the Macombo in Toronto.

          Rick Nelson and his wife Kristen become parents of a daughter, Tracy.

Late October
Elvis Presley begins filming Kissin' Cousins for M-G-M. 

Dick and Dee Dee are in Vancouver, British Columbia.

November 1 
          The Beach Boys headline a show at the Hollywood Bowl in California that benefits the YMCA. 

          Johnny Burnette's tour of England begins in Birmingham.

November 2 
          While touring England, Dion appears on the English version of American Bandstand Ready, Steady, Go.  Performing "Donna the Prima Donna" he reportedly becomes infuriated with teenagers dancing all around him and he walks off the stage. 

          Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas arrive in the U.S. for a ten day tour. They are the first of the British groups to come to the States.

November 4  
          Bobby Rydell arrives in London. The following night he appears on the British TV show, Saturday Night At the Palladium.

November 5
          In London, Little Richard stars in a television spectacular that is videotaped for a later showing on the Granada network. 

          Neil Sedaka, Dion and Timi Yuro are at the Olympia Theater in Paris. 

          Bobby Vee headlines Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars. Others are Brian Hyland, the Dovells, Paul and Paula,, Dale and Grace, the Tymes, the Ronettes, Jimy Clanton, Linda Scott, the Essex, Little Eva, the Dixiebelles, and Donald Jenkins and the Delighters.

The opening show is held at the Armory in Teaneck, New Jersey.

November  9
        Bobby Darin entertains as part of the two hour Jerry Lewis ABC-TV special from the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. 

        Gene Pitney sings "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" on American Bandstand.

November 13 
         The Atlantic Caravan of Stars headlined by Ben E. King and the Drifters is at the Apollo Theater this week. Other artists are Doris Troy, Rufus Thomas, Otis Redding, the Falcons and the King Curtis combo.

November 16 
      Bobby Vinton is syndicating a half hour television show he stars in.  

          Skeeter Davis is at the Armory in Ashland, Kentucky.

November 24 
          Joey Dee is touring Europe.

November 27 
         King Curtis is at the Latin Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

November 2 
          Chubby Checker performs "Loddy Lo" on American Bandstand.

Late November
Scheduled to begin a tour of England, Dee Dee Sharp hurries home when notified her grandmother in Philadelphia is sick.

December  
         Johnny Tillotson is at the Mardi Gras Club in Baltimore.

December 4
          Gene McDaniels appears on Steve Allen's late night show.

December 7 
         Sam Cooke guests on Jerry Lewis ABC-TV comedy show.

December 11
          Little Stevie Wonder is at the Olympia Theater in Paris through Christmas.

December 21 
          Vito and the Salutations visit American Bandstand and perform "Unchained Melody." 

          The Beach Boys are playing at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. They are being tape recorded by Capitol Records for their first concert album.

December 22
      Frank Ifield is on The Ed Sullivan Show.

December 25
          Murray the K's Christmas Revue at the Brooklyn Fox Theater features Tommy Roe.

December 27 
         Little Stevie Wonder is in England promoting his records. He will appear on several ITV programs including Ready, Steady, Go. 

          Carl Perkins is touring Florida.

December 28 
        Bobby Vee marries 20 year old  Karen Bergen at the Holy Rosary Church in Orchard Lake, Michigan. They will honeymoon in Acapulco.

December 29 
         Bobby Darin appears on CBS-TV's Judy Garland Show.

Late December
The Beach Boys are preparing for their first overseas tour which will be in Australia. 

The Ronettes are scheduled for a January tour of England with the Rolling Stones. 

The Four Seasons upset with the business practices of Vee-Jay soon jump to Phillips, a subsidiary of Mercury. 

Just as it looks as the Girl Groups are done, the Supremes emerge as one of the few alternatives to the next wave of music.