178 Fun Facts About 60s Music

On 9 February 1964 the Beatles made their first live US television appearance on which program?

The broadcast is usually treated as the opening shot of the British Invasion; the band did a second Sullivan appearance from Florida a week later.

Roughly how many viewers watched the Beatles' February 1964 debut on Sullivan's show?

About 73 million viewers, roughly 45 percent of US television households, watched the 9 February 1964 broadcast; the audience record stood until The Fugitive's 1967 series finale.

Which song was the Beatles' first US number one, entering the Hot 100 at 45 in January 1964?

'I Want to Hold Your Hand' was planned for a mid-January 1964 release, but radio play forced Capitol to rush it out on 26 December 1963; it topped the Hot 100 on 1 February 1964.

What was the Beatles' first hit single, released in late 1962 after they signed with EMI?

'Love Me Do', released 5 October 1962, reached number 17 in the UK; the single used the 4 September take with Ringo Starr on drums, while the album take used session drummer Andy White.

The Beatles played their last commercial concert on 29 August 1966 at which venue?

Candlestick Park in San Francisco hosted the final ticketed Beatles concert on 29 August 1966; a year earlier they had opened a US tour before a record 55,600 at Shea Stadium.

Which pop artist designed the Sgt. Pepper cover with Jann Haworth?

Hamilton would go on to design the plain white sleeve of the follow-up, The Beatles (the White Album).

What was the working title of 'Yesterday' before Paul McCartney wrote the lyrics?

McCartney sang 'Scrambled Eggs' as placeholder lyrics to the melody he dreamed; the finished 'Yesterday' used a string quartet and no other Beatles and has drawn more than 2,000 cover versions.

'Hey Jude' spent how many weeks at number one on the Hot 100 in 1968, tying the record?

'Hey Jude' held the Hot 100's top spot for 9 weeks in late 1968, tying the chart record; McCartney began it as 'Hey Jules' to comfort John Lennon's son Julian during his parents' split.

On 30 January 1969 the Beatles gave their final public performance from the roof of which building?

The unannounced lunchtime set on the roof of Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Savile Row was cut short by police after complaints about the noise.

Which album was the last the Beatles recorded, even though Let It Be came out later?

Abbey Road, recorded mainly in summer 1969 and released that September, was the last album the Beatles made; Let It Be had been taped in January 1969 but was held up until May 1970.

Brian Jones named his new band after 'Rollin' Stone', a track on an LP by which bluesman?

Brian Jones took the name from 'Rollin' Stone', a Muddy Waters track on an LP lying on the floor while he was on the phone to Jazz News in 1962 booking the band's first gig.

Which 1965 single gave the Rolling Stones their first US number one?

'(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' topped the Hot 100 for four weeks in July 1965; Keith Richards said the fuzz-tone riff came to him in his sleep and he found it on his cassette recorder in the morning.

Which Ray Davies-written 1964 single was the Kinks' breakthrough, topping the UK chart?

'You Really Got Me' topped the UK chart in September 1964; Dave Davies got its distorted guitar sound by slashing the speaker cone of his small Elpico amplifier with a razor blade.

Roger Daltrey's vocal on the Who's 'My Generation' (1965) is famous for what distinctive delivery?

Daltrey's angry stutter on 'My Generation' was partly inspired by John Lee Hooker's 'Stuttering Blues'; the song, with its line 'Hope I die before I get old', reached number two in the UK in 1965.

Which guitarist joined Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce in the 1966 supergroup Cream?

Eric Clapton left John Mayall's Bluesbreakers to form Cream with Baker and Bruce in 1966; 'Sunshine of Your Love' became the trio's biggest US hit, reaching number five in 1968.

Led Zeppelin, formed in London by Jimmy Page after the Yardbirds folded, came together in which year?

Page assembled the band in 1968 after the Yardbirds split that July; Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham briefly toured Scandinavia as the New Yardbirds to fulfil leftover bookings.

Berry Gordy founded Motown in 1959 in which US city, whose nickname it became?

Detroit, the Motor City, gave the label its name, a blend of 'motor' and 'town'; the Hitsville U.S.A. house on West Grand Boulevard served as studio, office and Gordy's home.

Under what label name did Berry Gordy first found his company on 12 January 1959?

The Tamla name lived on as the imprint for artists including Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson.

How many Hot 100 number ones did the Supremes score?

The Supremes scored 12 Hot 100 number ones between 1964 and 1969; the first arrived in August 1964, surprising the group, who were touring with Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars.

Little Stevie Wonder signed to Motown at what age?

Wonder was 11 when Berry Gordy signed him in 1961 as Little Stevie Wonder; his 1963 live single 'Fingertips' pushed the album Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius to number one when he was 13.

Which act released the first version of 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine', in 1967?

Gladys Knight & the Pips' version, released in September 1967, reached number two on the Hot 100; Whitfield and Strong had written it in 1966, and the Miracles and Marvin Gaye had already recorded shelved versions.

How many weeks did Marvin Gaye's 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' top the Billboard pop chart from December 1968?

Berry Gordy had resisted releasing it as a single at all; it went on to overtake the Gladys Knight version as Motown's biggest seller to that point.

The Temptations' October 1968 hit 'Cloud Nine', produced by Norman Whitfield, pioneered which style?

'Cloud Nine' launched psychedelic soul at Motown, with wah-wah guitar and traded lead vocals; it won the label's first Grammy in 1969, months after David Ruffin had been fired from the group.

Aretha Franklin's 1967 'Respect' was a rearranged cover of a 1965 song by whom?

Otis Redding wrote and recorded 'Respect' in 1965; Franklin's 1967 version flipped its plea into a demand, added the spelled-out chorus, and earned two Grammys in 1968.

What chart milestone did Redding's '(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay' achieve in 1968?

It became the first posthumous US number one, topping the Hot 100 in March 1968; Redding had recorded it days before dying in a plane crash on 10 December 1967, the whistling reportedly a placeholder.

Aretha Franklin's career took off after she signed in 1966 with which record label?

Her earlier Columbia years had pushed her toward jazz and pop standards; at Atlantic she was recorded playing piano and singing gospel-rooted soul.

James Brown's free televised Boston Garden concert on 5 April 1968 was staged to keep the peace after which event?

City officials had wanted to cancel the show; broadcasting it live is credited with keeping Boston calm while other cities burned.

Which soul singer, shot dead in a Los Angeles motel in 1964, wrote 'A Change Is Gonna Come'?

Sam Cooke wrote 'A Change Is Gonna Come' in 1963, inspired partly by Dylan's 'Blowin' in the Wind'; Rolling Stone placed it at number 3 on its 2021 list of the 500 greatest songs.

The Jackson 5 formed in 1964 in which Indiana city?

The Jacksons grew up at 2300 Jackson Street in Gary, Indiana; after signing to Motown they became the first group whose first four singles all hit number one, starting with 'I Want You Back' in 1969.

At the Newport Folk Festival on 25 July 1965, Bob Dylan was booed by some fans for doing what?

His backing band was drawn from the Paul Butterfield Blues Band; the Fender Stratocaster he played that night sold for $965,000 in 2013.

On 'Like a Rolling Stone', the famous Hammond organ riff was improvised by which rookie session musician?

Kooper had turned up hoping to play guitar; when Mike Bloomfield took that chair he slipped onto the organ instead.

Bob Dylan was born in 1941 under which name?

Born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota, on 24 May 1941, he adopted the name Dylan and legally changed it in 1962; 'Blowin' in the Wind' became a civil rights anthem.

After a 1966 motorcycle crash, Bob Dylan stopped touring for how many years?

He returned to the road in January 1974 with the Band for a 40-date North American tour.

The Byrds' April 1965 debut single, released just after Dylan's own version, was which song?

'Mr. Tambourine Man', released 12 April 1965, topped the Hot 100 that June; its jangly 12-string Rickenbacker sound is usually credited with launching folk rock.

After 'The Sound of Silence' flopped in 1964, what did producer Tom Wilson do to make it a number one?

The duo had already split up; the remix was made without their knowledge and sent them back into the studio together.

Fragments of Simon & Garfunkel's 'Mrs. Robinson' first appeared in which 1967 film?

Mike Nichols used early fragments of the song in The Graduate (December 1967); the full version came out on the 1968 album Bookends and won the Grammy for Record of the Year.

As teenagers in 1957, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel had a minor hit under what name?

Garfunkel called himself Tom Graph, a nod to his love of mathematics; Simon was Jerry Landis, after a girl he had dated.

Which couple wrote 'California Dreamin'' during a cold New York winter?

John and Michelle Phillips wrote it in 1963 while homesick for California in a New York winter; the famous alto flute solo on the 1965 recording was played by jazz musician Bud Shank.

Pet Sounds, the 1966 album that inspired Sgt. Pepper, was recorded by which band?

Brian Wilson wrote it largely without the touring band, using the Wrecking Crew session players; 'Caroline, No' was issued as his solo debut.

The eerie sliding tone on 'Good Vibrations' (1966) came from which instrument?

Paul Tanner played the Electro-Theremin, a slider-controlled instrument that is not a true theremin; 'Good Vibrations' cost a reported $50,000 across months of sessions and topped the Hot 100 in December 1966.

'Surfin' U.S.A.' (1963) reused the melody of which Chuck Berry song?

Brian Wilson wrote new surf-spot lyrics over the tune of Berry's 1958 hit 'Sweet Little Sixteen'; Berry was added to the writing credit after his publisher, Arc Music, complained.

Which act made its first major American appearance at Monterey in June 1967, ending with a burning guitar?

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, already a hit in Britain, played its first US show at Monterey on 18 June 1967; Hendrix ended 'Wild Thing' by setting his Stratocaster alight with lighter fluid.

The 1969 Woodstock festival was held on whose dairy farm in Bethel, New York?

Dairy farmer Max Yasgur rented his 600-acre Bethel farm to the organisers after the original Wallkill site fell through; the festival ran 15 to 18 August 1969.

Delayed by rain, who closed Woodstock with a Monday-morning set?

Jimi Hendrix closed the festival on Monday morning, 18 August, before a crowd that had dwindled to about 30,000; the set included his feedback-drenched 'The Star-Spangled Banner'.

Janis Joplin rose to fame at Monterey in 1967 as lead singer of which San Francisco band?

Joplin fronted Big Brother and the Holding Company from 1966, leaving after the 1968 album Cheap Thrills; her cover of 'Me and Bobby McGee' reached number one in March 1971, months after her death.

Before picking their name from a dictionary, the Grateful Dead played bars in 1965 as what?

They changed it on learning another band had released a record as the Warlocks; the Velvet Underground had to drop the same name.

'Somebody to Love' and 'White Rabbit' come from which 1967 Jefferson Airplane album?

Surrealistic Pillow, released in February 1967, reached number three on the Billboard album chart; both songs arrived with new singer Grace Slick, who replaced Signe Anderson in October 1966.

The Doors took their name from The Doors of Perception, a book by which English writer?

Huxley's title in turn quotes William Blake; the band formed in Los Angeles in 1965 with Ray Manzarek's keyboards standing in for a bassist.

Although credited to the whole band, 'Light My Fire' was written mainly by which member of the Doors?

Robby Krieger wrote most of 'Light My Fire', his first attempt at songwriting, with Morrison adding a verse; the edited single spent three weeks at number one in 1967 and re-charted in 1968 after José Feliciano's cover.

Which pop artist managed the Velvet Underground from 1966 and put a banana on their debut cover?

Andy Warhol's peelable banana fronted The Velvet Underground & Nico, released in March 1967; the album sold poorly at first but later became one of the most acclaimed records of the decade.

The Rolling Stones' 1969 Altamont concert is remembered for using which group as security?

Hells Angels, reportedly paid in beer, handled security at the 6 December 1969 Altamont Speedway show; concertgoer Meredith Hunter was stabbed to death by an Angel in front of the stage.

Chubby Checker's 'The Twist' hit number one in 1960 and again in what year, a first for any single?

'The Twist' returned to number one in January 1962 after adults took up the dance, the first single to top the Hot 100 in two separate runs; it began as a 1959 Hank Ballard B-side.

What is Chubby Checker's real name?

He was born Ernest Evans in South Carolina in 1941; the stage name, coined by Dick Clark's wife, is a play on Fats Domino, whom he was thought to resemble.

Which falsetto singer fronted the Four Seasons on 'Sherry' and 'Big Girls Don't Cry'?

The group formed in 1960 when Valli and Tommy DeVito joined forces with songwriter-keyboardist Bob Gaudio.

Who recorded 'Oh, Pretty Woman', which spent three weeks at number one in the autumn of 1964?

Roy Orbison co-wrote 'Oh, Pretty Woman' with Bill Dees; it was his second and last US number one, after 1961's 'Running Scared'.

Which producer made the Ronettes' 1963 hit 'Be My Baby' at Gold Star Studios in his trademark 'Wall of Sound' style?

Phil Spector used the session players later known as the Wrecking Crew; Ronnie Spector is the only Ronette actually singing on the record.

Which husband-and-wife duo spent three weeks at number one in August 1965 with 'I Got You Babe'?

Sonny & Cher's 'I Got You Babe' topped the Hot 100 for three weeks from 14 August 1965; Cher was 16 when she met Salvatore Bono in a Los Angeles coffee shop in 1962.

The Monkees' first single, released in August 1966 weeks before their TV show debuted, was which song?

'Last Train to Clarksville' hit number one in November 1966, the first of three chart-toppers for the made-for-television band, followed by 'I'm a Believer' and 'Daydream Believer'.

The Kingsmen's 1963 recording of 'Louie Louie' triggered a 31-month FBI investigation into what?

The Bureau concluded it was 'unable to interpret any of the wording'; the drummer later admitted yelling a swear word after fumbling a fill.

'Sugar, Sugar', the top-selling US single of 1969, was credited to which fictional cartoon band?

The Archies, from Archie Comics, topped the Hot 100 for four weeks and the UK chart for eight with a song written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim.

Which one-hit-wonder duo spent six weeks at number one in 1969 with 'In the Year 2525'?

Zager and Evans, from Lincoln, Nebraska, never reached the Hot 100 again; the song imagines humanity's fate through the year 9595 and was also a UK number one.

The 5th Dimension's 1969 number one 'Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In' came from which musical?

The medley came from Hair, the 1967 rock musical by Galt MacDermot, James Rado and Gerome Ragni; it won the Grammy for Record of the Year, the group's second after 'Up, Up and Away'.

Elvis Presley's December 1968 TV special, later nicknamed the Comeback Special, aired on which network?

'Singer Presents... Elvis' aired on NBC on 3 December 1968; director Steve Binder scrapped the planned Christmas show for a raw concert, with Presley in black leather, that relaunched his career.

Marvin Gaye is commonly referred to by which regal nickname?

Gaye earned the title Prince of Motown (also Prince of Soul) as the label's leading male star; born in Washington, D.C., in 1939, he signed to Tamla in 1961.

Which English band's 1964 recording of 'The House of the Rising Sun' has been called the first folk-rock hit?

The Animals' arrangement, led by Alan Price's organ, topped the Hot 100 in September 1964, the first British Invasion number one unconnected with the Beatles.

Who wrote and produced Petula Clark's 1964 hit 'Downtown'?

Tony Hatch wrote 'Downtown' after a visit to New York and produced Clark's recording at Pye in October 1964; it topped the Hot 100 in January 1965, her first US hit.

Which group's 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' was the first song by a girl group to top the Hot 100?

The Shirelles took the Gerry Goffin–Carole King song, released in November 1960, to number one in January 1961; King later recorded it herself on Tapestry.

The Shangri-Las' 1964 number one 'Leader of the Pack' is a classic example of what genre?

A teenage tragedy song like 'Tell Laura I Love Her', it has narrator Betty's biker boyfriend Jimmy die in a crash after she breaks up with him; Shadow Morton, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich wrote it.

Which Motown star co-wrote 'Dancing in the Street' for Martha and the Vandellas?

Marvin Gaye wrote it with William 'Mickey' Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter; the 1964 single reached number two on the Hot 100 and was later covered by Mick Jagger and David Bowie for Live Aid in 1985.

What was the first Motown song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

'Please Mr. Postman', the Marvelettes' debut single, topped the Hot 100 in December 1961; the Carpenters took it to number one again in 1975.

Which 1960 Miracles hit was Motown's first million-selling record?

'Shop Around', co-written by Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy, reached number two on the Hot 100 in early 1961 and became Motown's first million-seller.

Who wrote 'My Girl', the Temptations' first US number one?

Smokey Robinson and fellow Miracle Ronald White wrote and produced it; Robinson said it was about his wife Claudette, and it was the first Temptations single with David Ruffin on lead.

Which Four Tops single topped the Hot 100 in October 1966?

'Reach Out I'll Be There' topped the Hot 100 for two weeks in October 1966 and became Motown's second UK chart-topper after the Supremes' 'Baby Love'.

Little Stevie Wonder's 1963 hit 'Fingertips' was recorded live at which Chicago venue?

It was taped at the Regal Theater on Chicago's South Side during a Motortown Revue show in June 1962, essentially an instrumental showcasing the 12-year-old's bongos and harmonica.

What was the first Supremes single to reach number one on the Hot 100?

'Where Did Our Love Go' hit number one in August 1964 and began a run of five straight Supremes chart-toppers, ending with 'Back in My Arms Again' in 1965.

Which duo first made 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' a hit in 1967?

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell took it to number 19 in 1967; writers Ashford & Simpson had refused to give the song to Dusty Springfield, saving it to win a Motown deal.

Where in Memphis did Wilson Pickett and Steve Cropper write 'In the Midnight Hour'?

Pickett and Cropper wrote it in May 1965 at the Lorraine Motel, where Stax musicians often stayed; the motel became the site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in April 1968.

Who first recorded 'When a Man Loves a Woman' in 1966, taking it to number one?

Percy Sledge cut it at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama, and it topped the Hot 100 in May 1966; Michael Bolton took it to number one again in 1991.

How old was Booker T. Jones when he wrote the organ riff of 'Green Onions'?

Jones, born in November 1944, was 17 when the Stax house band jammed out 'Green Onions' in 1962; the largely improvised instrumental defined the Memphis soul sound.

Ben E. King co-wrote 'Stand by Me' with which famous songwriting duo?

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller co-wrote and produced it, credited under the pseudonym Elmo Glick; King took the title from a Sam Cooke spiritual, and the single reached number four in 1961.

Ray Charles's 1960 recording of 'Georgia on My Mind' appeared on which album?

The Genius Hits the Road, a 1960 ABC-Paramount album of songs about US places, carried the track; Georgia made it the official state song in 1979.

Who wrote 'Hit the Road Jack', Ray Charles's 1961 number one?

Mayfield first cut it as an a cappella demo in 1960; Margie Hendrix of the Raelettes sings the sassy retort.

Which 1965 James Brown single is considered seminal in the emergence of funk?

'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag', with its on-the-one rhythm, reached number eight, Brown's first Hot 100 top ten, and won him his first Grammy, for Best R&B Recording.

On which 1963 album was 'Blowin' in the Wind' first released?

It opened The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, released 27 May 1963, an album that also held 'A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall' and 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right'.

Which folk trio formed in New York City in 1961 and helped popularize early Bob Dylan songs?

Peter, Paul and Mary's debut album topped the charts for weeks; Mary Travers died in 2009.

On what date was Johnny Cash's At Folsom Prison recorded?

Cash recorded it on 13 January 1968, playing two shows that day backed by June Carter, Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers and the Tennessee Three.

Which country singer died in a March 1963 plane crash alongside Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins?

Patsy Cline's plane went down near Camden, Tennessee, about 90 miles from Nashville, also killing her manager Randy Hughes.

Who co-wrote 'Stand by Your Man' with Tammy Wynette in 1968?

Producer Billy Sherrill wrote it with Wynette in about 15 minutes in August 1968; it stayed three weeks at number one on the country chart and crossed over to pop number 19.

Who wrote 'Wichita Lineman' for Glen Campbell in 1968?

Jimmy Webb was inspired by a lineman atop a telephone pole on the Oklahoma panhandle; the single reached number three on the Hot 100 and topped the country chart.

The Tornados' 1962 US number one 'Telstar' was named after what?

Producer Joe Meek named it after the satellite launched on 10 July 1962; it featured a clavioline.

Which instrumental band had a 1960 hit with 'Walk, Don't Run', a tune by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith?

The Ventures, from Tacoma, Washington, took it to number two in 1960, basing their arrangement on Chet Atkins' 1957 version; they re-cut it as 'Walk, Don't Run '64'.

Which surf guitarist's 1962 version of 'Misirlou', later the opening blast of Pulp Fiction, popularized the Eastern Mediterranean folk tune?

Dick Dale's surf take made a hit of a song Arabic, Greek and Jewish musicians had been playing since the 1920s.

Which garage band topped the Hot 100 in October 1966 with '96 Tears'?

? and the Mysterians, Mexican-American musicians from Michigan's Saginaw area, recorded it in Bay City; frontman Question Mark (Rudy Martinez) wrote it, and Cameo-Parkway picked it up for national release.

Roughly how long is Iron Butterfly's album version of 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'?

The album version runs just over 17 minutes, filling the whole second side of the 1968 LP, and includes a two-and-a-half-minute Ron Bushy drum solo.

Pink Floyd's 1967 debut, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, is the band's only album made under whose leadership?

Syd Barrett wrote all but three tracks on the debut, recorded at Abbey Road with producer Norman Smith.

'Sunshine of Your Love' appears on which 1967 Cream album?

Disraeli Gears, released in November 1967 and produced by Felix Pappalardi, carried it; Jack Bruce came up with the bass riff after seeing Jimi Hendrix play in London in January 1967.

'Purple Haze' was released as the Jimi Hendrix Experience's what?

It was the Experience's second single, following 'Hey Joe'; it came out in the UK on 17 March 1967 and opened the North American edition of Are You Experienced.

Which former bassist of Eric Burdon's band signed Hendrix and brought him to London?

Chandler recruited the Experience to showcase the guitarist; their debut album arrived in May 1967.

'All Along the Watchtower', later made famous by Hendrix, comes from which 1967 Bob Dylan album?

It appeared on John Wesley Harding, released in December 1967 and recorded in Nashville; the twelve-line lyric stages a conversation between a joker and a thief.

Ringo Starr joined the Beatles in August 1962, replacing which drummer?

Pete Best was sacked on 16 August 1962 after two years with the band; Ringo Starr left Rory Storm and the Hurricanes to take the job.

Who directed the Beatles' 1964 film A Hard Day's Night?

Richard Lester, an American-born director working in Britain, shot it in black and white in spring 1964; it was nominated for two Oscars, for Alun Owen's screenplay and George Martin's score adaptation.

'Eleanor Rigby' was issued as a double A-side single with which song?

It shared a double A-side with 'Yellow Submarine' in August 1966, both from Revolver; George Martin's string octet arrangement, with no Beatles playing, marked a sharp break with pop convention.

In which London newspaper did John Lennon's 'more popular than Jesus' remark first appear in 1966?

Maureen Cleave's profile of Lennon ran in the Evening Standard on 4 March 1966 and caused no fuss in Britain; record burnings followed when the US teen magazine Datebook republished it that July.

The White Album was the Beatles' first LP released on which label?

Released on 22 November 1968, it was the first Beatles LP on their own Apple Records imprint and the band's only double album.

Where did Brian Epstein first see the Beatles play in 1961?

Epstein, who ran the NEMS record shop nearby, first saw them at a Cavern Club lunchtime session on 9 November 1961; he put them in suits and won them a Parlophone deal.

How old was Brian Epstein when he died of an accidental overdose in 1967?

Epstein was 32 when he died on 27 August 1967 from an accidental overdose of the sedative Carbitral; the Beatles were at the Maharishi's seminar in Bangor, Wales, when the news reached them.

In which Indian town did the Beatles study Transcendental Meditation in February 1968?

The Maharishi's ashram at Rishikesh, on the Ganges in the Himalayan foothills, hosted them from February 1968; the trip fed much of the White Album, with around 30 songs written there.

Which actress was among the celebrity meditators with the Beatles at the Maharishi's ashram?

Mia Farrow was at Rishikesh alongside Donovan, Mike Love and Paul Horn; 'Dear Prudence' was written for her sister Prudence, who shut herself away to meditate.

How did Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones die in July 1969?

Jones drowned in the swimming pool at his Sussex home, Cotchford Farm, on 3 July 1969; he was 27 and had been dismissed from the band less than a month earlier.

The Stones' free Hyde Park concert on 5 July 1969 was planned to introduce which new guitarist?

Mick Taylor, recruited from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, made his debut; Brian Jones's death two days earlier turned the show into a tribute, and the crowd was estimated at up to 500,000.

Which instrument, played by Brian Jones, gives 'Paint It Black' its distinctive sound?

Jones played a sitar on the track; the 1966 raga-rock single topped the charts in both the US and UK and opened the US version of Aftermath.

'Jumpin' Jack Flash' (1968) was seen as the Stones' return to blues rock after which psychedelic album?

Their Satanic Majesties Request, the Stones' December 1967 psychedelic answer to Sgt. Pepper, had been coolly received; 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' returned to riff-driven blues rock and topped the UK chart in 1968.

Jagger and Richards wrote 'Honky Tonk Women' while on holiday in which country?

Jagger and Richards wrote it as a country song on a ranch near Matão, Brazil, over Christmas 1968; the country version, 'Country Honk', appeared on Let It Bleed.

The Who's 1969 rock opera Tommy was inspired by which Indian spiritual teacher?

Townshend became a devotee of the Indian mystic Meher Baba in 1968 and tried to translate his ideas into music on the double album, released in May 1969.

What was the highest Hot 100 position of the Who's 'My Generation'?

Despite reaching number two in Britain, 'My Generation' stalled at 74 on the Hot 100 in early 1966; an extended version later appeared on Live at Leeds.

'Waterloo Sunset' appears on which 1967 Ray Davies-led album?

It closed Something Else by the Kinks, released in September 1967; the single reached number two in Britain but failed to chart in North America.

Which Zombies member wrote their 1964 debut single 'She's Not There'?

Keyboardist Rod Argent wrote it, building the lyric from a line in John Lee Hooker's 'No One Told Me'; the single reached number two in the US in December 1964.

Which Zombies song from Odessey and Oracle became a surprise US hit in 1969 after the band had split?

'Time of the Season', written by Rod Argent, reached number three in the US in March 1969, more than a year after the band broke up; CBS producer Al Kooper had pushed for its release on Date Records.

On which label did Van Morrison release 'Brown Eyed Girl' in June 1967?

Bang Records, Bert Berns's New York label, issued it; the song peaked at number 10 on the Hot 100 with the Sweet Inspirations on backing vocals.

Them's 'Gloria' was originally released in 1964 as the B-side of which single?

It backed Them's cover of 'Baby, Please Don't Go' in November 1964; a 1966 Shadows of Knight version reached number 10 in the US, and Patti Smith reimagined it on Horses.

Who wrote the lyrics to Procol Harum's 'A Whiter Shade of Pale'?

Keith Reid, the band's non-performing lyricist, wrote the words; Gary Brooker (and, after a 2009 ruling, Matthew Fisher) wrote the Bach-derived music, and the single spent six weeks at UK number one in 1967.

'Nights in White Satin' first appeared as the segment 'The Night' on which Moody Blues album?

Days of Future Passed, the 1967 concept album recorded with the London Festival Orchestra, carried it as 'The Night'; written by Justin Hayward, it reached number two in the US only on a 1972 reissue.

Which Bee Gee sang lead on 'Massachusetts', the group's first UK number one in 1967?

Robin Gibb took the lead vocal; the brothers had never been to Massachusetts when they wrote it in 1967, and it topped the UK chart that October.

'Sunshine Superman' was the only single by which Scottish singer to top the Hot 100?

Donovan's 'Sunshine Superman' topped the Hot 100 in September 1966, with Jimmy Page among the session players; a contractual dispute delayed the UK release until December 1966.

Scott McKenzie's 'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)' was written to promote what?

John Phillips wrote it and Lou Adler produced it in May 1967 to promote the Monterey Pop Festival they were organising for June; it reached number four in the US.

'Summer in the City' was the only number one for which folk-rock band?

The Lovin' Spoonful's 'Summer in the City', a harder-rocking departure from their lighter sound, topped the Hot 100 for three weeks in August 1966; 'Daydream' and 'Do You Believe in Magic' had stopped short.

Which band scored its only US chart-topper with 'Happy Together' in 1967?

The Turtles took a song that writers Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon had seen rejected by many artists first.

'Crimson and Clover' was a 1969 number one for which group?

Tommy James and the Shondells topped the Hot 100 with it in February 1969; the rough mix was rushed out after a radio station taped and played James's preview, and Joan Jett later covered it.

'Proud Mary' appeared on which 1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival album?

Bayou Country, released in January 1969, carried it; the single peaked at number two, the first of five CCR singles to stall at that spot.

Which Sly and the Family Stone song was the band's first Hot 100 number one, in early 1969?

'Everyday People', with its 'different strokes for different folks' plea for harmony, held number one for four weeks in February and March 1969; 'Dance to the Music' had peaked at eight.

Which two singles came from Crosby, Stills & Nash's 1969 debut album?

'Marrakesh Express' reached number 28 and 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes' number 21 in 1969; the album was the trio's only release before Neil Young joined for Déjà Vu.

Whose 1968 recording of Joni Mitchell's 'Both Sides, Now' made the US singles chart first?

Judy Collins's version reached number eight in late 1968 and won a Grammy; Mitchell's own followed on her 1969 album Clouds, and a Saul Bellow novel, Henderson the Rain King, inspired the song.

Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention debuted in 1966 with which album, often cited as an early concept album?

Freak Out!, released in June 1966, was one of rock's first double albums; producer Tom Wilson reportedly signed the band believing they were a white blues act.

Which 1960 single is Elvis Presley's biggest hit, with 20 million copies sold?

'It's Now or Never', adapted from 'O Sole Mio', spent five weeks at number one in the US and eight in the UK; its 20 million-plus sales made it Presley's biggest seller.

What was Elvis Presley's 18th and final Hot 100 number one, in 1969?

'Suspicious Minds' topped the Hot 100 in November 1969; songwriter Mark James's own version had flopped before Presley cut it with producer Chips Moman in Memphis in January 1969.

What was Del Shannon's real name?

Born Charles Westover in Michigan in 1934, he reportedly took the stage name from a wrestler and a Cadillac model; his 1961 number one 'Runaway' featured Max Crook's clavioline-based Musitron.

'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' (1961) was adapted from 'Mbube', a 1939 song by which South African musician?

The Tokens added English lyrics; Linda had sold his rights and died poor.

Dion's 1961 number one 'Runaround Sue' was recorded after he split from which group?

Dion left the Belmonts in 1960 for a solo career; he co-wrote 'Runaround Sue' with Ernie Maresca after improvising the lyrics at a birthday party, and it topped the Hot 100 in October 1961.

Which Everly Brothers song, written by Don Everly, was their best-selling single?

'Cathy's Clown', a 1960 number one for five weeks, sold about eight million copies; its unusual structure opens with the chorus and has bridges but no verses.

Which singer had a 1960 number one with 'Everybody's Somebody's Fool'?

Connie Francis's first number one, in June 1960, also topped the West German chart in her German-language version, 'Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel'.

'Take Five', the Dave Brubeck Quartet's hit, was written by which band member?

Drummer Joe Morello had challenged the saxophonist to write something in 5/4 time.

Whose vocal debut features on Stan Getz's hit recording of 'The Girl from Ipanema'?

Astrud Gilberto, João's wife and not a professional singer, sang the English verse as her recording debut in March 1963; the single won the 1965 Grammy for Record of the Year.

Louis Armstrong's 1964 number one 'Hello, Dolly!' won which Grammy?

'Hello, Dolly!' won Song of the Year for composer Jerry Herman at the 1965 Grammys; Armstrong also won Best Vocal Performance, Male, and at 62 was then the oldest artist to top the Hot 100.

Which father-and-daughter duet topped both the Hot 100 and the UK chart in 1967?

'Somethin' Stupid' topped the Hot 100 for four weeks in April 1967 and the UK chart too; Frank and Nancy Sinatra's version covered a 1966 record by C. Carson Parks and his wife Gaile Foote.

Who wrote Nancy Sinatra's 1966 hit 'These Boots Are Made for Walkin''?

Lee Hazlewood wrote and produced it, taking the idea from a Frank Sinatra line in the 1963 western 4 for Texas; the single topped the Hot 100 in February 1966.

Bobbie Gentry's 1967 chart-topper 'Ode to Billie Joe' concerns a suicide off a bridge in which state?

Billie Joe McAllister jumps off the Tallahatchie Bridge in Mississippi; Gentry grew up in Chickasaw County in the state, and the half-spoken narrative reached number one in August 1967.

Jeannie C. Riley's 'Harper Valley PTA' (1968) was written by which country songwriter?

Tom T. Hall wrote it, and Riley's recording made her the first woman to top both the Hot 100 and the country chart with the same song, in 1968.

Which patriotic 1966 song spent five weeks at number one and topped Billboard's year-end chart?

Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler's 'The Ballad of the Green Berets', co-written with author Robin Moore, was one of the few Vietnam-era hits to cast the military positively.

Which singer's 'To Sir with Love' was Billboard's number one US single of 1967?

Lulu, who also acted in the Sidney Poitier film, recorded it with producer Mickie Most; it topped the Hot 100 for five weeks in late 1967.

'It's Not Unusual' was intended as a demo for which singer before Tom Jones kept it?

Les Reed and Gordon Mills wrote it for Sandie Shaw, who passed after hearing Jones's demo; the BBC initially shied from the record over Jones's sexual image, so it first aired on pirate Radio Caroline.

The Singing Nun's 1963 US number one honours which saint?

Belgian nun Jeanne Deckers, 'Sœur Sourire', was a Dominican, and 'Dominique' celebrates Saint Dominic, the order's 13th-century founder; it topped the Hot 100 for four weeks in December 1963.

Which Japanese singer topped the Hot 100 in 1963 with 'Sukiyaki'?

Kyu Sakamoto's record, titled 'Ue o Muite Arukō' ('I Look Up as I Walk') in Japan, topped the Hot 100 for three weeks in June 1963; he died in the 1985 JAL 123 crash.

Which British band took 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy' to number one in the US and UK in 1964?

Manfred Mann's version, with Paul Jones on vocals, topped the UK chart in August 1964 and the Hot 100 in October; the Exciters had recorded the Barry–Greenwich song first in 1963.

Which 1969 supergroup united Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Ric Grech?

Blind Faith debuted before about 100,000 in Hyde Park in June 1969, made one self-titled album and toured the US that summer before splitting.

Which 1969 film cemented Steppenwolf's 'Born to Be Wild' as a biker anthem?

Easy Rider, Dennis Hopper's 1969 road movie with Peter Fonda, used it over the opening ride; the lyric 'heavy metal thunder' is often cited as the first use of the term in rock, referring to a motorcycle.

The Band's 1968 debut Music from Big Pink is named after a house in which New York town?

The pink-sided house sits in West Saugerties, near Woodstock; Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson shared it, and the Basement Tapes with Dylan were recorded there in 1967.

Which 1969 Bob Dylan album unveiled a soft country croon after he temporarily quit smoking?

Nashville Skyline, released in April 1969, opened with a 'Girl from the North Country' duet with Johnny Cash; the crooning voice, Dylan said, came from quitting cigarettes.

Who wrote the Monkees' 1966 hit 'I'm a Believer'?

Neil Diamond wrote it, and Jeff Barry produced; Micky Dolenz sang lead, and it held number one for seven weeks from the last week of 1966.

Where in Memphis was 'Sweet Caroline' recorded in 1969?

Diamond cut it at Chips Moman's American Sound Studio in February 1969; he later said the inspiration was a photo of a young Caroline Kennedy.

Which Stax songwriting team wrote Sam & Dave's 'Soul Man'?

Isaac Hayes and David Porter, Stax's house writers, wrote it; Hayes was inspired by news coverage of the 1967 Detroit riot, where 'soul' was painted on Black-owned businesses.

For which singer did Burt Bacharach and Hal David write 'Walk On By' in 1963?

Dionne Warwick recorded it in December 1963 and took it to number six in 1964; Isaac Hayes's 1969 version on Hot Buttered Soul turned it into a 12-minute epic.

'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head' was written for which 1969 film?

Bacharach and David wrote it for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, where it scores Paul Newman's bicycle ride; B. J. Thomas's single became the first US number one of the 1970s.

Which teenage singer's gruff vocal fronted the Box Tops' 1967 number one 'The Letter'?

Chilton later led the cult band Big Star; Joe Cocker's 1970 cover was his first US top ten.

Which psychedelic band hit number one in November 1967 with 'Incense and Peppermints'?

Strawberry Alarm Clock, from Los Angeles, topped the Hot 100 for a week in November 1967 with a lead vocal by Greg Munford, a friend who was not a band member; the song later turned up in Austin Powers.

Before Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick performed with which San Francisco band?

Slick fronted the Great Society, formed in 1965 with her husband Jerry and brother-in-law Darby Slick; she brought 'White Rabbit' and 'Somebody to Love' with her to the Airplane.

Who originally recorded 'Piece of My Heart' in 1967, before Janis Joplin's famous version?

Erma Franklin, Aretha's older sister, cut it for Bert Berns's Shout label in 1967 and earned a Grammy nomination; Big Brother's 1968 cover made it famous.

Producer John Simon added what to Cheap Thrills to make it sound live?

Only 'Ball and Chain' was actually recorded live, at the Winterland Ballroom.

Who was the opening act at Woodstock in 1969?

Richie Havens went on first on 15 August 1969 because other acts were stuck in traffic, stretching his set past two hours and improvising 'Freedom'; the Brooklyn-born folk singer later voiced GeoSafari toys.

How old was Meredith Hunter, killed by Hells Angels at Altamont in December 1969?

Hunter was 18; he was stabbed by Hells Angel Alan Passaro, later acquitted on grounds of self-defence, at the 6 December 1969 show billed as a 'Woodstock West'.

Which sitar virtuoso played an afternoon set at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival?

Ravi Shankar played a long Sunday afternoon set on 18 June 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds, his breakthrough to a rock audience; the festival ran June 16–18.

The Stooges' 1969 debut album was released on which label?

Elektra, which also signed the MC5 out of Detroit, released it in August 1969 with John Cale producing; the proto-punk landmark peaked at only number 106 but spawned 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' and '1969'.

David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' was rush-released in July 1969 to capitalise on which event?

Philips issued it on 11 July 1969, five days before Apollo 11 lifted off, and the BBC used it as background music during its coverage of the Moon landing; it reached number five in the UK.

Otis Redding's plane crashed into which body of water in December 1967?

The Beechcraft went down in Lake Monona at Madison, Wisconsin, on 10 December 1967, killing Redding and four Bar-Kays; he had recorded '(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay' days earlier.

Which Dusty Springfield album holds 'Son of a Preacher Man'?

Dusty in Memphis, released in 1969 and produced by Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin, carried it; the single reached number 10 in the US, and the album was later added to the National Recording Registry.

In which English city were Herman's Hermits, fronted by Peter Noone, formed in 1963?

Formed in Manchester in 1963 as the Heartbeats, they became 1965's big US act, scoring two number ones that year with 'Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter' and 'I'm Henry VIII, I Am'.

Which 1964 Righteous Brothers hit was BMI's most-played song on US radio and TV of the 20th century?

'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'' had racked up more than 8 million airplays by 1999, when BMI ranked it first for the century; 'Every Breath You Take' overtook it in BMI's 2019 count.

Which Dave Clark Five single knocked the Beatles off the top of the UK chart in January 1964?

Glad All Over bumped 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'; the Tottenham band, formed in 1958, reached American TV's biggest variety show in March 1964.

Which Liverpool group's 'How Do You Do It?' was first recorded and rejected by the Beatles?

George Martin had the Beatles record Mitch Murray's 'How Do You Do It?' in September 1962, but they pushed for their own song instead; Gerry and the Pacemakers took it to UK number one in April 1963.