A notable development of 1963 was the rise to fame of The Beatles. Their first album, released in March 1963, marked the beginning of a run during which eleven of their twelve studio albums released in the United Kingdom up to 1970 reached number one,[1] and their third single, "From Me to You", came out in April, starting an almost unbroken string of seventeen British number one singles for the band. Their initial impact on American television and radio audiences in November 1963 also marked the beginning of the British Invasion of the US charts by British groups, which began in earnest the following year.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Britten reached possibly the peak of his fame and popularity, not only with celebrations of his fiftieth birthday but also with the release of his recording of the War Requiem. This sold 200,000 copies within just five months of its release – and indeed might have sold more if Decca Records had not been caught on the hop by its phenomenal success both in the UK and the US, so failing to capitalise on the initial demand[2] – and won three Grammy awards.
3 January – The Beatles begin their first tour of 1963 with a five-day tour in Scotland to support the release of their new single, "Love Me Do", beginning with a performance in Elgin.[3]
29 April – 19-year-old Andrew Loog Oldham signs a contract with The Rolling Stones, becoming their manager. Oldham had seen the band in concert the previous day at the Crawdaddy Club in London. One of the new manager's first actions is to remove Ian Stewart from the stage line-up, demoting him to road manager.
12 September – The Beatles reach No. 1 for the second time (according to the 'official' chart) with the Lennon–McCartney single "She Loves You" (released on 23 August).[6]
29 October – Chart-topping singer Michael Holliday, depressed by marital and financial troubles, commits suicide by means of a drug overdose in Croydon.[9]
30 November – After an unbroken 30-week spell at the top of the UK Albums Chart, The Beatles album Please Please Me is knocked off the top of the charts by With the Beatles.
12 December – The Beatles reach No. 1 for the third time (according to the 'official' chart) with the Lennon–McCartney single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (released on 29 November).[6]
^Lewisohn, Mark (2010). The Complete Beatles Chronicle:The Definitive Day-By-Day Guide To The Beatles' Entire Career. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN978-1-56976-534-0, pp90, 351
^Culshaw, John. Putting the Record Straight. Secker & Warburg, 1981. pp. 316–17
^Reed, Philip; Cooke, Mervyn, eds. (2010). Letters From A Life: The Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Vol. 5 1958–1965. Boydell Press. ISBN978-1-84383-591-2., p. 460
^Carpenter, Humphrey. Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber, 1992: p. 411.
^Stone, David. Sybil EversArchived 2014-10-15 at the Wayback Machine, Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, 28 January 2002, accessed 8 November 2009
