The Plastic Ono Band make their live debut in Toronto
John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, and drummer Alan White flew to Toronto on a day's notice to play the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival as the Plastic Ono Band, debuting the song Cold Turkey, as The Beatles Bible documents.
It was Lennon's first full concert away from the Beatles since 1957, and the thrill of it pushed him to tell the band he was leaving a week later.
The Plastic Ono Band make their live debut in Toronto
John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, and drummer Alan White flew to Toronto on a day's notice to play the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival as the Plastic Ono Band, debuting the song Cold Turkey, as The Beatles Bible documents.
It was Lennon's first full concert away from the Beatles since 1957, and the thrill of it pushed him to tell the band he was leaving a week later.
The Beatles overdub piano and drums onto Glass Onion
Back at Abbey Road, with George Martin away and his assistant Chris Thomas running the session, Ringo Starr overdubbed piano and extra drums onto the Glass Onion backing track cut two nights earlier, as The Beatles Bible records.
The overnight date left the Beatles' puzzle-box White Album song needing only a recorder part and a string arrangement.
Pink Floyd close a three-night Copenhagen run with Syd Barrett
Pink Floyd finished three nights at the Star Club in Copenhagen, and someone in the crowd taped the set, as catalogues of the band's live recordings note.
It survives as one of the few live documents of the Syd Barrett lineup and a foundational moment for British psychedelic rock, catching rarities like the instrumental Reaction in G and the debut single Arnold Layne.
The Beatles release Yesterday as a US single
Capitol issued Yesterday backed with Ringo Starr's Act Naturally as a US single, catalog number 5498, per The Beatles Bible.
The Beatles had refused to put the Paul McCartney solo track out as a single in Britain, but in America it spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Hullabaloo returns to NBC with Sammy Davis Jr. hosting
The pop series Hullabaloo opened its second season on NBC with Sammy Davis Jr. hosting, the Supremes singing, and the Lovin' Spoonful performing their hit Do You Believe in Magic, per Wikipedia.
The prime-time show was one of the few national outlets putting Motown acts and folk rock bands in front of a mass teen audience each week.
The Beatles play two shows at the Baltimore Civic Center
The Beatles played an afternoon and an evening house at the Baltimore Civic Center for about 28,000 fans total, their only visit to the city, with police lined three deep in front of the stage, as The Beatles Bible recounts.
The screaming buried the 12-song set that closed each night with Twist and Shout, as it did everywhere on the 1964 North American tour.
The Rolling Stones play two houses at the Liverpool Empire
The Rolling Stones played two shows in a night at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, deep in Beatles home territory, on their fourth British tour.
The tour ran alongside their first UK number one, It's All Over Now, which they had cut that summer at Chess Studios in Chicago.
Shirley Ellis records The Nitty Gritty in New York
Singer Shirley Ellis recorded The Nitty Gritty, a Lincoln Chase dance number, with producer Hutch Davie in New York, as Wikipedia details.
Released that October, it reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the R&B chart, and set up her bigger hit The Name Game.
The Beatles play their final show in Preston
The Beatles headlined the Public Hall in Preston, Lancashire, their second and last concert in the town, as The Beatles Bible logs.
They were still riding She Loves You that week, two months before Beatlemania turned national and the British Invasion reached America.
Mel Tormé cuts Comin' Home Baby in New York
Mel Tormé, a jazz and easy listening mainstay, cut the title track for his album Comin' Home Baby! at a New York session for Atlantic, produced by Nesuhi Ertegun.
The finger-snapping, minor-key single reached number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and put Tormé back on the pop chart after a decade away.
Judy Garland brings her Carnegie Hall show to San Francisco
Judy Garland performed her Carnegie Hall concert program at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco for a crowd of 8,700, the set built around standards like San Francisco and The Man That Got Away, as The Judy Room records.
The touring run cemented her late-career standing in pop and easy listening, and her 1961 Carnegie Hall album spent weeks at number one.
Congress makes payola a federal crime
President Eisenhower signed the Communications Act Amendments of 1960, making undisclosed cash or gifts for airplay a federal crime under a new Section 508.
The law followed the payola hearings that wrecked Alan Freed, and it sped radio toward the managed Top 40 format that carried hits like Chubby Checker's The Twist to number one that same month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in 1960s music on September 13?
September 13 saw 12 verified music events across the decade, headlined by the Plastic Ono Band's live debut at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival in 1969.
The same date also produced the US release of the Beatles' Yesterday, Pink Floyd's last Copenhagen shows with Syd Barrett, and the federal law that made payola a crime.
Where did the Plastic Ono Band play their first concert?
The Plastic Ono Band played their first concert at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival at Varsity Stadium on September 13, 1969.
John Lennon assembled Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, and Alan White on a day's notice, and the set was released in December as Live Peace in Toronto 1969.
When was the Beatles' Yesterday released as a single in the United States?
Capitol released Yesterday backed with Act Naturally as a US single on September 13, 1965, catalog number 5498.
It spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, even though the Beatles had refused to issue it as a single in Britain.
When did payola become illegal?
Payola became a federal crime on September 13, 1960, when President Eisenhower signed the Communications Act Amendments of 1960.
The new Section 508 made undisclosed payments for airplay punishable by a fine of up to 10,000 dollars and up to a year in prison.
Did Pink Floyd record any live shows with Syd Barrett?
Very few. One of the best known is an audience recording of Pink Floyd's September 13, 1967 show at the Star Club in Copenhagen, the last of a three-night run.
It captures Syd Barrett-era rarities such as the instrumental Reaction in G and the single Arnold Layne.