John Lennon privately tells the Beatles he's leaving
During a tense meeting at Apple headquarters on September 20, 1969, John Lennon told Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr he was leaving the Beatles, reportedly saying he wanted a divorce, hours after the group signed a new recording contract with EMI and Capitol, as The Beatles Bible records.
At manager Allen Klein's request, Lennon agreed to keep the news quiet to protect the contract, so the public did not learn the Beatles were finished until McCartney announced his own departure the following April.
September 20 at a Glance
Tap any event to jump straight to its full card below.
| Category | Event |
|---|---|
| 1969 | |
| industry | John Lennon privately tells the Beatles he's leaving |
| chart | The Archies' Sugar, Sugar hits number one |
| chart | Blind Faith's debut album hits number one |
| 1967 | |
| culture | The Beatles film the I Am the Walrus sequence |
| 1966 | |
| broadcast | George Harrison grants an exclusive BBC interview in Bombay |
| 1965 | |
| broadcast | Judy Garland guest-stars on The Andy Williams Show |
| broadcast | The Who tape a live set at Studio Bellevue in Hilversum |
| 1964 | |
| concert | The Beatles play a fee-waived charity finale at the Paramount Theatre |
John Lennon privately tells the Beatles he's leaving
During a tense meeting at Apple headquarters on September 20, 1969, John Lennon told Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr he was leaving the Beatles, reportedly saying he wanted a divorce, hours after the group signed a new recording contract with EMI and Capitol, as The Beatles Bible records.
At manager Allen Klein's request, Lennon agreed to keep the news quiet to protect the contract, so the public did not learn the Beatles were finished until McCartney announced his own departure the following April.
The Archies' Sugar, Sugar hits number one
Sugar, Sugar by the cartoon band the Archies, sung by session vocalist Ron Dante, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 20, 1969, and held the spot for four weeks, per Wikipedia.
It became the best-selling single of 1969 and the defining pop and Brill Building era's bubblegum hit, proof that a studio creation with no real band behind it could still dominate the charts.
Blind Faith's debut album hits number one
The self-titled debut album by supergroup Blind Faith, featuring Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech, reached number one on the Billboard 200 on September 20, 1969, as Wikipedia confirms.
The band topped the chart with their only record just weeks before they played their final show together, a brief, explosive run typical of the same psychedelic rock era's short-lived supergroups.
The Beatles film the I Am the Walrus sequence at West Malling
The Beatles spent September 20, 1967, on the second day of filming at West Malling air station in Kent, shooting the outdoor I Am the Walrus sequence in psychedelic costumes alongside a walrus, an Eggman, and a troupe of policemen, plus indoor scenes for the magicians' laboratory and Blue Jay Way, as The Beatles Bible details.
The footage became some of the most surreal imagery of the Beatles' career once it aired in the Magical Mystery Tour television special that December.
George Harrison grants an exclusive BBC interview in Bombay
A day after holding a press conference at Bombay's Taj Mahal Hotel, George Harrison sat down on September 20, 1966, for an exclusive BBC radio interview with correspondent Donald Milner, discussing his sitar lessons under Ravi Shankar, as The Beatles Bible records.
Traveling under the alias Mr. Sam Wells to dodge the crush of Beatlemania, Harrison used the interview to describe the Eastern philosophy and music that would soon surface on Beatles songs like Love You To.
Judy Garland guest-stars on The Andy Williams Show
NBC broadcast an episode of The Andy Williams Show on September 20, 1965, featuring Judy Garland as the special guest, opening with a duet of On a Wonderful Day Like Today before she ran through Get Happy, The Trolley Song, and Over the Rainbow.
It was a major prime-time showcase during Garland's celebrated concert years, putting her greatest hits from the jazz and easy listening songbook in front of a national television audience just five years after her own variety show had ended.
The Who tape a live set at Studio Bellevue in Hilversum
The Who performed a live set for Dutch television at Studio Bellevue in Hilversum, Netherlands, on September 20, 1965, running through early staples like I Can't Explain and Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, per Setlist.fm.
The set caught the Who's raw mod energy just weeks before My Generation gave them the anthem that would define their sound for the rest of the decade.
The Beatles play a fee-waived charity finale at the Paramount Theatre
The Beatles closed their first North American tour on September 20, 1964, with a charity concert at New York's Paramount Theatre, waiving their performance fee to help raise money for United Cerebral Palsy and Retarded Infants Services, as The Beatles Bible records.
More than 100,000 fans swarmed the streets outside while roughly 200 police officers held the crowd back, a fitting, chaotic bookend to the tour that had just made the Beatles America's biggest act.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in 1960s music on September 20?
September 20 produced 8 verified music events across the decade, headlined by John Lennon privately telling Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in 1969 that he was leaving the Beatles.
The same date saw the Beatles close their first US tour with a charity concert in 1964, George Harrison give an exclusive BBC interview from Bombay in 1966, and both the Archies' Sugar, Sugar and Blind Faith's debut album hit number one in 1969.
Why did John Lennon keep his decision to leave the Beatles a secret?
Manager Allen Klein was in the middle of renegotiating the Beatles' recording contract with EMI and Capitol, a deal the band signed the same day Lennon announced his exit privately.
Klein asked Lennon to stay quiet so the news would not jeopardize the contract, and the public did not find out the group was over until Paul McCartney announced his own departure in April 1970.
Did George Harrison really travel through India using a fake name?
Yes.
George Harrison and his wife Pattie traveled to Bombay in September 1966 under the names Mr. and Mrs. Sam Wells to avoid being mobbed by fans while he studied sitar under Ravi Shankar, and local fans and press still tracked him down, though he still managed to grant the BBC an exclusive interview about his trip on September 20.
What songs did Judy Garland perform on The Andy Williams Show?
In her September 20, 1965 appearance, Judy Garland opened with a duet of On a Wonderful Day Like Today alongside Andy Williams, then performed a run of her signature numbers including Get Happy, The Trolley Song, and Over the Rainbow.
The episode was one of her biggest television showcases during her celebrated concert years of the mid-1960s.
How successful was Blind Faith before they broke up?
Blind Faith's only album, released in August 1969, reached number one on the Billboard 200 on September 20, 1969, just weeks after the supergroup of Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech had formed.
The band played its final show that same year, making the chart-topping run one of the shortest and most explosive of any 1960s supergroup.
Why was Sugar, Sugar such a huge hit if the Archies weren't a real band?
The Archies were a cartoon group built around the comic book characters, with all the actual singing handled by session vocalist Ron Dante.
Sugar, Sugar hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 20, 1969, held the top spot for four weeks, and became the best-selling single of the year despite having no real touring band behind it.