A month of great music… June 1964

The Rolling Stones make their American TV debut on the 3^rd and are set up for ritual slaughter on a show called The Hollywood Palace. The show’s host Dean Martin unmercifully jokes about their appearance and sets them up for a string of cheap laughs. “Their hair is not long, it’s smaller foreheads and higher eyebrows,” said Martin, and of a trampoline artist later on the show, “That’s The Rolling Stones’ father, he’s been trying to kill himself ever since.”

On the 4^thLiza Jane, the first single by David Bowie was released under the name of Davy Jones & The King Bees but it failed to reach the charts. Whilst on their USA tour The Rolling Stones called into Chess Records in Chicago on the 10^th. After a jam session with Muddy Waters, and Willie Dixon they recorded their next big hit It’s All Over Now. Chuck Berry also called in to visit after his successful UK tour, and on the 13^thNo Particular Place To Go, became Chuck Berry’s first top-10 hit in the USA since Johnny B. Goode in 1958.

On the 26^thIt’s All Over Now, was released in the UK, this song had been a hit in the USA by The Valentinos, two of whose members wrote the song. One of the co-writers Bobby Womack, remained a successful and popular entertainer right into the 1980s. The girl group phenomenon is peaking in the USA with Phil Spector and his Phillies Label. Spector was an accomplished song writer who had contributed to The Teddy Bears million seller, To Know Him Is To Love Him, Ben E. King’s Spanish Harlem and The Drifters On Broadway. He produced his own particular sound in 1961 with The Crystals, There’s No Other Like My Baby, then came Uptown, He’s A Rebel, Da-Doo-Ron-Ron, and Then He Kissed Me. The Ronettes took over with Be My Baby, Baby I Love You, Best Part Of Breaking Up and Walking In The Rain. He played mix and match with his artists to get the best sound, He’s A Rebel was a mix of The Blossoms and Darlene Love. Darlene was his top singer and featured in most of his recordings. Other Spector produced hits included Corrina Corrina, Ray Peterson; Pretty Little Angel Eyes, Curtis Lee; Every Breath I Take, Gene Pitney; I Love How You Love Me, The Paris Sisters; Zip-a-dee-do-dah, Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans; Today I Met The Boy I’m Gonna Marry, Darlene Love; Hold Me Tight, The Treasures; Black Pearl, Sonny Charles & The Checkmates; as well as a string of hits for The Righteous Brothers, You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling, Just Once In My Life, Unchained Melody, I Love You For Sentimental Reasons, and Ebb Tide. Then he produced Ike & Tina Turner with Save The Last Dance For Me, A Love Like Yours Don’t Come Knocking Everyday, I’ll Never Need More Than This and the classic River Deep–Mountain High. This last track reached number three in the UK as well as the top 10 in Australia but Spector was so disillusioned about its failure to chart in the USA, as well as the fact industry changes was making it harder for independent singles to be distributed that he decided to get rid of the Phillies Label.

The #1’s in Australia June 1964:
6^thMy Guy – Mary Wells
13^th 20^thPoison Ivy – Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs
27^thYou’re My World – Cilla Black

In the USA:
6^th 13^th 20^thChapel Of Love – The Dixie-Cups
27^thA World Without Love – Peter & Gordon

In the UK:
6^th 13^thYou’re My World – Cilla Black
20^thIt’s Over – Roy Orbison
27^thHouse Of The Rising Sun – The Animals

The top ten in the USA in June 1964:

1. Chapel Of Love – The Dixie-Cups
2. A World Without Love – Peter & Gordon
3. Love Me With All Your Heart – Ray Charles Singers
4. Love Me Do – The Beatles
5. I Get Around – The Beach Boys
6. Walk On By – Dionne Warwick
7. People – Barbra Streisand
8. My Guy – Mary Wells
9. My Boy Lollipop – Millie Small
10. Hello Dolly – Louis Armstrong

Where were you when these songs hit the charts? Who were your favourites?