1963 Friday 1st February
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- The Beatles perform live at Maney Hall, Maney Hill Road, Sutton Coldfield B72 1JW, Warwickshire
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- The Beatles perform live at the Assembly Rooms, Corporation Street, Tamworth B79 7DN, Staffordshire
In early 1963, The Beatles were rapidly rising in popularity in the UK. Their debut single “Love Me Do” had reached number 17 in late 1962, and their follow-up “Please Please Me” was climbing the charts, having been released on January 11, 1963. The band was in the midst of intense gigging, performing almost nightly across the UK as Beatlemania began to build. They were part of the Helen Shapiro Winter Tour, which ran from February 2 to March 16, but on February 1, they had independent club and hall bookings in the Midlands before joining the tour the next day.
On February 1, 1963, The Beatles performed two live shows in the English Midlands. The first was at Maney Hall (also known as St Peter’s Church Hall) on Maney Hill Road, Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire B72 1JW. This was their only performance at this venue. The second, a late-night show, took place at the Assembly Rooms on Corporation Street, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 7DN. The Tamworth performance ran from approximately 11:45 pm to 12:15 am, lasting about 30 minutes, and tickets cost 6s 6d (32.5p).
These were typical club/hall gigs during their pre-fame period, with high-energy sets featuring a mix of their early originals and rock ‘n’ roll covers. While exact setlists for these specific dates are not fully documented, their repertoire around this time typically included songs like:
- Love Me Do
- Please Please Me
- Chains
- Keep Your Hands Off My Baby
- A Taste of Honey
- Twist and Shout
- Long Tall Sally
- Roll Over Beethoven
- Misery
- Do You Want to Know a Secret (emerging in sets)
The lineup remained John Lennon (rhythm guitar/vocals), Paul McCartney (bass/vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar/vocals), and Ringo Starr (drums/vocals), who had joined in August 1962. These performances were part of their relentless touring schedule—often traveling between venues the same night—helping build their fanbase in the Midlands ahead of national breakthrough with “Please Please Me” topping the charts in March 1963.
Top 10 Songs in the UK Charts on February 1, 1963
| Position | Song | Artist/Group |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diamonds | Jet Harris & Tony Meehan |
| 2 | Please Please Me | The Beatles |
| 3 | The Wayward Wind | Frank Ifield |
| 4 | Lovesick Blues | Frank Ifield |
| 5 | Little Town Flirt | Del Shannon |
| 6 | Dance On! | The Shadows |
| 7 | Globetrotter | The Tornados |
| 8 | Like I Do | Maureen Evans |
| 9 | Bachelor Boy / The Next Time | Cliff Richard |
| 10 | Return to Sender | Elvis Presley |
Top 10 Songs in the USA Charts (Billboard Hot 100) on February 1, 1963
| Position | Song | Artist/Group |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walk Right In | The Rooftop Singers |
| 2 | Hey Paula | Paul & Paula |
| 3 | Telstar | The Tornados |
| 4 | It’s Up to You | Ricky Nelson |
| 5 | Loop De Loop | Johnny Thunder |
| 6 | The Night Has a Thousand Eyes | Bobby Vee |
| 7 | Two Faces Have I | Lou Christie |
| 8 | Don’t Make Me Over | Dionne Warwick |
| 9 | Walk Like a Man | The Four Seasons |
| 10 | I Will Follow Him | Little Peggy March |
Top News Headlines and Events from Around the World on February 1, 1963
- Nyasaland (now Malawi) became self-governing under Prime Minister Hastings Banda, a key step toward independence from British colonial rule (achieved in 1964).
- A tragic mid-air collision over Ankara, Turkey, involving a Turkish Airlines Vickers Viscount and a military aircraft resulted in the Viscount crashing into Ulus Square, killing 87 people on the ground and all 17 aboard the planes (total 104 deaths).
- A school chapel collapse in Biblián, Ecuador, during prayer services killed 104 people, mostly schoolgirls.
- Ongoing civil rights and international developments, including early escalations in Vietnam and Cold War tensions, dominated global news.
Notable People Born on February 1, 1963
- Andrew Paul, British actor (The Bill).
- Lee Ranaldo? (No, born February 3, 1956; limited major celebrities on exact date).
- Other figures: Primarily lesser-known; notable in February 1963 include Eva Cassidy (Feb 2), Michael Jordan (Feb 17), but on February 1, no highly prominent global figures are widely recorded.
Notable People Who Died on February 1, 1963
- Fleetwood Lindley, American man, last living person to have seen Abraham Lincoln’s face (after exhumation in 1901), aged 75.
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