Overview of the events of 1960 in British music
List of years in British music
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This is a summary of 1960 in music in the United Kingdom , including the official charts from that year.
A major event of the year is the West End premiere of Lionel Bart 's musical Oliver! , an immediate success which makes stars of Ron Moody and Georgia Brown .
29 March – The 5th Eurovision Song Contest , held at the Royal Festival Hall , London, is won by France with the song "Tom Pillibi ", sung by Jacqueline Boyer . 15 March – Jussi Björling suffers a heart attack before a performance at the Royal Opera House , Covent Garden. He goes on to perform, but dies six months later in Sweden. April – Jack Good 's new TV show, Wham! , is broadcast for the first time. 12 April – Sir Thomas Beecham returns to the UK from his last overseas conducting tour; he dies the following year. 17 April – Eddie Cochran , Gene Vincent and Cochran's girlfriend Sharon Sheeley are injured in a car accident near Chippenham, Wiltshire . Cochran dies in a hospital in Bath, Somerset , from severe brain injuries. 20 –28 May – The Beatles , as the Silver Beetles (uncredited), play their first ever tour, as a backing group for Johnny Gentle on a tour of Scotland .[ 1] The lineup comprises John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison , Stuart Sutcliffe and Tommy Moore . June – Tommy Steele marries former Windmill girl Ann Donoghue at St. Patrick's Church, Soho Square , London.[ 2] 30 June – Opening of Lionel Bart 's musical Oliver! at the New Theatre in London's West End . July – The Shadows ' instrumental Apache is released. 30 July – "Battle of Beaulieu": At a jazz festival at Beaulieu, Hampshire , fans of trad jazz come to blows with progressives.[ 3] [ 4] 1 August – The Beatles make their first appearance under this name in Hamburg , Germany. The band at this time comprises John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison , Stu Sutcliffe on bass and Pete Best on drums.[ 5] August – Colin Davis makes his conducting début at the Proms in a programme of Britten , Schumann , Mozart and Berlioz.[ 6] 21 September – Mstislav Rostropovich gives the UK premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich 's First Cello Concerto at the Royal Festival Hall , London. Benjamin Britten attends, and from their meeting they become firm friends, resulting in Britten composing several major works for the cellist.[ 7] December Ian Lake launches the Music of our Time Festival in London for hitherto unknown composers.[ 9] The Official UK Singles Chart [ edit ] Classical music: new works [ edit ] Film and Incidental music [ edit ] 31 January – George Benjamin , composer 3 February – Malcolm Martineau , pianist 4 February – Tim Booth , singer, dancer and actor (James ) 11 February – Momus , born Nicholas Currie, songwriter 14 February – Jocelyn Pook , composer and viola player 19 February – Holly Johnson , singer (Frankie Goes to Hollywood ) 4 April – Jane Eaglen , dramatic soprano 23 April 26 April – Roger Taylor , drummer (Duran Duran ) 29 April – Phil King , bassist 19 May – Yazz , born Yasmin Evans, pop singer 24 May – Guy Fletcher , keyboardist (Dire Straits ) 1 June – Simon Gallup , bassist (The Cure ) 2 June – Tony Hadley , singer (Spandau Ballet ) 8 June – Mick Hucknall , singer and songwriter (Simply Red ) 10 June – Mark-Anthony Turnage , composer 19 June – Luke Morley , guitarist, songwriter and producer (The Union , Terraplane and Thunder ) 20 June – John Taylor , bass guitarist (Duran Duran ) 3 July – Vince Clarke , songwriter (Depeche Mode , Yazoo and Erasure ) 19 July – Kevin Haskins , English-American drummer and songwriter (Bauhaus , Love and Rockets and Tones on Tail ) 24 July – Pete Stollery , composer of electroacoustic music 14 August – Sarah Brightman , soprano singer and actress 8 September – David Steele , bassist (Fine Young Cannibals ) 1 October – Peter Seabourne , composer 2 October – Django Bates , composer, multi-instrumentalist and band leader 3 October – Julian Grant , composer of opera, chamber music and music for children 5 October – Paul Heard, keyboardist (M People ) 6 October – Richard Jobson , rock singer-songwriter (Skids ), filmmaker and television presenter 18 November – Kim Wilde , singer 2 December – Rick Savage , bassist (Def Leppard ) 22 December – Mark Brydon , guitarist, songwriter, and producer 2 January – Leila Megane , operatic mezzo-soprano, 68 25 January – Rutland Boughton , composer, 82 27 March – Ian Whyte , conductor, 58 6 May – Eleanor Rudall , composer and pianist, 79 7 May – Mai Jones , songwriter, 61 12 May – Cecil Armstrong Gibbs , composer, 70 26 August – Mark Hambourg , pianist, 81 20 October – Denise Orme , music hall singer, 75 24 December – Beryl Ingham , clog-dancer and actress, wife of George Formby , 59 (leukaemia)[ 11] ^ "Tours & Performances" . The Official Johnny Gentle Website . 2003. Archived from the original on 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2014-04-20 . ^ "Tommy Steele Marries Anne Donague 1960" . British Pathé. Retrieved 2015-08-06 . ^ McKay, George (2005). "New Orleans jazz, protest (Aldermaston) and carnival (Beaulieu)". Circular Breathing: the Cultural Politics of Jazz in Britain . Durham, NC: Duke University Press. ISBN 0-8223-3560-3 . ^ "The day when traditional jazz caused a riot". The Observer . London. 29 July 2012. p. 6 (The New Review). ^ Hill, Tim (2007). Then There Was Music: The Beatles . London: Daily Mail. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-9545267-7-1 . ^ The Times , 3 August 1960, p. 5 ^ Reed, Philip (2010). Cooke, Mervyn (ed.). Letters From A Life: The Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Vol. 5 1958–1965 . Woodbridge: Boydell Press. p. 247. ISBN 978-1-84383-591-2 . ^ Obituary: "Adam Faith", The Guardian (London), 10 March 2003. ^ White, John (2004-09-07). "Ian Lake: Pianist and champion of modern composers" . The Independent . London. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 2014-11-21 . ^ Larken, Colin (1994). Guinness Who's Who of Stage Musicals . ISBN 0-85112-756-8 . ^ "Dark side of George Formby revealed - affairs, drugs and marriage from hell" . 10 June 2016.
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