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Overview of the events of 1968 in British music
List of years in British music
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This is a summary of 1968 in music in the United Kingdom.
Events
16 February –
The Beatles ,
Mike Love ,
Mia Farrow ,
Donovan and others travel to India to visit
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at
Rishikesh .
18 February –
David Gilmour joins
Pink Floyd , replacing founder
Syd Barrett , who has checked himself into a psychiatric hospital.
1 March – First performance of an
Andrew Lloyd Webber –
Tim Rice musical,
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in its original form as a "pop
cantata ", by pupils of
Colet Court
preparatory school in
Hammersmith .
[1]
[2]
[3]
30 March –
The Yardbirds record their live album Live Yardbirds at the Anderson Theater.
6 April – The 13th
Eurovision Song Contest is held in the
Royal Albert Hall , London. The winning song,
Spain 's "
La, la, la " is sung in Spanish by
Massiel , after Spanish authorities refused to allow
Joan Manuel Serrat to perform it in Catalan. The
UK finish in second place, just one point behind, with the song "
Congratulations " sung by
Cliff Richard , which goes on to outsell the winning Spanish entry throughout Europe.
4 May –
Mary Hopkin performs on the British TV show Opportunity Knocks . Hopkin catches the attention of model
Twiggy , who recommends her to
Paul McCartney . McCartney would soon sign Hopkin to
Apple Records .
14 May – At a press conference,
John Lennon and
Paul McCartney introduce the Beatles' new business concept,
Apple Corps, Ltd. , a disastrously mismanaged entertainment company that includes a recording studio, a record label and clothing store.
30 May –
The Beatles begin recording The White Album (officially titled, simply,
The Beatles ). Sessions will span over 4 months, ending on 14 October.
7 June – The first performance of Sir
Malcolm Arnold 's
Peterloo overture, commissioned by the
Trades Union Congress to make the centenary of its first meeting, takes place at London's
Royal Festival Hall .
[4]
8 June – The première of
Harrison Birtwistle 's opera
Punch and Judy takes place at the Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh, during the
Aldeburgh Festival .
[5]
14 June –
Manfred Mann appear in the first edition of the BBC2 series
Colour Me Pop .
7 July –
The Yardbirds perform for the last time before disbanding.
August –
John McVie marries
Christine Perfect .
4 August –
Yes performs for the first time, at a summer camp.
12 August – At the
Proms , three new works are performed in the first half:
Thea Musgrave 's Concerto for Orchestra (Proms premiere),
John Tavener 's In Alium (world premiere) and
Don Banks ' Violin Concerto (world premiere). The audience is asked to vote for a repeat in the second half. In Alium is the winner.
21 August – Russian cellist
Mstislav Rostropovich plays Dvorak's
Cello Concerto at the Proms, in an emotionally charged concert following the Soviet occupation of Prague the day before.
7 September –
Led Zeppelin performs for the first time, billed as
The New Yardbirds (the Yardbirds had disbanded two months earlier, and guitarist
Jimmy Page subsequently formed this new group).
15 September –
Song of Summer ,
Ken Russell 's noted TV documentary about
Frederick Delius , is shown for the first time as part of the BBC's Omnibus series.
19 September –
The Who begin recording
Tommy , a
rock opera that tells the story about a deaf, dumb and blind boy, including his experiences with life and the relationship with his family.
8 November –
John Lennon and his wife
Cynthia are divorced.
22 November –
The Beatles (also known as "The White Album") by
The Beatles is released. Also released is
The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society by
The Kinks .
26 November –
Cream play their farewell concert at the
Royal Albert Hall . It will be the last time
Eric Clapton ,
Jack Bruce , and
Ginger Baker play together until their 1993 induction into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame .
2 December –
Jimi Hendrix 's manager
Chas Chandler quits over differences with Hendrix during the recording of
Electric Ladyland
6 December –
The Rolling Stones release
Beggars Banquet
22 December –
The Animals reunite for one
benefit concert at the Newcastle City Hall while Eric Burdon & The Animals are disbanding.
date unknown
Charts
Classical music
New works
Opera
Film and incidental music
Musical theatre
Musical films
Births
4 March –
Patsy Kensit , actress and singer
23 March –
Damon Albarn , singer and songwriter (
Blur )
24 April –
Roxanna Panufnik , British composer of Polish heritage
28 April –
Howard Donald , singer and dancer (
Take That )
11 May – Richie Wermerling, singer and keyboardist (
Let Loose )
19 May –
Paul Hartnoll , songwriter and musician (
Orbital )
May –
Erran Baron Cohen , musician, founder of world music group
Zohar
13 June –
Denise Pearson , singer (
Five Star )
21 June –
Sonique , singer and DJ
17 July –
Darren Day , singer, actor and TV presenter
20 July –
Kenneth Hesketh , composer
22 July –
Rhys Ifans , actor and former vocalist with
Super Furry Animals
31 July – Jomo Baxter, singer (
Ultimate Kaos )
12 August –
Paul Tucker , musician (
Lighthouse Family )
21 August –
Dina Carroll , singer
23 August – Benjamin Boyce, singer (
Caught in the Act )
29 September –
Matt and
Luke Goss , singer and drummer (
Bros )
7 October –
Thom Yorke , musician (
Radiohead )
10 November –
Steve Brookstein , singer
21 November –
Alex James , bassist (Blur)
25 November –
Tunde Baiyewu , singer (Lighthouse Family)
29 November –
Martin Carr (
Boo Radleys )
17 December –
Joe Cutler , composer, head of composition
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
date unknown
Deaths
23 January –
Teresa del Riego , violinist, pianist, singer and composer of Spanish ancestry, 91
21 April –
Norman Demuth , composer, 69
27 July –
Lilian Harvey , actress and singer, 62
31 August – Sir
Percy Hull , organist and composer, 89
6 September –
Karl Rankl , Austrian-born conductor and composer, 69
16 September –
Michael Carr , composer, 63
15 October –
Franz Reizenstein , German-born composer and pianist, 57
20 October –
Bud Flanagan , music hall star, 72
9 December –
Percy Greenbank , lyricist, 90
"Unknown" –
Billy Pigg , bagpiper, 66
See also
References
Art music History of popular music Traditional genres Contemporary popular genres Ethnic music Media and performance
Music awards Music charts Music festivals Music media National anthem
Regional music