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1963

Nineteen Sixty Three

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highlights

1963

COST OF LIVING

A New Home Cost $ 12,650.00
Average income $ 5,807.00 (yearly)
Minimum Wage $ (per hour)
Cost of new car $ 3,233.00 (Ford)
Gas (gallon) $ .25 – 29 cents (for regular)
Milk (gallon) $ 1.04
Postage stamp $ .05
Bread $ . 22
Dozen eggs $ . 89
Bedroom A/C unit $ 149.95
New Words We Were Introduced to in 1963

  1. Biodegradable
  2. Brain Drain
  3. Cosa Nostra (Sicilian Mafia)
  4. Jet Set
  5. Pop Art
  6. Psychedelic
  7. Software
  8. Solid – State
  9. Surfer
  10. Spin – Off

Billboards Top 20 Songs of 1963

  1. Sugar Shack Jimmy Gilmore & the Fireballs
  2. He’s so fine The Chiffons
  3. Dominique The Singing Nun
  4. Hey Paula Paul & Paula
  5. My Boyfriend’s back The Angels
  6. Blue Velvet Bobby Vinton
  7. Sukiyaki Kyu Sakamoto
  8. I will Follow him Little Peggy March
  9. Fingertips 1-2 Little Stevie Wonder
  10. Walk like a man The Four Seasons
  11. Go Away little Girl Steve Lawrence
  12. I’m Leaving it all up to you Dale & Grace
  13. Surf City Jan & Dean
  14. It’s My Party Leslie Gore
  15. Walk Right in The Rooftop Singers
  16. Easier said than done The Essex
  17. If you wanna be happy Jimmy Soul
  18. So Much in Love The Tymes
  19. Deep Purple Nino Tempo & April Stevens
  20. Our Day will come Ruby & the Romantics

Other Songs We Were Listening to in 1963

  1. Surfin USA Beach Boys
  2. The End of the World Skeeter Davis
  3. Rhythm of the Rain The Cascades
  4. He’s so Fine The Chiffons
  5. Be my Baby The Ronettes
  6. Blowin in the Wind Peter, Paul & Mary
  7. So Much in Love The Tymes
  8. Louie Louie The Kingsmen
  9. Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh Allan Sherman
  10. Sally Go Round The Roses The Jaynettes
  11. Wipeout Safaries
  12. Puff The Magic Dragon Peter, Paul & Mary (the saddest song EVER)
  13. I Wanna Hold Your Hand Beatles
  14. I Saw Her Standing there Beatles
  15. Ring of Fire Johnny Cash
  16. Mean Woman Blues Roy Orbison
  17. 24 hours from Tulsa Gene Pitney
  18. I Can’t Stay Mad At You Skeeter Davis
  19. Only in America Jay and the Americans
  20. 18 Yellow Roses Bobby Darin
  21. Another Saturday Night Sam Cooke
  22. The Pink Panther theme Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer
  23. Pretty Paper Willie Nelson
  24. Viva Las Vegas Elvis
  25. Cast Your Fate To The Wind The Vince Guaraldi Trio

Newcomer Box Office Stars  

  1. Peter Fonda
  2. Stella Stevens
  3. Barbara Eden
  4. Ursula Andress
  5. George Chakiris

Movies We Went to in 1963
The Birds
Dr. No (The First James Bond film)
The Great Escape
Cleopatra (Considered the Flop of the year, Tickets cost $5.50 which was 3 times the norm.)
The Longest Day
Mutiny on the Bounty
To Kill a Mockingbird
Charade
How the West Was Won
Hud
It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Lilies of the Fields
The Nutty Professor
The Sword in the Stone (Disney’s 18th Full Length Animated Feature Film)
Tom Jones

OSCARS for 1963

Best Picture Lawrence of Arabia
Best Actor Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird (after 5 nominations he finally wins)
Best Supporting Actor Ed Begley in Sweet Bird of Youth
Best Actress Anne Bancroft in The Miracle Worker
Best Song Days of Wine & Roses
Best Supporting Actress Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker (16 yrs old & the youngest actress to win an Oscar (usually children get a “special Oscar”)

The Emmy Awards of 1963

Best Dramatic Series The Defenders (CBS)
Best Actor in Dramatic Series E.G. Marshall (The Defenders)
E.G. Marshall (The Defenders) Glenda Farrell (Ben Casey)
Best Comedy The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS)
Best Actor in Comedy Series Carl Reiner in the Dick Van Dyke show
Best Actress in Comedy Series Shirley Booth in Hazel
Best Variety Series The Andy Williams Show (NBC)

TV SHOWS Debuts in 1963

  1. Burkes Law
  2. Julia Childs “The French Chef” on PBS
  3. The Danny Kaye Show
  4. The Farmer’s Daughter
  5. The Fugitive
  6. The Jimmy Dean Show
  7. Novak
  8. My Favorite Martian
  9. The Outer Limits (you have theme song)
  10. The Patty Duke Show
  11. Petticoat Junction (you have theme song)

New Recording Artists for 1963

  1. Beatles (come to the USA)
  2. Lou Christie
  3. Jackie DeShannon
  4. Merle Haggard
  5. Trini Lopez
  6. Martha & the Vandellas
  7. Wayne Newton
  8. The O’Jays
  9. Lou Rawls
  10. Otis Redding
  11. Wilson Pickett
  12. The Righteous Brothers
  13. Little Stevie Wonder
  14. Barbra Streisand

The GRAMMY AWARDS for 1963

  • Record of the Year Tony Bennett – “I left my Heart in San Francisco”
  • Song of the Year Anthony Newly – “What kind of Fool am I”
  • Album of the Year Vaughn Meader – for “The First Family”
  • Best Vocal – Male Tony Bennett – “I left my heart in San Francisco”
  • Best Vocal – Female Ella Fitzgerald – for “Ella swings brightly w/Nelson”
  • Best Vocal – Duo/Group Peter, Paul & Mary – “If I Had a Hammer”
  • Best Instrumental Herb Albert – for “A Taste of Honey”
  • Best male Rhythm & Blues Ray Charles – for “I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You”
  • Best Male Country Burl Ives – for “Funny Way of Laughin”
  • Best Rock & Roll Recording Bent Fabric – for “Alley Cat”
  • Best Folk duo/group Peter, Paul & Mary – for “If I had a Hammer”
  • Best New Artist Robert Goulet

Musical News of 1963

  1. ABC launches the folk program “Hootenanny” taped weekly at college campuses (first show is picketed by 400 Rutgers students because ABC refused to hire Pete Seeger (‘Little Boxes’)
  2. Dick Clark Completes his final “Weekday” Broadcast of American Bandstand.  Beginning in September 1963 it will now be shown on Saturday afternoons.
  3. December 10th, one day after his 6thbirthday, Donny Osmond joins his brothers in a song on The Andy Williams Show.
  4. Bob Dylan Walked Off of the Ed Sullivan Show.
  5. The Beatles Released Their First Album “Please Please Me”
  6. Gary U.S. Bonds Sues Chubby Checker for $100,000.00 for “Stealing” the Song “Quarter to Three” and turning it into “Dancin Party” … they settle out of court.
  7. The Whiskey a Go Go, a night club in Los Angeles becomes the first disco in the USA.
  8. The Beatles form the “Northern Songs Publishing Company.”
  9. 19 yr. old Andrew Loog Oldham signs a contract with The Rolling Stones becoming   their manager.  He had seen them perform the night before.
  10. The Kinks debut
  11. Herman’s Hermits debut
  12. The Righteous Brothers form

New & Improved in 1963

  • A.T. & T. introduces the First “Touch Tone” Phones
  • The Lava Lamp (or the Astro Lamp) is introduced by Edward Craven Walker
  • Pull Tab Cans for Cola Products Are Introduced by Alcoa Company
  • The Tape Cassette is introduced in the Netherlands by the Phillip’s Corporation
  • The Smiley Face debuts (did you know it was invented as a plug for State Mutual Life Insurance and became an “icon” representing the 1960’s and is still used today)
  • Quasars are Discovered by Marten Schmidt (USA)
  • Boeing Tests it’s New Prototype Medium Short – Range Airplane … Called the 727.
  • The California Medical Association is the first State to Claim Smoking to be Hazardous to your Health.
  • Kodak Instamatic film cartridges are introduced
  • Coca – Cola introduced TAB

NEWS OF 1963

  • The U.S. Population was: 189,241,798
  • Life expectancy is 69.9 years (U.S.A.)
  • J.F.K is assassinated in Dallas Texas with Millions of People Watching.
  • Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary (known as the Rock) closes. The last 27 prisoners are transferred to other California prisons.
  • The Berlin Wall is opened with 1-day passes
  • The Sabin Oral Polio Vaccine which is taken with a lump of sugar is introduced in USA
  • Kenya Gains its independence from Britain
  • The First State Lottery Passes in New Hampshire (Actually Starting in 1964 at $3 A Ticket)
  • Martin Luther King Jr., Delivers his “I Have a Dream” Speech.
  • Jack Ruby Murdered JFK’s suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald live on TV
  • The Zip Code is officially begun in all 50 states
  • The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Giants in 4 straight games to win World Series.
  • Willie Mays signs a 1-year contract for $100,000.00 with the Giants
  • Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA Finals
  • Chateaugay (I have no idea how to pronounce that) won the Kentucky Derby
  • British Secretary of War, John Profumo, resigns in the wake of an affair with a teenage showgirl named Christine Keeler, who was also having an affair with Soviet naval attache’.
  • Pope John XXIII Dies in June and is succeeded by Paul VI.
  • The First Artificial Heart in a Human is implanted by Dr. Michael DeBakey in Houston TX.
  • The First Liver Transplant is performed by Dr. F.D. Moore in Denver, CO. (Patient dies 22 days later from pneumonia)
  • The First Commercial Nuclear reactor goes online in New Jersey.
  • The Sedative VALIUM is developed by Roche labs.
  • Jacquelyn Mayer of Ohio is Crowned Miss America
  • Travel to Cuba is made Illegal by the John F. Kennedy Administration
  • Yoko Ono’s marriage to Anthony Cox is Annulled.
  • Mount Agung in Bali erupts Killing over 11,000 people.
  • Buddy Rogers becomes the first WWF Champion.
  • Fidel Castro visits the Soviet Union
  • The First female Cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, goes into space.
  • Bob Uecker utters his famous speech “Between me and my roommate, Eddie Mathews, we’ve hit 400 major league home-runs” Uecker hit only 1 of those 400 home runs.
  • Patsy Cline, her manager Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and Randy Hughes die in a plane crash March 5th. She was named 1962’s Billboard’s Top Female Artist.
  • Dinah Washington dies at age 39, considered to be the “Queen of the Blues” influencing such greats as Aretha Franklin to Nelly Frutado. She has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and The Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame. She had 2 top ten songs with Brook Benton (Baby, you got what it takes and “A rockin’ good way”) She also had top 100 hits from 1955 – 1960.
People Who Were Born in 1963

  • Steven Soderbergh (Film Director)
  • Travis Tritt (Country Singer …” Here’s a quarter,” “I’m a member of the Country Club
  • Michael Jordon (Basketball Player. I’ve heard he was pretty good)
  • Larry The Cable Guy (Comedian)
  • Seal (Singer)
  • Charles Barkley (Another Basketball Player Rumored to be … Pretty Good)
  • William Baldwin (One of the Infamous Baldwin Brothers)
  • Tuff Hedeman (4-time PRCA World Champion Bull Rider)
  • Vanessa Williams (Miss America (Dethroned – Actress / Singer)
  • Kathy Ireland (Model)
  • Quentin Tarantino (Director)
  • Elle Macpherson (Australian Supermodel)
  • Julian Lennon (Musician & Son of John Lennon)
  • Jimmy Osmond (the Annoying Youngest Osmond Brother)
  • Jet Li (Martial Arts Actor)
  • Michael Waltrip (Race Car Driver)
  • Johnny Depp (June 9th) Actor … “Savvy” – “Hello Poppet
  • Greg Kinnear (Actor)
  • George Michael (Singer – Wham … cuz ya gotta have faith)
  • Andrew Ridgley (Singer – Wham … he didn’t have faith)
  • Phoebe Cates (Actress)
  • Julie Krone (One of the Few Female professional jockeys)
  • Lisa Kudrow (Actress – Phoebe from Friends)
  • Coolio (Rapper … Gangsta’s Paradise … Great Song!!!)
  • Whitney Houston (Singer)
  • Steve Carrell (Actor)
  • Mark McGuwire (Baseball player)
  • Tommy Lee (Drummer Motley Crue and once married to Pam Anderson)
  • Elisabeth Shue (Actress, “Leaving Las Vegas,” “Adventures in Babysitting”)
  • Norm MacDonald (Canadian Comedian)
  • Benjamin Bratt (Actor … uh … YUM) (A Woman’s Comment)
  • Brad Pitt (Actor)

October 23, 1956, is a day that will live forever in the annals of free men and nations. It was a day of courage, conscience and triumph. No other day since history began has shown more clearly the eternal unquenchability of man’s desire to be free, whatever the odds against success, whatever the sacrifice required.

– John F Kennedy
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Top 100 Songs For 1963

 

  1. Surfin’ U.S.A. – Beach Boys, The
  2. Sugar Shack – Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs
  3. The End of the World – Skeeter Davis
  4. Rhythm of the Rain – Cascades, The
  5. Hey Paula – Paul & Paula
  6. Blue Velvet – Bobby Vinton
  7. He’s So Fine – Chiffons, The
  8. Fingertips II – Stevie Wonder, Little
  9. Washington Square – Village Stompers, The
  10. So Much In Love – Tymes, The
  11. Can’t Get Used To Losing You – Andy Williams
  12. My Boyfriend’s Back – Angels, The
  13. Sukiyaki – Kyu Sakamoto
  14. She’s a Fool – Lesley Gore
  15. Its All Right – Impressions, The
  16. Puff (The Magic Dragon) – Peter, Paul and Mary
  17. Blowin’ In the Wind – Peter, Paul and Mary
  18. Wipe Out – Surfaris, The
  19. Deep Purple – Nino Tempo and April Stevens
  20. I’m leaving it up To You – Dale & Grace
  1. I Love You Because – Al Martino
  2. Wild Weekend  – Rebels, The
  3. You’re The Reason I’m Living  – Bobby Darin
  4. Walk Like A Man – Four Seasons
  5. Mockingbird – Inez Foxx
  6. I Will Follow Him – Peggy March, Little
  7. Pipeline – Chantays, The
  8. Surf City – Jan & Dean
  9. It’s My Party – Lesley Gore
  10. Blame It on The Bossa Nova – Eydie Gorme
  11. You Can’t Sit Down – Dovells, The
  12. Heat Wave – Martha & the Vandellas
  13. Denise – Randy & the Rainbows
  14. Walk Right In – Rooftop Singers, The
  15. If You Wanna Be Happy – Jimmy Soul
  16. Surfer Girl – Beach Boys, The
  17. If I Had A Hammer – Trini Lopez
  18. Everybody – Tommy Roe
  19. Easier Said Than Done – Essex, The
  20. Ruby Baby – Dion
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  1. Maria Elena – Los Indios Tabajaras
  2. Our Day Will Come – Ruby & The Romantics
  3. I Can’t Stay Mad At You – Skeeter Davis
  4. Hello, Stranger – Barbara Lewis
  5. Be My Baby – Ronettes, The
  6. Mean Woman Blues – Roy Orbison
  7. South Street – Orlons, The
  8. Days of Wine and Roses – Henry Mancini
  9. The Monkey Time – Major Lance
  10. Candy Girl – Four Seasons
  11. Still – Bill Anderson
  12. Blue on Blue – Bobby Vinton
  13. Cry Baby – Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters
  14. Two Faces Have I – Lou Christie
  15. Busted – Ray Charles
  16. Da Doo Ron Ron – Crystals, The
  17. Foolish Little Girl – Shirelles, The
  18. Memphis – Lonnie Mack
  19. In Dreams – Roy Orbison
  20. More – Kal Winding
  1. Fools Rush In – Rick Nelson
  2. Losing You – Brenda Lee
  3. Our Winter Love – Bill Pursell
  4. I Wanna Be Around – Tony Bennett
  5. You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me – Miracles, The
  6. Sally Go ‘Round the Roses – Jaynetts, The
  7. Little Red Rooster – Sam Cooke
  8. Then He Kissed – Crystals, The
  9. You’re The Devil in Disguise – Elvis Presley
  10. Those Lazy Hazy Days of Summer – Nat King Cole
  11. Baby Workout – Jackie Wilson
  12. Pride and Joy – Marvin Gaye
  13. Walking the Dog – Rufus Thomas
  14. From A Jack To A King – Ned Miller
  15. Up on the Roof – Drifters, The
  16. What Will My Mary Say – Johnny Mathis
  17. Mama Didn’t Lie – Jan Bradley
  18. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes – Bobby Vee
  19. Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad ‘Bout My Baby – Little Eva
  20. Ring Of Fire – Johnny Cash
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  1. Down At Papa Joe’s – Dixie Belles, The with Cornbread & Jerry
  2. Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! – Allan Sherman
  3. Judy’s Turn to Cry – Lesley Gore
  4. Just One Look – Doris Troy
  5. Mickey’s Monkey – Miracles, The
  6. Donna, the Prima – Donna Dion
  7. That Sunday, That Summer – Nat King Cole
  8. Another Saturday Night – Sam Cooke
  9. Painted, Tainted Rose – Al Martino
  10. Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport – Rolf Harris
  11. Go Away Little Girl – Steve Lawrence
  12. Take These Chains from My Heart – Ray Charles
  13. Talk to Me – Sunny & the Sunglows
  14. Come and Get These Memories – Martha & the Vandellas
  15. Bossa Nova Baby – Elvis Presley
  16. Do the Bird – Dee Dee Sharp
  17. Shut Down – Beach Boys, The
  18. One Fine Day – Chiffons, The
  19. Little Town Flirt – Del Shannon
  20. 500 Miles Away From Home – Bobby Bare  

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1963

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