14 May in Beatles History

14 May is one of the richest single dates in Beatles history, spanning the earliest Silver Beetles performances, landmark press conferences, studio sessions, solo tours, posthumous releases, and the death of the man who coined ‘The Fab Four’. Browse every event below.

14 May 1960

The Silver Beetles — the pre-Beatles group featuring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Tommy Moore — performed at Lathom Hall in Seaforth, Liverpool, on 14 May 1960. It was one of the earliest documented performances by the group that would become The Beatles.

The Silver Beetles Live at Lathom Hall, Seaforth – 14 May 1960 →

14 May 1961

The Beatles performed at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg, Germany — part of their second Hamburg residency, which ran from April to July 1961. It was during this period that the group honed the relentless live performance style that would define their early career.

The Beatles Live at the Top Ten Club, Hamburg – 14 May 1961 →

14 May 1962

The Beatles performed at the Star-Club in Hamburg — their first engagement at the legendary Reeperbahn venue, which ran from April to June 1962. By this point the group had signed to EMI and were weeks away from recording ‘Love Me Do’.

The Beatles Live at the Star-Club, Hamburg – 14 May 1962 →

14 May 1963

The Beatles performed at the Rink Ballroom in Sunderland — their only appearance at the venue, and one of three shows in the city in 1963. From Me to You was at number one; the Roy Orbison tour was four days away.

The Beatles Live at the Rink Ballroom, Sunderland – 14 May 1963 →

14 May 1968

John Lennon and Paul McCartney held a press conference at the Americana Hotel in New York to launch Apple Corps in the United States — one of the most entertaining and revealing documents of the Apple era. Derek Taylor fielded the questions. Linda Eastman was in the audience, and afterwards gave McCartney her telephone number written on an unused cheque.

Lennon & McCartney Promote Apple Corps in New York – 14 May 1968 →

Full Press Conference Transcript – 14 May 1968 →

14 May 1971

John Lennon and Yoko Ono flew from London to Nice, staying at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes. Their films Fly and Apotheosis screened at La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs at the Cannes Film Festival. The trip came between Power to the People and the recording of Imagine.

John Lennon Flies London to Nice for the Cannes Film Festival – 14 May 1971 →

14 May 1973

Two significant events on the same day: a Houston court awarded Yoko Ono permanent custody of her daughter Kyoko — a ruling that was unenforceable since Kyoko’s father Tony Cox had taken her into hiding. And at AIR Studios on Oxford Street, Wings mixed ‘Zoo Gang’ in mono and stereo — the theme for the 1974 ITV series The Zoo Gang, later the B-side of ‘Band on the Run’.

Yoko Ono Awarded Permanent Custody of Kyoko – 14 May 1973 →

Wings Mix ‘Zoo Gang’ at AIR Studios, London – 14 May 1973 →

14 May 1976

Wings performed at the Spectrum in Philadelphia — the 35th date of the 65-show Wings Over the World Tour, and the second of two consecutive nights at the venue. The 29-song set included Band on the Run, Live and Let Die, and Beatles songs McCartney had not performed live since 1966.

Wings Live at the Spectrum, Philadelphia – 14 May 1976 →

14 May 1984

‘Borrowed Time’ by John Lennon was released as a single in the United States — the second single from the posthumous album Milk and Honey, recorded during the 1980 Double Fantasy sessions. It peaked at number 108 on the Billboard Hot 100.

‘Borrowed Time’ by John Lennon Released in the US – 14 May 1984 →

14 May 1997

Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band — featuring Peter Frampton, Jack Bruce, Gary Brooker, Simon Kirke, and Mark Rivera — performed at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, Michigan. Show 13 of 30 on the 1997 US tour; the 25-song set included four Cream classics performed by Jack Bruce.

Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band Live at East Lansing – 14 May 1997 →

14 May 2003

Paul McCartney performed at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna — show 25 of 33 on the Back in the World Tour. The 39-song set included a ukulele performance of ‘Something’ in tribute to George Harrison, and ‘Here Today’ for John Lennon. The tour had included the first rock concert at the Colosseum in Rome days earlier.

Paul McCartney Live at the Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna – 14 May 2003 →

14 May 2016

Tony Barrow, The Beatles’ press officer from 1962 to 1968 and the man who coined ‘The Fab Four’, died at his home in Morecambe, Lancashire, aged 80. He had assembled the first Beatles press kit for £20, been present at the Beatles–Elvis meeting in 1965, managed the Philippines crisis in 1966, and orchestrated Lennon’s ‘more popular than Jesus’ apology.

Tony Barrow, The Beatles’ Press Officer, Dies – 14 May 2016 →