26 April in Beatles History – Complete On This Day Timeline

What Happened On 26 April In Beatles History?

This page is part of a complete Beatles history archive covering every day of the year. Below is a chronological list of all known events that took place on 26 April throughout Beatles history.

26 April 1961 – The Beatles Live at the Top Ten Club, Hamburg

On Saturday 26 April 1961, The Beatles performed their 26th night at Hamburg's Top Ten Club — part of the legendary 92-night residency that forged their ferocious live sound. Playing up to seven hours per night, each member earned approximately 35 Deutsche Marks per day. The residency was extended twice due to strong audience demand, and by the time they left Hamburg on 1 July 1961, The Beatles had accumulated around 503 hours of live performance.

Read the full story: The Beatles at the Top Ten Club, Hamburg – 26 April 1961

26 April 1962 – The Beatles Live at the Star-Club, Hamburg

On Thursday 26 April 1962, The Beatles performed their 13th night at Hamburg's Star-Club during their first residency at the venue. Running from 13 April to 31 May 1962 with only one night off, the engagement totalled approximately 172 hours of live performance — their third major Hamburg residency in under two years.

Read the full story: The Beatles at the Star-Club, Hamburg – 26 April 1962

26 April 1963 – The Beatles Live at the Music Hall, Shrewsbury

On Friday 26 April 1963, The Beatles performed at the Music Hall in Shrewsbury — their second and final appearance at the venue, returning after a previous booking on 14 December 1962. The show captured The Beatles at peak UK touring intensity in early 1963, just before Beatlemania fully reshaped the scale of their live career.

Read the full story: The Beatles at the Music Hall, Shrewsbury – 26 April 1963

26 April 1964 – The Beatles at the NME Poll-Winners' All-Star Concert, Wembley

On Sunday 26 April 1964, The Beatles topped the bill at the NME 1963–64 Poll-Winners' All-Star Concert at the Empire Pool, Wembley, playing to around 10,000 fans. It was their return to live performance after a 15-week break. Their five-song set included She Loves You, You Can't Do That, Twist And Shout, Long Tall Sally, and Can't Buy Me Love. The event was filmed by ABC Television and broadcast as part of Big Beat '64.

Read the full story: The Beatles at the NME Poll-Winners' Concert – 26 April 1964

26 April 1966 – Recording: And Your Bird Can Sing

On Tuesday 26 April 1966, The Beatles returned to EMI Studios, Abbey Road for a second session on And Your Bird Can Sing. Produced by George Martin and engineered by Geoff Emerick, the marathon session ran from 2:30pm to 2:24am. Eleven rhythm takes were recorded, with take 10 selected as the strongest foundation and the ending lifted from take six. Mono mixes were completed on 12 May and stereo mixes on 20 May.

Read the full story: Recording 'And Your Bird Can Sing' – 26 April 1966

26 April 1967 – Recording: Magical Mystery Tour

On Wednesday 26 April 1967, The Beatles returned to Abbey Road's Studio Three for a late-night overdubbing session on the Magical Mystery Tour title track. Running from 7pm to 2am, Paul McCartney overdubbed bass guitar onto take eight, followed by layered percussion and additional backing vocals from the band plus Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall. Further work continued on 27 April and 3 May.

Read the full story: Recording 'Magical Mystery Tour' – 26 April 1967

26 April 1969 – Mixing: John And Yoko

On Saturday 26 April 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono returned to EMI Studios' Studio Three to refine the mix of John And Yoko, recorded earlier that week on 22 April. The session ran from 2:30pm to 4:15pm. The heartbeat elements were re-recorded on 27 April, with final completion on 1 May 1969.

Read the full story: Mixing 'John And Yoko' – 26 April 1969

26 April 1969 – Recording: Oh! Darling and Octopus's Garden

Also on Saturday 26 April 1969, an extended session at Abbey Road's Studio Two (4:30pm to 4:15am) covered two projects. Paul McCartney overdubbed a falsetto lead vocal on Oh! Darling, while Ringo Starr developed Octopus's Garden across 32 rhythm takes — with McCartney on bass, Lennon on rhythm guitar, and Harrison on lead guitar with a Leslie speaker effect. Take 2 of Octopus's Garden was later selected for Anthology 3.

Read the full story: Recording 'Oh! Darling' and 'Octopus's Garden' – 26 April 1969

26 April 1971 – Lennon, Harrison and Starr Drop Appeal Against High Court Ruling

On Monday 26 April 1971, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr formally dropped their appeal against a High Court ruling in favour of Paul McCartney's request to dissolve The Beatles' business partnership. The appeal was withdrawn in a brief five-minute hearing, with estimated legal costs of around £100,000.

Read the full story: Lennon, Harrison and Starr Drop Appeal – 26 April 1971

26 April 1971 – John Lennon Travels from London to Arima, Trinidad

Also on Monday 26 April 1971, John Lennon and Yoko Ono arrived in Arima, Trinidad. During the trip, Lennon typed out lyrics for Imagine on stationery from the Hassina's Hotel — a note referencing the song's development across London, Madrid, and Trinidad. They stayed until 2 May 1971.

Read the full story: John Lennon Travels to Arima, Trinidad – 26 April 1971

26 April 2002 – Paul McCartney Live at Madison Square Garden, New York

On Friday 26 April 2002, Paul McCartney performed the first of two consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City as part of the Driving World Tour. The setlist spanned Beatles, Wings, and solo eras. Several performances from this night were later issued on Back In The US and Back In The World.

Read the full story: Paul McCartney Live at Madison Square Garden – 26 April 2002