26 May in Beatles History
26 May in Beatles History
From the Silver Beetles' earliest Scottish dates to Ringo Starr's Las Vegas residency, 26 May has been a significant date throughout Beatles history. This page collects every event we have documented for this day, in chronological order.
Events on 26 May
1960
→ Silver Beetles live: Town Hall, Forres – 26 May 1960
The Silver Beetles performed at the Town Hall in Forres, Moray, Scotland — one of the earliest documented Beatles performances.
1961
→ The Beatles live: Top Ten Club, Hamburg – 26 May 1961
The Beatles performed at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg during their second residency in the city.
1962
→ The Beatles live: Star-Club, Hamburg – 26 May 1962
The Beatles performed at the Star-Club in Hamburg during their first residency at the venue.
1963
→ The Beatles live: Empire Theatre, Liverpool – 26 May 1963
The Beatles performed at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool during the height of Beatlemania.
1964
→ John and Cynthia Lennon, George Harrison and Pattie Boyd fly to London from Tahiti – 26 May 1964
After three weeks in Tahiti, John and Cynthia Lennon and George Harrison and Pattie Boyd flew home via Los Angeles, arriving in London on 26 May 1964.
1965
→ The Beatles (Invite You To Take A Ticket To Ride) – the final BBC radio session – 26 May 1965
The Beatles recorded their 52nd and final BBC radio session at Piccadilly Studios, broadcast on 7 June 1965.
1966
→ Recording: Yellow Submarine – 26 May 1966
The backing track and vocals for 'Yellow Submarine' were recorded at Abbey Road, without producer George Martin who was ill with food poisoning.
1967
→ UK album release: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – 26 May 1967
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was rush-released in the UK six days before its official date, going on to spend 27 weeks at number one and 148 consecutive weeks in the charts.
1969
→ US album release: Electronic Sound by George Harrison – 26 May 1969
George Harrison's Moog synthesiser album was released in the US as Zapple 02, launching the short-lived Apple subsidiary Zapple Records.
→ US album release: Unfinished Music No.2: Life With The Lions by John Lennon and Yoko Ono – 26 May 1969
Lennon and Ono's avant-garde second album was released as Zapple 01, featuring the Cambridge 1969 performance and hospital recordings from November 1968.
→ Travel: John Lennon – Toronto to Montreal – 26 May 1969
After an adjourned immigration hearing in Toronto, Lennon and Ono flew to Montreal, arriving at Suite 1742 of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel around midnight — the start of the Montreal Bed-In.
1970
→ Recording: All Things Must Pass demos by George Harrison – 26 May 1970
The first session for All Things Must Pass at Abbey Road, producing 15 demos including 'My Sweet Lord', 'What Is Life', and 'Isn't It A Pity', with Klaus Voormann and Ringo Starr.
1971
→ Recording: How Do You Sleep?, Crippled Inside by John Lennon – 26 May 1971
The sixth Imagine session at Ascot Sound Studios, with George Harrison on slide guitar and dobro, plus a remarkable encounter with a fan who had walked from London Airport to Tittenhurst Park.
1972
→ Mixing: Smile Away, Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey – Thrillington – 26 May 1972
Paul McCartney remixed two Thrillington tracks at Island Studios, apparently considering a single release before shelving the album for six years.
→ Interview: John Lennon and Yoko Ono for New York Times – 26 May 1972
Lennon and Ono spoke to Don Heckman about the search for Ono's daughter Kyoko and Lennon's relationship with his son Julian.
1973
→ Wings live: Hammersmith Odeon, London – 26 May 1973
The second of three consecutive nights at the Hammersmith Odeon on the Wings 1973 UK Tour, with support from Brinsley Schwarz.
1975
→ US single release: Listen To What The Man Said by Wings – 26 May 1975
The lead single from Venus And Mars reached number one in the US and Canada, and number six in the UK.
1976
→ John Lennon and Ringo Starr watch Bob Marley and the Wailers at the Roxy, Los Angeles – 26 May 1976
Lennon, Ono, and Starr watched Bob Marley perform at the Roxy Theatre, seated in the On The Rox private club alongside Harry Nilsson, Dr John, and Bernie Taupin.
1977
→ Tape copying: Wings London Town sessions – 26 May 1977
Geoff Emerick made master tape copies of 'Famous Groupies', 'Morse Moose And The Grey Goose', and 'Don't Let It Bring You Down' as the Virgin Islands sessions for London Town drew to a close.
1980
→ US album release: McCartney II by Paul McCartney – 26 May 1980
McCartney's completely solo home recording topped the UK charts and reached number three in the US, with 'Coming Up' hitting number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
1993
→ Paul McCartney live: Folsom Field, Boulder – 26 May 1993
Night 28 of the New World Tour, seen by 37,245 fans. Seven tracks recorded for the live album Paul Is Live, including 'Let Me Roll It', 'Penny Lane', and 'Live And Let Die'.
2000
→ Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: The NorVa, Norfolk – 26 May 2000
Night 11 of the sixth All-Starr Band's North American tour, featuring Jack Bruce, Dave Edmunds, Eric Carmen, Simon Kirke, and Mark Rivera.
2013
→ Paul McCartney live: FedExForum, Memphis – 26 May 2013
Night 8 of the Out There Tour, seen by 13,562 fans. The band visited Graceland before the show, where McCartney left a guitar plectrum at Elvis Presley's grave.
2023
→ Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Venetian Theatre, Las Vegas – 26 May 2023
The second of three consecutive nights at the Venetian Theatre, night 6 of the 15th All-Starr Band's 43-date North American tour, featuring Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Edgar Winter, and Hamish Stuart.
2024
→ Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Venetian Theatre, Las Vegas – 26 May 2024
The third of six non-consecutive nights at the Venetian Theatre on the 15th All-Starr Band's 2024 tour.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened on 26 May in Beatles history?
26 May has been a significant date throughout Beatles history, from the Silver Beetles performing in Forres, Scotland in 1960, to the UK release of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967, to Ringo Starr performing at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas in 2024. Key events include the recording of 'Yellow Submarine' (1966), John Lennon and Yoko Ono's arrival in Montreal for the Bed-In (1969), and the first All Things Must Pass demo session (1970).
When was Sgt Pepper released in the UK?
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was rush-released in the UK on 26 May 1967, six days before its official release date of 1 June 1967. It spent 27 weeks at number one and 148 consecutive weeks in the UK charts.
What was recorded on 26 May 1966?
The backing track and vocals for 'Yellow Submarine' were recorded at Studio Three, Abbey Road, without producer George Martin who was ill with food poisoning. Engineer Geoff Emerick oversaw the session, which ran from 7pm to 1am.
What happened on 26 May 1969?
Three significant events: George Harrison's Electronic Sound and John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Unfinished Music No.2: Life With The Lions were released in the US on the Zapple Records label; and Lennon and Ono flew from Toronto to Montreal, arriving at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel to begin the Montreal Bed-In for Peace.
What is the Montreal Bed-In?
John Lennon and Yoko Ono's second Bed-In for Peace, held at Suite 1742 of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal from 26 May to 2 June 1969. 'Give Peace A Chance' was recorded there on 1 June 1969.
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