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What happened in The year 1968 ?

• The Beatles opened their Apple  offices. They released their double album “ Beatles” or The White Album”.
• Songwriters, producers Holland-Dozier-Holland began a dispute with Motown Records.
• Graham Nash left the Hollies to help form the super group Crosby, Stills & Nash.
• Cream played their farewell concert.

January 1968

• The Beatles “Magical Mystery Tour” album was number one for eight weeks in the U.S. it was released in the U.K. as a double E.P. set.  
• January 4th in Sweden, Stockholm police put Jimi Hendrix in jail for trashing a hotel room.
• Otis Redding’s record “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” was released.
• 13th January Johnny Cash performed his concert at Folsom prison, California.
• Richard Harris released his album “A tramp shining” with all the songs written by Jimmy Webb. MacArthur Park which was taken from the album was a massive hit both sides of the Atlantic.
• Bob Dylan appeared at the Carnegie Hall in a tribute concert for Woody Guthrie. Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, Odetta, Richie Havens, Ramblin' Jack Elliot and the Band also appeared.
• The Notorious Byrd Brothers  album was released by The Byrds.
• MIDEM Festival Cannes, France included Procol Harum, Spooky Tooth, David McWilliams, The Moody Blues, Long John Baldry and the Brian Auger Trinity.
• The Bee Gees made their American concert debut in California at the Anaheim Convention Center.
• The Who, Small Faces and Paul Jones began their Australian and New Zealand Tour.

February 1968

• David Gilmour replaced Syd Barrett in Pink Floyd.
• Rock group Genesis released their first single “Silent Sun”.
• Blood Sweat and Tears released their “Child is Father to the Man” album.
• McGraw-Hill. Inc out bid other publishers for the U.S. rights to the authorized biography of the Beatles, The book was written by Hunter Davies.
• Twenty five year old Frankie Lymon (& the Teenagers)  was found dead due to a heroin overdose.
• Little Walter (Marion Walter Jacobs) the blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player was involved in a fight and died of a coronary thrombosis the next day.

March 1968

• The Beatles released “Lady Madonna” in the U.K. “Inner Light” was the B side.
• Simon and Garfunkel released their “Bookends” album.
• At the end of the second season the Monkees final television episode was broadcast in the U.S.
• The Bee Gees began their U.K. tour at London's Royal Albert Hall. Also on the tour were The Foundations and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.
• The first album from the Move released “Move”.

April 1968

• Apple Corps, Ltd. Opened offices to operate in London.
• Cliff Richard came second for the U. K. In the Eurovision song contest with the song “Congratulations”, it went to number one in the U.K. Charts.
• Amen Corner, Status Quo, Simon Dupree & The Big Sound, Don Partridge and Gene Pitney, began their tour at The Odeon Theatre, Lewisham, London.
• The Kinks, The Herd, Gary Walker & the Rain and the Tremeloes appeared at the Liverpool Empire.

May 1968  

• Wembley, London: NME Winner's Concert at the Empire Pool featured The Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard, The Tremeloes, Amen Corner, The Shadows,  The Love Affair, Dusty Springfield, The Association, The Herd, The Show Stoppers, Status Quo, Don Partridge, The Paper Dolls, The Breakaways, Lulu,  Dave, Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich and Tony Blackburn.
• R&B artist Little Willie John died in prison in Washington. In 1966 he stabbed a railroad worker and was found guilty of manslaughter.
• Buffalo Springfield performed in Long Beach, California before they split.

June 1968    

• Colour Me Pop a BBC 2 television show began with the first guests Manfred Mann.
• The “Mojo festival" at the Queen’s Hall, Leeds featured The Small Faces, Bill Haley & the Comets, The Herd, Alan Bown, The Amboy Dukes Big Band and Edwin Starr.
• Midsummer Nights Dream (Golden Orange Festival), held at Burton Constable Hall, Near Hull some of the bands who appeared were Geno Washington, Fairport Convention, Spooky Tooth, Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, Savoy Brown Blues Band , Marmalade, Family and The Move.
• The Soul Together concert at the Madison Square Garden, N.Y.  Some of the artists who appeared were Aretha Franklin , Sam and Dave, The Rascals, King Curtis & the Kingpins, Sonny & Cher and Joe Tex.
• Small Faces released “Ogdens Nut Gone Flake” album.
• Pink Floyd released their “A Saucer Full of Secrets” album in the U.K.

July 1968

• John Lennon held his first art exhibition, entitled You Are Here —To Yoko from John, with Love.
• The Doors, Steppenwolf and The Chambers Brothers appeared at the Hollywood Bowl.
• The Woburn Music Festival. July 6-7th some of the artists who appeared were Jimi Hendrix, Geno Washington,Tyrannosaurus Rex, Family, Al Stewart, Alexis Korner, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Donovan and Pentangle. 
• Yellow Submarine the Beatles animated film premiered in London.
• The Jackson 5 signed with Motown.
• The Doors released their Waiting for the Sun album.
• David Ruffin the Temptations singer left the group.
• CBS/Columbia released the Odessey & Oracle album even though the Zombies had split.
• Among the artists who appeared at the Newport Folk Festival, Newport Rhode Island were Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Big Brother and the Holding Co, Junior Wells and Harry Belafonte.
• The Beatles closed their Apple Boutique and gave everything away for free.
• Traffic, Juniors Eyes, The Nice, The Action and The Pretty Things appeared at the Hyde Park Free Concert, London.

August 1968

• More than 100,000 people paid to enter the Newport Pop Festival held at the Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa, California. Some of the acts who appeared over the two days were Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Country Joe and the Fish, Tiny Tim, Sonny & Cher, Alice Cooper and the Byrds.
• The Bee Gee’s released their album “Idea” on Polydor.
• Luther Perkins country music guitar player died he was a member of the Tennessee Three who sometimes played with Johnny Cash.
• American singer Joe Hinton died of cancer.
• At the Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, California, Tommy James & The Shondells,  The Rascals and Eric Burdon & The Animals appeared.
• The Byrds released  Sweetheart of the Rodeo Album.  
• August 31st The Isle of Wight Festival included The Pretty Things, Jefferson Airplane, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Fairport Convention, The Plastic Penny and The Move.

September 1968  

• Oakland Pop Festival, Baldwin Pavilion, Rochester, MI some of the artists who appeared were Procol Harum, MC5, The Jagged Edge, The Psychedelic Stooges and The Rationals.
• Bluesology Festival, Chateau Impney grounds, Near Droitwich, England  some of the artists who appeared were Family, Fleetwood Mac, Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Move.  
• A free concert at Hyde Park included The Move, The Action and the Strawbs.
• The Doors appeared at Camden Town's Roundhouse.
• CBS television aired the animated show The Archies.
• “Hey Jude” the first record released on the Beatles own Label Apple reached  number one in September.

October 1968

• October 4th Scott Walker began his U.K. Tour at the Finsbury Park, Astoria with the Paper Dolls, Tommy James & the Shondells and The Love Affair.
• Brian Jones was fined £50 with 100 guineas costs after being found guilty of possessing cannabis resin.
• Motown went into dispute with Holland-Dozier-Holland for their refusal to write more songs until their royalty rate was increased.
• The Hollies reached No.1 in the UK album charts with their 'Greatest Hits” album.
• John Sebastian left the Lovin' Spoonful.
• John Lennon and Yoko Ono were arrested and charged with possession of cannabis.

November 1968

• November 11th John & Yoko’s “Two Virgins” album was released in the U.K.
• November 22nd  The double album “Beatles” or (White Album) as it was known was released. In December it went to number one in the album charts.
• The Who, The Small Faces, Joe Cocker & the Greaseband, The Mindbenders and the Crazy World of Arthur Brown played at the Empire Theatre, Liverpool.
• Cream played their farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall also on the bill were Yes and Rory Gallagher.
• Graham Nash left the Hollies to help form the super group Crosby, Stills and Nash.

December 1968

• December 3 – Elvis Presley's 1968 Comeback Special aired on NBC TV.
• The three day Miami Pop Festival at the Gulfstream Race Track some of the artists who appeared were Iron Butterfly, Joni Mitchell, Canned Heat, Jose Feliciano, The Grateful Dead, Chuck Berry, Fleetwood Mac, Joe Tex  and Country Joe and the Fish.
• The Rolling Stones released “Beggars Banquet”.
• Janis Joplin played her last concert with Big Brother and the Holding Company before going solo.
• Chas Chandler quit as Jimi Hendrix’s manager during the recording of “Electric Ladyland”.

Other 1968 music facts

• The Lovin’ Spoonful split
• The Yardbirds  broke up.
• Peter & Gordon split.
• The Migil 5 disbanded.
• Cliff Bennett & the Rebelrousers split.
• The Walker Brothers broke up.
• The Righteous Brothers parted.
• Cream disbanded.
• Buffalo Springfield split
• The Shangri-Las  broke up.
• The Seekers disbanded.
• Leo Fender the guitar manufacturer sold his business to CBS.
• Max Romeo recorded “Wet Dreams” which even though it was banned by the BBC it became a top ten hit in 1969.

Formed in 1968

The Iveys changed to Badfinger.

The Stylistics.

Wainwright’s Gentlemen later the Sweet.

Janis Joplin & her Kozmic Blues Band.

Colosseum.

Deep Purple.

Formed in Scotland Nazareth.

Yes.

Led Zeppelin formed in London.

Caravan.

Blodwyn Pig.

The Jays formed in Tuskagee, Alabama changed to the Commodores.

Free formed in London .

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.

The Flying Burrito Bros.

Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show.

Can formed in Cologne, West Germany.

The World of Oz.

REO Speedwagon.

The Brooklyn Bridge.

Studio cartoon group The Archies.

Formed in Los Angeles Poco.

Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Mandrill.

Earlier called the Earwigs the Spiders, Nazz  and finally changed to Alice Cooper.

1910 Fruitgum Company and Ohio Express were both studio bubblegum groups.

Rush formed in Toronto Canada.

King Crimson.

From Chicago, Illinois The Emotions.

The Climax Blues Band.

Smile formed later renamed Queen.

Music History 1968

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