The rock ‘n’ roll fanatic John Lennon used his 16th birthday money to buy two much-prized 78rpm records.
While each was quite different, they both had a marked influence on the young Lennon. Elvis Presley’s ‘Hound Dog’ was backed with ‘Don’t Be Cruel’, both songs destined to become classics.
The other vinyl disc was by The Goons, the comedy troupe whose broadcasts Lennon cherished. The release in question was ‘The Ying-Tong Song’, written by Spike Milligan, which reached number three in the charts in 1956.
Last updated: 26 May 2020
Also on this day...
- 2023: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Charleston Coliseum, Charleston
- 2020: Celebrations take place for John Lennon’s 80th birthday
- 2017: New book! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs
- 2015: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver
- 2013: Paul McCartney live: Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, New York
- 2011: Sir Paul McCartney marries Nancy Shevell
- 2010: Photograph of John Lennon is projected onto Liverpool’s Albert Dock
- 2010: “And the world will be as one”: Global tributes take place for John Lennon’s 70th birthday
- 2010: Yoko Ono requests a million tweets for John Lennon
- 2009: Yoko Ono unveils Imagine Peace Tower in Second Life
- 2002: Paul McCartney live: Savvis Center, St Louis
- 2000: Tributes for John Lennon’s 60th birthday
- 1998: Yoko Ono dedicates a tree to John Lennon in Strawberry Fields
- 1993: Paul McCartney live: Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam
- 1990: Imagine is broadcast around the world
- 1989: Paul McCartney live: Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris
- 1988: John Lennon tributes are broadcast on US television
- 1985: Strawberry Fields is opened in Central Park, New York City
- 1984: Yoko Ono donates $90,000 to Strawberry Field in Liverpool
- 1981: John Lennon statue is unveiled in Los Angeles
- 1980: John Lennon’s 40th birthday
- 1979: John Lennon’s 39th birthday party, Tavern On The Green, New York
- 1978: John Lennon’s 38th birthday party, Tavern On The Green, New York
- 1976: John Lennon’s 36th birthday
- 1975: Sean Lennon is born
- 1971: John Lennon’s all-star 31st birthday party in Syracuse, New York
- 1971: Yoko Ono’s art exhibition This Is Not Here opens in Syracuse, New York
- 1970: Recording: Remember by John Lennon
- 1970: John Lennon sees his father Alf for the final time
- 1969: Yoko Ono is taken to hospital in London
- 1968: Recording, mixing: The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill, Long Long Long, Why Don’t We Do It In The Road
- 1967: John Lennon’s 27th birthday
- 1966: John Lennon celebrates his 26th birthday in Spain
- 1965: The Beatles celebrate John Lennon’s 25th birthday
- 1964: The Beatles live: Gaumont Cinema, Bradford
- 1963: Radio: The Ken Dodd Show
- 1962: The Beatles promote Love Me Do in London
- 1961: John Lennon celebrates his 21st birthday with Paul McCartney in Paris
- 1960: The Beatles live: Kaiserkeller, Hamburg
- 1940: John Lennon is born
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
Happy 70th!!
Vinyl 78s? I don’t think so.. There were a few experimental 78s made in vinyl at the end of the era but I never heard of Elvis or The Goons on anything but shellac.
I’ve seen some Elvis 78s pressed on vinyl, mostly promo copies for DJ use. The Goons were a whole ‘nother story, but weren’t they always?