On This Day 28/10/1964 Lulu

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On this day, 28 October 1964, Lulu and the Luvvers played Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre as part of a package that included the headlining Honeycombs, Millie, Lulu & The Luvvers, Applejacks, Daryl Quist, Beat Merchants and the Puppets and Gene Vincent, with Freddie Earle as compere in what was billed as "Big Beat Scene"

Headlining band The Honycombs were riding high with their debut single Have I the Right? a massive it for the band, produced by the legendary Joe Meek.

Lulu and her band the Luvvers were touring on the back of her first hit Shout, the former Isley Brothers song, peaking at No 7 in May 1964, whilst Millie had enjoyed a No 2 hit with her debut single My Boy Lollipop

On This Day 15/04/1966 Roy Orbison

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On this day, 15 April 1966, "The Big O." American rocker Roy Orbison played Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre.

Also on the bill were, The Walker Brothers, Lulu, The Quotations, The Marionettes, Kim D and the Dels with the show compere Ray Cameron.

Born and raised in Texas, Orbison got his start in a rockabilly band in high school. According to The Authorized Roy Orbison, Orbison's first release was in March 1956 on the Je-Wel label.

He broke into professional music under Sam Phillips at Sun Records in the summer of 1956,[4] but found only marginal success there.

After a couple years writing for other musicians (including "Claudette" recorded by The Everly Brothers), Orbison recorded several songs at Monument Records under producer Fred Foster starting in 1959.

With Foster, Orbison and his frequent songwriting partners Joe Melson and Bill Dees tailored many of Orbison's songs for his unique voice; his most popular songs were dramatic ballads ending with emotional crescendos that showcased his powerful vocals.

After his biggest hit in 1964, "Oh, Pretty Woman", Orbison continued to record and chart intermittently in the UK, but it was not until 1987 that he again found the level of popular worldwide success he had known in the early 1960s, when his original recording of "In Dreams" was used in David Lynch's film Blue Velvet.

The following year, Orbison co-founded the supergroup Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. Lynne produced Orbison's final album Mystery Girl, which was released posthumously in February 1989.

On this day 12/11/1966 The Beach Boys

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On this day, 12 November 1966, American surfer dudes The Beach Boys played Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre with 2 shows, 6.15 & 8.50. Also on the bill were, Lulu, David & Jonathan, Sounds Incorporated, the Golden Brass and Jerry Stevens,

Before the first show, Carl accidently put his right hand through a plate glass window cutting his arm. In-between the first and second shows, he visited a local hospital accompanied by Dennis to receive a few stitches. Driving through town, he noted facetiously to a reporter “So this is Cardiff. Well at least I saw a bit of the city this time.”

Film - Beach Boys - Tour - 1966 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjXVrASiWRY

On this day 05/11/1965 Gene Pitney

On this day, 5 November 1965, American singing star Gene Pitney played Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre.

Also on the bill were the Rockin' Berries, Lulu & The Luvvers, Peter & Gordon, Mike Cotton Sound, The Quiet Five, with Syd & Eddie (comperes).

In the United Kingdom, Pitney had 22 top 40 hits, and 11 singles in the top ten. Among his most famous hits are "Town Without Pity", "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance", "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa", "I'm Gonna Be Strong", and "It Hurts To Be In Love". He also wrote the early 1960s hits "Rubber Ball" recorded by Bobby Vee, "Hello Mary Lou" by Rick Nelson, and "He's a Rebel" by the Crystals. In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Pitney maintained a successful career in Britain and the rest of Europe into the 1970s, appearing regularly on UK charts as late as 1974.

Pitney was touring the UK in the spring of 2006 when his manager found him dead in his hotel room following a concert in Cardiff, Wales, on April 5.

An autopsy found the cause of death to be a heart attack and that he had severely occluded coronary arteries. His final show at Cardiff's St David's Hall had earned him a standing ovation; he ended with "Town Without Pity".

He was buried at Somers Center Cemetery in Somers, Connecticut.

On this day 28/10/1964 Gene Vincent/"Big Beat Scene"

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On this day, 28 October 1964, rock ‘n’ roll great Gene Vincent played Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre as part of a package that included the headlining Honeycombs, Millie, Lulu & The Luvvers, Applejacks, Daryl Quist, Beat Merchants and the Puppets, with Freddie Earle as compere in what was billed as "Big Beat Scene"

Vincent was the first inductee into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame upon its formation in 1997. The following year he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Vincent has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1749 North Vine Street.

Headlining band The Honycombs were riding high with their debut single Have I the Right? a massive it for the band, produced by the legendary Joe Meek.

Lulu and her band the Luvvers were touring on the back of her first hit Shout, the former Isley Brothers song, peaking at No 7 in May 1964, whilst Millie had enjoyed a No 2 hit with her debut single My Boy Lollipop