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Is This The Earliest Beatles Listing On The CHUM Chart?
There are reasons to believe it is. The date was Dec. 2, 1963, just about a month or so before the official “British Invasion” began in North America. On this CHUM Chart, you can see what was then a fairly obscure record from the Fab Four at #42, its first week on the list. The song: “She Loves You.”
Just one week later, it had become the Chumdinger (fastest rising song) having spiked up to #20. It crept to #15 by December 16th, and was #5 the day before Christmas Eve. It inches up the charts after that, until finally officially hitting #1 on Jan. 20, 1964, more than a month after its debut. It would never again take that long for a Beatles tune to climb into the Top 10.
(Courtesy Chumtribute.org)
What’s fascinating to observe on the chart in question, though, is how bland some of the songs in the Top 10 on that Dec. 2nd date really were. There is a clear dividing line between that new sound from England and the old 50’s style rock that was still in vogue when the first Fab Four rumblings were heard on this side of the pond. After all, a French language song by a nun was #1 back then. You couldn't get much different than what was to come.
I don't think any of the Vee Jay material of the Beatles ever made the Top 50. But I'm not sure. Anyone know? A Wikipedia entry indicates the sole Vee Jay record, “Please Please Me,” came out in Feb. 1963 and was played only on WLS in Chicago – and peaked at just #35 in March. It says no other radio station in North America added it after that until Capitol Records took back ownership of the group on its label.
Here’s that infamous WLS Chart:
- Fitz
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Re: Is This The Earliest Beatles Listing On The CHUM Chart?
From what I have read I believe the Beatles were played in London, Ontario on CFPL in Feb, 1963. Not sure if they charted but they were played and more than one song. Also my understanding that Capitol Canada did not lease out the songs to Vee Jay and Swan as did Capitool USA with the early singles and albums.There was another label called Tollie with some Beatles releases and it was a subsidiary of Vee Jay.
Here's a Chart from KRLA with the Beatles on Vee Jay from Aug 11, 1963:
Last edited by Fitz (June 11, 2023 12:35 pm)
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- paterson1
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Re: Is This The Earliest Beatles Listing On The CHUM Chart?
There were also rumours that Ray Sonin on CFRB's Calling All Britons played The Beatles on either December 8 or 15th in 1962.
Listener's of his show would often send Ray records after they had returned from a trip to the UK. As the story goes some listeners who were visiting relatives in Liverpool picked up a couple of copies of Love Me Do. One copy was sent to Ray and he read the enclosed letter about the Beatle's popularity and he then played the song. True? Myth? who knows. It sounds possible, but the actual story about this has changed a few times over the years.
Ray was the first in North America to play ABBA, Petula Clark, Dave Clark Five, Royal Scots version of Amazing Grace among a few others.
Apparently CFPL did play the first three singles by the Beatles that were released by Capital Canada, and the first being February 1963 . As far as I know, CFPL didn't put out a chart, but did play hit parade music in the evenings, so it is possible, but again no real proof.
The most credible would be WLS with Dick Biondi since they have it in print with the chart in March 1963. Please Please Me only charted for two weeks, wasn't a hit on WLS, and they even misspelled the group as The Beattles but it is proof that WLS did play the fab four in March 1963.
- Doug Thompson
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Re: Is This The Earliest Beatles Listing On The CHUM Chart?
Capitol U.S. via Dave Dexter continually turned down The Beatles songs from EMI, so EMI leased them to Vee Jay, and Swan who did release them. Capitol U.S. was pressured from Britain and finally released "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in late 1963. The rest is history.
In Canada, Paul White was A&R for Capitol Canada and released The Beatles singles starting from "Love Me Do". They didn't sell well, but Paul continued to release them until they finally hit it big.
I was an intern at Top 40 station CJCA Edmonton in mid 1963 (along with my friend Mike Grant) and we used to answer the phones for nightly The Battle of The New Sounds. This particular night, the DJ Lorne Thompson (no relation) pitted The Beatles "From Me To You" against Del Shannon's cover version of the same song. It was no contest. Del Shannon won it by a vast majority.
Last edited by Doug Thompson (June 11, 2023 3:18 pm)
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