On this day in 1963, the Rolling Stones began their first tour of the UK

After a busy year in which the band began performing seriously at pubs and clubs in and around London, it was decided that the band needed to venture further out.  In mid-July the band headed 250 miles north to perform in Middlesborough, their  first gig away from their established base. The success of this performance led the band to decide to embark on their first tour.

The tour was a “package tour” featuring headline performances from the Everly Brothers and Bo Diddley and compered by British comedian Bob Bain. Later in the tour, the Everly Brothers were replaced by Little Richard.  Other acts included Mickie Most,The Flintstones and Julie Grant. At  the time, the tour was seen as a big opportunity for the newcomers to perform with some bigger crowds.

The Stones set in the packed line-up lasted barely 10 minutes, fitting around 4 songs. They chose “Poison Ivy”, “Fortune Teller”, “Money” and “Come On”. Later in the tour the songs “Roll Over  Beethoven”, “Route 66” and “Memphis Tennessee” were substituted at some shows, while “Come On” was dropped as the band did not particularly like the song.

The tour continued into early November and was considered a success, drawing significant crowds to be introduced to the music of the Rolling Stones.