On this day in 1963, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones meet for the first time

Having recently relocated to London, The Beatles were commonly visiting clubs in the area, where the Rolling Stones were up and coming performers. So on the 14th April The Beatles hard about a Stones gig through word of mouth and decided to attend.

The Stones were performing in Richmond at the Crawdaddy Club at the Station Hotel. Ringo Starr later recalled “standing in some sweaty room and watching them on stage, Keith and Brian – wow!  I knew then the Stones were great. They just had presence.” The other Beatles were all equally impressed with the performance. Shortly after, George Harrison personally recommended that Decca Records sign a deal with the Stones.

The two bands, which the media played off as rivals, were actually close friends, often communicating with each other and even trading musical ideas. John Lennon and Paul McCartney actually wrote the Stone’s second single, “I Wanna Be Your Man” and several years later Mick Jagger and Brian Jones appeared on “Yellow Submarine”. It has also been said that the bands even coordinated their release schedules so as to not both release hits at the same time and divide fanbases.