In 1965, these headlines were in the news…
The march from Selma to Montgomery; Malcolm X was assassinated; the Voting Rights Act of 1965; In Cold Blood killers Richard Hickock and Perry Smith were executed; 3,500 United States Marines arrived in South Vietnam, becoming the first American combat troops in Vietnam (by the end of the year, U.S. troop deployment increased to nearly 200,000); the U.S. began a 3½-year aerial bombardment campaign against North Vietnam; draft protests in Berkeley, CA, Washington, DC (and dozens of other locations); the Watts Riots in Los Angeles; LBJ announced the “Great Society: Pope Paul VI became the first Pope to visit the U.S.; astronaut Ed White made the first U.S. space walk; the Gateway Arch was completed in St. Louis; the Houston Astrodome opened; the Northeast Blackout; the Pillsbury Doughboy debuted; the Super Ball went on sale.

Sir Winston Churchill, Edward R. Murrow, Stan Laurel, Alan Freed, Nat King Cole, and the real life Moonlight Graham died.

Doctor Zhivago, The Sound of Music, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Cat Ballou, In Harm’s Way, The Agony and The Ecstasy and Thunderball all premiered in theaters; Man of La Mancha premiered in New York City; A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered on CBS; Hullabaloo and Days of Our Lives premiered on NBC.

The average cost of new house was $13,600; the average income was $6,450; the average cost of a new car was $2,650; gasoline cost 31 cents a gallon; the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the year at 969.

And in music?
Bob Dylan went “electric” at Newport; the Beatles played at Shea Stadium; Arlo Guthrie was arrested for littering in the town of Stockbridge, MA; the Grateful Dead made their concert debut; it was the year of blockbuster albums such as Rubber Soul, Highway 61 Revisited, Out Of Our Heads, Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!), and Mr. Tambourine Man.

One more thing … There were 27 songs that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and throughout this week, we will be playing every single one of them (and several more that just missed making it to the top).
So yes, it’s going to be a great week of rock and roll memories, but today we start the week the same way we start every week; with a selection of timeless songs from the spotlight year that were definitely on the softer side because every Sunday is Mellow Sunday.

Play button is on the left … Volume slider is on the right

1965 Vintage Medley / Part 1

Donovan – Gerry & The Pacemakers
Righteous Brothers – Elvis Presley
Lovin’ Spoonful – Roger Miller