The war in Vietnam, America's fledgling space program, and frequent civil rights marches dominated the news headlines in 1966.
Happy Holidays for Hendrix
A lot was happening for Jimi Hendrix during the 1966 holiday season. He made his TV debut on Britain's ITV network, on a show called Ready Steady Go. On the same day (December 13) the Jimi Hendrix Experience went in the studio to record "Foxy Lady" barely two months after the group had played together for the first time. Three days later, the group's first single, "Hey Joe" was released. On December 26, Hendrix wrote the lyrics to "Purple Haze" in his dressing room between performances at London's Uppercrust Club.
Fateful Meeting
John Lennon had somewhat varied personal and professional experiences during the 1966 holiday season. In November, he met Yoko Ono for the first time, at her art exhibit at London's Indica Gallery. On the day after Christmas, he portrayed a men's room attendant on Dudley Moore's show, Not only, But also on BBC TV. A few weeks before, Lennon had made his first feature film appearance without the rest of the Beatles, in How I Won the War.
New Beginnings
Carlos Santana graduated from high school in 1966, worked as a dishwasher, and formed the Santana Blues Band (the name was later shortened to Santana.) The band spent weekends during the holidays playing clubs in San Francisco and Sausalito, California.
In late 1966 The Kinks were performing in small villages near Devon, England. The experience inspired the song "Village Green" which they recorded in November. The song, in turn, inspired the album released two years later, also during the holiday season, The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society.
The Name's the Thing
Colorfully titled tunes like "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. Jones" (Manfred Mann) and "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies" (The Association) were on Manchester, New Hampshire's WFEA Official Superhit Survey for the week of December 4, 1966.
1966 Holiday Season Album Releases:
Rolling Stones - Got LIVE If You Want It and Big Hits
Simon & Garfunkel - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
