The Great British Songbook Of The Sixties

Monday 28 December 2009, 1400-1700

You can listen to this show for seven days, and get details of the music played, by visiting the episode page for this programme after broadcast

Join legendary DJ Tony Blackburn and Sixties' Pop Princess Cilla Black as they take a look back at the Great British Songbook of the Sixties.

Tony and Cilla will play the best British songs from the decade include hits from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard and Dusty Springfield. They'll also be joined by some very special guests who will share their memories of the Sixties.

The swinging Sixties saw British music make its mark on the world. Centre-stage was four lads from Liverpool who, from releasing their debut single in 1962, would go on to become Britain's most successful band ever.

The Beatles dominated the charts and their popularity spread far beyond these shores. At the heart of their success was, of course, the songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The Beatles became the first British band to make it in America, marking the start of 'The British Invasion' of the US. By 1966, the group had played more than 1,400 gigs, toured the world four times and sold the equivalent of 200 million records.

Rivalling their popularity were other British Rock n Roll bands including the Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Dave Clark Five and The Kinks. Homegrown pop stars such as Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield, Cliff Richard and Lulu were also hugely successful. Since then, British music has never looked back.

Please note we've now finished taking suggestions for songs to be used in this programme. Thank you to everyone who got in touch, we had a great response.

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