Audio: 'When the Beatles met the Rolling Stones'

(Sunday, April 14, 1963) — The Beatles had a rare night off so, after their third appearance on the ITV show Thank Your Lucky Stars, they drove tonight to Richmond, a town in southwest London, to see a new group, The Rolling Stones, perform.

The Stones (vocalist Mick Jagger, multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones, guitarist Keith Richards, bassist Bill Wyman, and drummer Charlie Watts) were performing at the Crawdaddy Club, situated at the Station Hotel pub, 1 Kew Road, Richmond, where they were the house band. The venue later changed its name to The Bull.

After the gig was over, The Beatles went back to Mick Jagger’s flat in Chelsea.

This was the first time The Beatles had seen The Stones, the group who would become friends and occasional chart rivals throughout the 1960s.