26
JAN/FEB 2014
room that night, Sullivan immediately proceeded to book the band
for his show.
50 Years Ago...
Beatles Appear on Ed
Sullivan Show
English band sparks musical revolution
by Jamie Lober, Staff Writer
Feb. 9, 1964 turned out to be a
historic day. More than 73 million people across the country
were glued to their TV sets that
evening. They had been waiting
all week for this moment. It was a
phenomenon that had to be seen
to be believed.
The Beatles – John Lennon, Ringo
Starr, George Harrison and Paul
McCartney –were going to be on
the popular music-variety program, The Ed Sullivan Show.
During the time leading up to
their performance, the Beatles,
hailing from England, had a few
records that hit No. 1 on the U.S.
music charts, and radios across the
country were blaring their tunes.
Suddenly everyone had a case of
“Beatlemania.” The excitement for
and interest in the Beatles’ appearance had not been seen since Elvis
Presley went on the same show in
1956.
Dressed in suits and sporting mop
top haircuts, the Beatles played
“All My Loving,” “Till There Was
You” and “She Loves You.” After
a break, they encored with “I Saw
Her Standing There” and “I Want
to Hold Your Hand.” But they
could hardly be heard over the
screams from the live audience. It
was reported that 45.3 percent of
all households in the United States
watched the show. The program
helped raise awareness of the
group and fostered a rabid hunger
for their music. A week later,
the Beatles were on the cover of
Newsweek magazine They would
subsequently appear on The Ed
Sullivan Show three more times.
The Beatles’ arrival was game
changing for the music industry. They paved the way for
other bands, including the Rolling
Stones and The Animals. Their
revolution still impacts musical
culture to this day.
How did Sullivan get the group
on his show? He and his wife were
at Heathrow Airport in London
when they noticed throngs of
youth standing in the rain. When
they asked the young people why
they were so patiently waiting
in grey weather conditions, they
learned the Beatles were returning home from a tour in Sweden.
When he got back to his hotel
Living here has its advantages.
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Liz and Lowell Pennington
Residents of The Willows at Hamburg
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