Today is the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles' first arrival on American shores and this Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. This was their dynamic debut in America and the start of what is now called the British Invasion, a wave of pop stars from across the Pond bringing their unique music to American teenagers.
Neither The Beatles nor America knew what a change to history this would make. Now fifty years later we live in a world where one Beatle, John, was assassinated in our country, another was lost to cancer, (George), all four Beatles received the MBE, one Beatle, Sir Paul, is a Knight and there is hardly anyone on Earth who has not heard a Beatles song.
Seventy-three million people were reported to have watched the first show. It is still supposed to be one of the largest viewing audiences ever in the States.
"It was very important. We came out of nowhere with funny hair, looking like marionettes or something. That was very influential. I think that was really one of the big things that broke us - the hairdo more than the music, originally. A lot of people's fathers had wanted to turn us off. They told their kids, 'Don't be fooled, they're wearing wigs.'
A lot of fathers did turn it off, but a lot of mothers and children made them keep it on. All these kids are now grown-up, and telling us they remember it. It's like, 'Where were you when Kennedy was shot?' I get people like Dan Aykroyd saying, 'Oh man, I remember that Sunday night; we didn't know what had hit us - just sitting there watching Ed Sullivan's show.' Up until then there were jugglers and comedians like Jerry Lewis, and then, suddenly, The Beatles!" ~ Paul McCartney, Anthology
On that fateful Sunday night, fifty years ago, I was glued to the television set and tuned into the Ed Sullivan Show with nearly every other kid in the United States. It one of the seminal moments in the history of television. If you're old enough, I'll bet you were also one of those 73 million.
It was the start of a fifty year love affair with The Beatles for me. I bought every single, every album The Beatles ever produced, including some obscure ones from before Ringo. I was officially a "Beatlemaniac" from that point on and I still am. I've stayed with them through their all their iterations. From their early pop phase, transition phase, psychedelic phase (their swami phase) and their back to rock and roll basics phase. I wailed at Yoko, cried at the break-up, mourned the deaths of John and George and continued to buy their music as soloists. I own the The Beatles Anthology
in DVD and book form. I have the entire Beatles collection on digital format as well.
Sunday CBS will air "The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles," at 7 p.m. and, just like the first time the Beatles stepped up on stage in America, I will be there to watch. Yes, I'm pulling out my Beatles Bobbin Head Dolls.
Check out my BEATLES INSPIRED COCKTAILS at The Martini Diva Blog
Neither The Beatles nor America knew what a change to history this would make. Now fifty years later we live in a world where one Beatle, John, was assassinated in our country, another was lost to cancer, (George), all four Beatles received the MBE, one Beatle, Sir Paul, is a Knight and there is hardly anyone on Earth who has not heard a Beatles song.
Seventy-three million people were reported to have watched the first show. It is still supposed to be one of the largest viewing audiences ever in the States.
"It was very important. We came out of nowhere with funny hair, looking like marionettes or something. That was very influential. I think that was really one of the big things that broke us - the hairdo more than the music, originally. A lot of people's fathers had wanted to turn us off. They told their kids, 'Don't be fooled, they're wearing wigs.'
A lot of fathers did turn it off, but a lot of mothers and children made them keep it on. All these kids are now grown-up, and telling us they remember it. It's like, 'Where were you when Kennedy was shot?' I get people like Dan Aykroyd saying, 'Oh man, I remember that Sunday night; we didn't know what had hit us - just sitting there watching Ed Sullivan's show.' Up until then there were jugglers and comedians like Jerry Lewis, and then, suddenly, The Beatles!" ~ Paul McCartney, Anthology
On that fateful Sunday night, fifty years ago, I was glued to the television set and tuned into the Ed Sullivan Show with nearly every other kid in the United States. It one of the seminal moments in the history of television. If you're old enough, I'll bet you were also one of those 73 million.
It was the start of a fifty year love affair with The Beatles for me. I bought every single, every album The Beatles ever produced, including some obscure ones from before Ringo. I was officially a "Beatlemaniac" from that point on and I still am. I've stayed with them through their all their iterations. From their early pop phase, transition phase, psychedelic phase (their swami phase) and their back to rock and roll basics phase. I wailed at Yoko, cried at the break-up, mourned the deaths of John and George and continued to buy their music as soloists. I own the The Beatles Anthology
in DVD and book form. I have the entire Beatles collection on digital format as well.
Sunday CBS will air "The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles," at 7 p.m. and, just like the first time the Beatles stepped up on stage in America, I will be there to watch. Yes, I'm pulling out my Beatles Bobbin Head Dolls.
Check out my BEATLES INSPIRED COCKTAILS at The Martini Diva Blog