February 9, 1964

Just as in JFK's assassination, I was a third grader in Virginia. We always watched the Ed Sullivan Show every Sunday night. That particular afternoon I had seen a promo on CBS TV saying something like "don't forget to tune in to the Ed Sullivan Show tonight for the American debut of the BEATLES!", showing a quick black and white group shot. My first thought, since I had never heard of them and the promo didn't say anything about them being a musical act, was that they were some kind of trapeze act from Germany or something. I could imagine Ed saying, "and, now, for the youngsters, a wonderful trapeze act from Europe...."

My mom, dad, and I settled into the den by the TV like any other Sunday night, and I was sitting on a round footstool kind of piece of furniture.

The Beatles came on with "All My Loving" and I was absolutely transfixed in front of the TV. This was MY music. My dad had his big band albums of Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. My mother had her Ray Charles and early R&B records (all of which I came to love and understand much better later). But THIS band was for ME.

Dad and I had heard a 45 record by Al Hirt called "Sugar Lips" on the radio several days before, and I remarked that I sort of liked it. My dad said that we would go to one of the local record stores sometime soon and that he would buy it for me.

We went to the record store the day after the Beatles debut, but I no longer had any interest whatsoever in Al Hirt. Rather begrudgingly, he bought me my first Beatles record, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" b/w/ "I Saw Her Standing There," with the black and white single cover sleeve. I was so proud of it that I held it up for a photograph that my mom took of my dad and I the following Sunday!!

From there the floodgates opened up! More Beatles records, Beatle trading cards, a plastic Beatles guitar, all four Beatles dolls, Beatles noteboook, Beatles wig. If there had been a Beatles left nostril inhaler, I would probably have bought it!

Then I found out about the Stones, and I suddenly had TWO favorite bands!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-30 03:13 by Mongoose.

great story mongoose, thanks for sharing!

<<a round footstool kind of piece of furniture>>

Do you, by any chance, have a photo of that "kind of piece of furniture"? It might help bring us there, from a historical perspective.

My grandparents also watched that show (I was born in 1966). They thought they had some nice tunes, but they thought that She Loves You was a bit silly, what with the "saw her yesterday-ee-ay" thing.

It's always more interesting to hear about the impressions of the elders from the time, to see how good the music really was, based on the impression they were making with people not necessarily swept up in the "mop-top" hysteria of the phenomenon that was the "Fab 4".

Did Neil Aspinall replace George Harrison (who was ill at the time) during The Ed Sullivan Show rehearsals in New York?

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steffiestones
Did Neil Aspinall replace George Harrison (who was ill at the time) during The Ed Sullivan Show rehearsals in New York?

Yes- only for camera blocking- he didn't actually play.

I was nine. My grandparents took me to an Italian restaurant and I loved spaghetti. I don't remember there being any pre-hype about that particular Sullivan show, but we always watched it on Sunday night. I know that by the 2nd appearance, the next week, my mother and I had to watch the other TV in another room because they weren't interested in seeing the Beatles again. It all moved very quickly and I remember the 4th grade girls in my class walking down the street together singing Beatles songs. And of course the trading cards with the lousy gum. Everything was black and white. In only six months there was a movie and it was all crazy. There is nothing, and most likely won't be, something like it ever again. Even the Stones simply didn't have the personality to translate back and forth between records and film comedy. And Michael Jackson couldn't either.

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24FPS
I was nine. My grandparents took me to an Italian restaurant and I loved spaghetti. I don't remember there being any pre-hype about that particular Sullivan show, but we always watched it on Sunday night. I know that by the 2nd appearance, the next week, my mother and I had to watch the other TV in another room because they weren't interested in seeing the Beatles again. It all moved very quickly and I remember the 4th grade girls in my class walking down the street together singing Beatles songs. And of course the trading cards with the lousy gum. Everything was black and white. In only six months there was a movie and it was all crazy. There is nothing, and most likely won't be, something like it ever again. Even the Stones simply didn't have the personality to translate back and forth between records and film comedy. And Michael Jackson couldn't either.

I agree. Everything was in lined up just perfectly for them, and for the resulting explosion right after those first few notes.

By the way, we went to Las Vegas last summer and saw the Beatles LOVE show. If you are a Beatles fan, and have any kind of way to get there and see it, by all means, do so. Just a wonderful show.

tumbs up for Mongoose.........great story...thanks......

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