THE BEATLES PERFORM ON THE ED SULLIVAN TV SHOW
New York City (JFK+50) On February 9, 1964, the British rock band, "The Beatles*," made their first appearance on American television performing five of their hit songs on CBS's "The Ed Sullivan Show"**.
The Manhattan studio audience of 728 was composed primarily of 'out of control' screaming teenage girls. 73 million viewers watched the Beatles' performance on television including Kay Elliott of Knoxville, Tennessee who said...
"I remember how long their hair was and how exotic I thought they looked."
Jack Stiles of Knoxville's Raven Records & Rarities said...
"It was the most defining pop-culture moment in our lifetime."
*The Beatles, English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The 'Fab Four' included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison & Ringo Starr. The B's are regarded as the most influential band of all time.
**The Ed Sullivan Show was televised by CBS on Sunday nights 8-9 pm Eastern time from June 20, 1948 to March 28, 1971. ES, a NY newspaper man, introduced acts which included musicians, singers, comedians, circus performers & more.
ESS ran 24 seasons with 1,068 episodes & was telecast in color beginning in 1965. In addition to the Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Supremes, The Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, & The Rolling Stones made appearances on the show.
SOURCE
"It was 50 years ago today: With Beatles' American debut, East Tennessean's world changed," by Mike Blackerby, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, February 9, 2014.
