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February 10, 2020 8:50 pm  #1


The Day That Changed Music Forever

Don't know if we talked about this, but it was 56 years ago yesterday that the Beatles had their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Over 74 million watched the Fab Four on CBS in the US. CBC ran the Sullivan show here in Canada. No simulcasts back then. 

Those of us in Southern Ontario were a few months ahead of the US since CHUM  had already been playing the Beatles for a few months. But it was Ed that made the Beatles stars.

TRIVIA- What station was the first to play the Beatles in North America? And if you are really on the money, who was the announcer to introduce them?
https://time.com/5845/the-beatles-invasion-50-years-ago-sunday-feb-9-1964/

Last edited by paterson1 (February 10, 2020 9:15 pm)

 

February 10, 2020 10:25 pm  #2


Re: The Day That Changed Music Forever

Surprised it's taken this long.

It was Ray Sonin at CFRB who played the first beatles record in 1962.

On another trivia note, who let The Beatles slip through their fingers when they were offered to have the fab 4 play a gig the day after their Sullivan debut?
 

Last edited by Peter the K (February 10, 2020 10:27 pm)

 

February 10, 2020 10:52 pm  #3


Re: The Day That Changed Music Forever

Peter the K wrote:

Surprised it's taken this long.

It was Ray Sonin at CFRB who played the first beatles record in 1962.

On another trivia note, who let The Beatles slip through their fingers when they were offered to have the fab 4 play a gig the day after their Sullivan debut?
 

This should have been in my book, "Close, But No Cigar."

https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/buffalo/the-beatles-buffalo-concert-that-never-was/71-272948371


"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
 

February 10, 2020 11:42 pm  #4


Re: The Day That Changed Music Forever

Peter the K wrote:

Surprised it's taken this long.

It was Ray Sonin at CFRB who played the first beatles record in 1962.

On another trivia note, who let The Beatles slip through their fingers when they were offered to have the fab 4 play a gig the day after their Sullivan debut?
 

Absolutely right Peter, Ray Sonin on CFRB's popular "Calling All Britons" did feature the Beatles in 1962, long before the top 40 stations in North America. Also in parts of Canada the first Beatles song to chart was not She Love's You but rather Please Please Me which pre dated the Sullivan appearance.

Who could have had the Beatles the next day? Just guessing but I am going to say Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show? Just figured this since Carson's show was still in NYC in 1964.

Another Trivia- The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9th 1964 however was not the first appearance of the Beatles on US TV. What program actually had them on prior to Sullivan?

 

     Thread Starter
 

February 11, 2020 12:20 am  #5


Re: The Day That Changed Music Forever

I believe Jack Parr had a film clip of a Beatles concert in England on his show mid 1963. NBC and CBS both did stories on the Fab Four on their nightly newscast in Nov/Dec 1963.

 

February 11, 2020 12:44 am  #6


Re: The Day That Changed Music Forever

As Ed McMahon would say.."You are correct sir.."  Looks like Jack Parr was the first and yes both NBC and CBS did have a feature on the lads in their news cast. Walter Cronkite was very proud of the fact that the CBS Evening News actually premiered the band on the network in December 1963 prior to Ed Sullivan.  And the NBC news report played just five days before the assassination of JFK.

     Thread Starter
 

February 11, 2020 9:18 am  #7


Re: The Day That Changed Music Forever

I did a bit more research on this. The first story on the Beatles was aired on the Huntley-Brinkley Report Nov. 18,1963. The Cronkite report was five days later. While Jack Parr filmed the band while vacationing in England earlier than the two news reports, the clip did not air until the Jan 3rd, 1964 edition of the Tonight Show. Jack must have been filling in for Johnny that night, a Friday.