1 of 1- RadioActive
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It Was 60 Years Ago Today…
Long before Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play.
It was Feb. 7, 1964, the night the Beatles landed in New York City, en route to their first appearance two days later on the Ed Sullivan Show. The Fab Four were certainly not expecting the incredible welcome they received in the Big Apple, as local radio stations whipped up the publicity and hundreds of screaming teenagers rushing to the airport to greet them with loud screams.
The Top 40 stations were ready, with WMCA all over it, Murray The "K" on WINS dubbing himself "The Fifth Beatle," and 77 officially becoming WA-Beatle-C.
The story goes that Sullivan was in England when he saw the commotion the group was causing at the airport and decided to investigate further. But the linked article insists that’s a myth.
“That wasn’t the case, according to Sullivan’s granddaughter, Margo Precht Speciale, who says a London-based talent scout, Peter Prichard, put the Beatles on her grandfather’s radar.
“[Brian] Epstein had contacted Prichard about getting the Beatles on the “Sullivan Show.” Prichard pitched the band to Sullivan, and shortly thereafter, Epstein met with Sullivan and his son-in-law, show producer Robert H. Precht, at New York’s Delmonico Hotel…
“My grandfather was always trying to get the biggest scoop,” Precht Speciale told The News. “He was a reporter [at the Daily News] for many, many years, and he worked on that show like he was a reporter. He always wanted to get the big scoop. The Beatles, at the time, were that.”
The Beatles’ first NYC trip still resonates 60 years after Fab 4 landed at JFK
You'll notice in the TV Guide listing below that among those also on that famous show was the cast of "Oliver." One of those "youngsters" referred to was a kid who saw the Beatles craziness and dreamed of one day generating the same reaction. And two years later, he did. His name was Davy Jones and he would soon become a member of the Monkees. 
- mace
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Re: It Was 60 Years Ago Today…
I am guessing that TV Guide is from Dallas. Ed Sullivan is listed at 7pm. KRLD Ch 4 [now KDFW] was a CBS affilliate back then. KTVT Ch 11 was an indepedent station in 1964.
- Shorty Wave
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Re: It Was 60 Years Ago Today…
Enjoyed this Beatles posting RA, especially the Davy Jones tidbit, did not know that! Thanks for sharing.
- Walter
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Re: It Was 60 Years Ago Today…
The single most important socio-cultural event of the 20th century. The effects are still being felt today.
- radiodazewarrior
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Re: It Was 60 Years Ago Today…
Yes, the Beatles performed on the night before my birthday (what a gift) in '64. The next day the kids were all talking about the Sullivan show at school. Later on, I actually saw "David" Jones at the Shubert Theatre in NYC performing as the "Artful Dodger" in Oliver. I have the show's program in my treasure trove of artifacts but it's too large to post. Stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel where I developed my love of NY Cheesecake, the best. The passion for Radio days with its music and "personalities" came not long after.
Last edited by radiodazewarrior (February 7, 2024 12:44 pm)
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Re: It Was 60 Years Ago Today…
RadioActive wrote:
Among those also on that famous show was the cast of "Oliver." One of those "youngsters" referred to was a kid who saw the Beatles craziness and dreamed of one day generating the same reaction. And two years later, he did. His name was Davy Jones and he would soon become a member of the Monkees.
Enjoyed this Beatles posting RA, especially the Davy Jones tidbit, did not know that! Thanks for sharing.
Just found this on YouTube.
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Thread Starter- RadioActive
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Re: It Was 60 Years Ago Today…
I love this kind of stunting. WECK in Buffalo, which you can listen to online, is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan by airing all of the group's songs performed on the show from Feb. 9, 1964. It airs at 8 PM Friday night.
But it doesn't end there. They're also double playing the audio of the Fab Four's first concert in Washington, D.C. starting at 10 o'clock on Sunday morning, with a repeat at 8 PM that same night.
Among those providing memories for the show: former WYSL morning man Harv Moore, who was on that stage that night so long ago.
The rest of the time is devoted to a British Invasion Weekend, featuring all of the great U.K. 60s bands like the Dave Clark Five, The Animals, The Rolling Stones and more.
You can hear WECK live here.
By the way, I haven't visited the website in a while. It appears they have a second online live feed, featuring some deeper oldies cuts. It's called Big WECK-2 and it's described as "the home for those “cooler” oldies, B-Sides, One Hit Wonders, concert replays after Big WECK 2 Concert Events, and those songs we call “oh wow “ oldies!, those tunes you hear and say, “oh wow!” I haven’t heard that song in years!”
You can listen to it here.
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Thread Starter- dieter
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Re: It Was 60 Years Ago Today…
I seem to remember seeing a show about a Beatles appearance which included a segment on the acts which had to follow the Fab Four. On the video, you can hear the audience still buzzing and even screaming a bit during one of those performances. A Google search says magician Fred Kaps followed the Beatles' first song, while an acrobatic group called Welles and the Four Fays followed them later. It's likely the latter I'm talking about. Ed apparently felt so bad for them, he booked them once or twice more.
Last edited by dieter (February 9, 2024 8:41 pm)