Feb. 07 – 10 "The BIG Beatles Weekend" - On February 7, 1964, the Beatles “jumped the pond” on Pan Am Flight 101 and landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Accompanied by their manager, Brian Epstein, and a small entourage that included producer Phil Spector and his group the Ronettes, The Beatles had come to America for an appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," followed by a handful of concert dates.
Two-days later on Feb. 09, 1964 the 728 seat CBS Studio 50 auditorium in Manhattan was filled to capacity with adults and teens alike when Sullivan took the stage to announce, “Ladies and Gentlemen..The Beatles!” It was televison history in the making and remains one of the highest rated non-sports programs of all-time with over 70 million TV sets tuned in.
From New York the lads traveled by train to Washington, DC and on the evening of Tuesday Feb. 11 gave their first North American performance at the 8092-seat Coliseum.
Over the course of their 14 day trip it was official…Beatlemania had reached America and taken it by storm.
The HOP 178 pays homage to those first 14 days in America in a grand four-day weekend beginning Thursday Feb. 07..it’s The BIG Beatles Weekend featuring all the best of The Fab Four including a few surprises along the way.
I’m very fortunate to have been behind a microphone for such a long time and to have experienced so much over the years. A little over a year after I got into the radio business, drastic changes took place in music courtesy of Bill Haley and His Comets. Then came the phenomenon known as Elvis Presley and Rhythm and Blues artists being played on radio stations that heretofore had aired only music by Perry Como, Patti Page, Johnnie Ray and other non-rock and rollers. Although those changes took me by surprise, they were nothing compared to what I would personally experience in 1964, something called “Beatlemania.” Frequently in 1963, I heard about this British group that was creating a great deal of excitement over there. I didn’t pay much attention to it figuring that what happened over there probably wouldn’t happen over here. Plus, many of us behind the microphones accustomed to record business hype figured it probably was just that. Oh, how wrong we were.
1964 arrived and we watched on television as these four lads called the Beatles emerged from their plane at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. Hundreds of screaming teenagers were there to welcome them. A couple of days later, a representative of Capitol Records called and invited me to their concert on February 11th at the Washington Coliseum. When that night arrived, I realized that I was the only Baltimore radio personality invited to this DC event. When show-time came, the opening acts got very little attention from the capacity crowd, they wanted the Beatles. When they finally were introduced, it was sheer pandemonium. The Beatles performance lasted only 30 minutes and very little music could be heard over the screaming teens. It was unbelievable but would it last. The next few months answered that question.
The Beatles short visit to the states was so successful that a return visit with more concerts was set for late August. They were booked to appear at the Baltimore Civic Center on Sunday, September 13th and my station (WCAO) was chosen to host the event. The first show sold out so quickly that an evening performance was added. Jackie DeShannon (a Beatles favorite) opened the shows but nobody heard her. At the Baltimore concerts, like the DC event, nobody in attendance wanted to hear an opening act, they wanted the Fab Four. For security reason, the Beatles were not allowed to leave the venue between shows and catered food was brought in. It was during this time that I actually got to share a sandwich with George Harrison and he allowed me to record an interview for my program the next day. That night, the Beatles rested at the Holiday Inn located about a block from the Civic Center. My very smart marketing manager at WCAO contacted the hotel and arranged to purchase the sheets from the Beatles’ rooms. Once we got them, they were cut into one-inch size swatches and sold for a dollar a piece with all the proceeds going to local charities. Frequently, people will ask me “What was it like to be on stage with the Beatles?” My only response has been that it was an experience I’ll never forget.
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