Many of us in the United States are celebrating The Beatles today. It was 50 years ago that the Fab Four made their debut on the popular "The Ed Sullivan Show."
We didn't have cable or satellite TV in those dark black-and-white ages. It was the NBC, CBS, and ABC networks that ruled the airwaves.
On on that magical evening on Feb. 9, 1964, John, Paul, George, and Ringo were in the spotlight, and Beatlemania was in full bloom.
I was at church with my family that eventful evening in Campbellsville, Ky. The one-hour service ended at 8; that's when the "The Ed Sullivan Show" was broadcast.
We hurried home to see the program. I think my Mom and Dad were curious to see the Beatles on TV as well. And then came Ed Sullivan's distinctive introduction, "Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles!"
It was earsplitting listening and watching the reaction to the group as they performed, especially the young girls screaming and shrieking. Ed Sullivan even seemed to be shaken up by the noise from the audience.
The atmosphere was simply electric, even for a country boy watching the show in Kentucky.
I've been a fan of the Beatles for more than 50 years, first hearing the group's music on WLS in Chicago and WABC in New York. I suppose I own most, if not all, of their music.
It's not that often when folks recall where they were when cultural happenings in their lives. That's usually reserved for events such as the attack on Pearl Harbor, JFK's assassination, the Apollo 11's lunar landing or the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Needless to say, the Beatles changed the course of music and influenced countless musicians and non-musicians like me. And it marked the first wave of the British Invasion that led to other acts such as The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, and The Dave Clark 5.
Remember this song -- "We Love You Beatles" from many years ago?
"We love you Beatles
Oh, yes, we do
We love you, Beatles,
And we'll be true
"When you're not near to us
We're blue
Oh, Beatles, we love you
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)"
After a half century, we still love the Beatles. It seems like only yesterday.
We didn't have cable or satellite TV in those dark black-and-white ages. It was the NBC, CBS, and ABC networks that ruled the airwaves.On on that magical evening on Feb. 9, 1964, John, Paul, George, and Ringo were in the spotlight, and Beatlemania was in full bloom.
I was at church with my family that eventful evening in Campbellsville, Ky. The one-hour service ended at 8; that's when the "The Ed Sullivan Show" was broadcast.
We hurried home to see the program. I think my Mom and Dad were curious to see the Beatles on TV as well. And then came Ed Sullivan's distinctive introduction, "Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles!"
It was earsplitting listening and watching the reaction to the group as they performed, especially the young girls screaming and shrieking. Ed Sullivan even seemed to be shaken up by the noise from the audience.
The atmosphere was simply electric, even for a country boy watching the show in Kentucky.
I've been a fan of the Beatles for more than 50 years, first hearing the group's music on WLS in Chicago and WABC in New York. I suppose I own most, if not all, of their music.
It's not that often when folks recall where they were when cultural happenings in their lives. That's usually reserved for events such as the attack on Pearl Harbor, JFK's assassination, the Apollo 11's lunar landing or the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Needless to say, the Beatles changed the course of music and influenced countless musicians and non-musicians like me. And it marked the first wave of the British Invasion that led to other acts such as The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, and The Dave Clark 5.
Remember this song -- "We Love You Beatles" from many years ago?
"We love you Beatles
Oh, yes, we do
We love you, Beatles,
And we'll be true
"When you're not near to us
We're blue
Oh, Beatles, we love you
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)"
After a half century, we still love the Beatles. It seems like only yesterday.
Until the next time...
