Sixty years ago, on Feb. 9, 1964, The Beatles came to the United States for the first time and appeared on the CBS television program, The Ed Sullivan Show. Their performance was a watershed moment in music and pop culture history.
The visit influenced much of what was to come in rock and roll. Tom Petty later said, "Culturally, it changed everything in America, and probably the world."
Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders said "It was amazing. It was like the axis shifted."
Billy Joel has stated: "That one performance changed my life."
That Ed Sullivan show was the most watched TV broadcast in history to that point, and it rocketed The Beatles into a high orbit in American consciousness, setting the stage for the rest of the 1960s.
On Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. listen to WYEP for a recorded special about the backstory of the band's appearance, its impact, and a remembrance of The Beatles performing in Pittsburgh later in 1964.
We'll have interviews from Joe Grushecky, Jim Babjak of The Smithereens, Pittsburgh concert promoter Pat DiCesare, and several area Beatles fans who were watching that landmark performance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
