Rock and Roll in the 1960s how it all began with the British Invasion Beatles on Ed Sullivan 1964

Rock and Roll in the 1960s how it all began with the British Invasion and the Beatles on Ed Sullivan 1964. The audio is out of sync sorry for that. On February 9, 1964 I was glued to the TV set waiting for the appearance of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. Our Brown University college friend David Burnham was on hand for the event. Dave was very hip to music in fact he turned me on to Mose Allison, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, and a host of other great artists. We were all gathered around the black and white TV set. Ed Sullivan introduced the band and the girls went nuts. The Beatles had set their levels at the sound check and felt confident everything was cool. What they didn’t know is that the cleaning lady had come in and erased the levels thinking she was doing someone a favor. Anyone who has played for a screaming crowd knows that first song is a juggling act. On TV you have to be a lot softer than your normal live volume. When everyone is screaming the drummer usually plays a little harder. Then the bass player turns up just a notch to keep up. By this time the guitar player launches into a solo. The cymbals are so loud you stomp on a petal to boost the volume and thus it goes. If you are an experienced act none of this is a problem because you are accustomed to playing at a reasonable volume. So here are the Beatles on their first national TV appearance in the US and basically there was no sound check. It didn’t matter the television audience was floored by the performance. The Beatles sang four songs on that appearance: All My Loving, Till There was you, She Loves You, and I Want to Hold Your Hand. During Till There Was You, captions of the first names of each band member were flashed on the screen and under John Lennon's, it added the words "Sorry girls, he's married." I didn’t care about that I was in love with this band. They captured the essence of everything I had been looking for in a band. They set pop culture on a new course. A week later they were back, this time performing from Miami Beach. They played She Loves You, This Boy, All My Loving, I Saw Her Standing There and I Want to Hold Your Hand. On Feb. 23, 1964, the Beatles appeared via tape and performed Twist and Shout, Please Please Me and I Want to Hold Your Hand. Beatle Mania was off and running. They were now the biggest pop group in America and probably the world.

This was a new era when bands wrote their own songs instead of relying on the Tin Pan Alley writers who had dominated the charts for years. Most of the action took place in the Brill Building which by 1962 contained 165 music businesses. A musician could find a publisher and printer, cut a demo, promote the record and cut a deal with radio promoters, all within this one building. The creative culture of the independent music companies in the Brill Building and nearby 1650 Broadway came to define the influential "Brill Building Sound" and the style of popular songwriting and recording was created by its writers and producers. The list of writers is voluminous, including Carole King, Burt Bacharach, Neil Sedaka, and Neil Diamond, who recorded and had hits with their own music. Look out establishment. Nothing lasts forever. The British Invasion lead by the Animals, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, Yardbirds, Zombies, and a host of other groups were coming from across the big pond. There were the one and two hit wonders like the Dave Clark 5, Freddy and the Dreamers, and Wayne Fontana with the Mindbenders that we pulled a song or two from when I got my first group together. Meeting Jimi Hendrix, Mose Allison, Muddy Waters, in NY and seeing the Worlds Fair was great. Bob Dylan said the times they are a changing. The Ed Sullivan show gave a forum for new Rock and Roll artists in the 1960s.

Gas was now up to 30 cents a gallon, a loaf of bread cost 21 cents, stamps were a nickel, and Albert DeSalvo the Boston Strangler had been captured. The Supremes and Bob Dylan were gaining popularity. James Hoffa, the teamster boss sentenced to 8 years in prison for bribery. Cassius Clay becomes the World Heavyweight Champion.

Pull up a chair and learn about Rock and Roll in the 1960s how it all began with the British Invasion February 9, 1964

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