On this date in 1964, over 73 million people watched The Beatles storm the Ed Sullivan Show stage, officially launching the British Invasion! But 1964 was an iconic music year for other reasons too: The Supremes, The Beach Boys, Barbara Streisand, theTemptations, and even the Mary Poppins movie soundtrack were all soaring. The Drifters’ classic “Under the Boardwalk” was released, as was Sam Cooke’s masterpiece “A Change Is Gonna Come.” And the day after the Ed Sullivan show, Bob Dylan’s first album of all-original songs The Times They Are A-Changin’ came out, influencing The Beatles themselves to begin recording all originals.
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What a brilliant era of creativity and talent. I could hear songs skipping soundtracks as I scrolled through your pictures, something which wasn’t available to us not so long ago and we had to listen to a song all the way through. It didn’t occur to us to want to speed it up or skip it anyway.
Very true, Kate.
What an era! I saw the Rolling Stones at the Epsom Baths Hall in Surrey before they made it…and have followed them ever since.
Wow, what a cool memory to have, Helen!
Our headmistress had banned us from going on the grounds that the performance would be immoral….we wondered how she knew!
They just blew us away!
Sam Cooke’s, A Change is Gonna Come remains hauntingly beautiful. What a voice!
Yes! I still can’t listen to it without getting choked up.
Yes, simply beautiful.
1964 was a memorable year for our family as we emigrated, but on the music front my highlight was being allowed to go to the cinema with my friend and her big sisters to see A Hard Day’s Night. As it was a continuous showing we sat through it twice! I still think it’s a film that’s stood the test of time and contains some of their best songs.
I agree. I resisted liking The Beatles at first, but when I heard that first chord of “A Hard Day’s Night” I was hooked–enough even to sit through the movie surrounded by screaming girls!
The soundtrack of my life. What an amazing time to be a teenager/young adult!
For some reason this showed up as Anonymous.
But it’s actually from…?
The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, I have watched that video a few times, and it was something special. The crowd went crazy.
Wow, Mitch. Just… wow. We had all the great music. Myy kids and my grandsons still love all that music. A little sobering, though, to think of all the great musicians we’ve lost since then, some gone far too soon.
Too true, Steve.
The 60s had great music!
I remember that Ed Sullivan show…my mother, who would have been 50 at the time, loved the Beatles because their haircuts reminded her of her younger brothers whom she had helped raise as their mother had died at a young age. I had a junior high friend who just “knew” Paul McCartney would come sweep her off her feet some day.
;>)
The year my parents were married! And what great soundtracks. Mitch, my 29 year old son was a Sam Cooke fan beginning age 8. It was so fun to hear him sing his songs. Love all of this! Thank you!
My pleasure, Karla. Sam’s appeal really is timeless.
💛🎶
I can’t imagine seeing that live…how that must have felt.
Yes!
Surely few could have predicted the Beatles would still be household names and their most popular songs still known 60 years later. One of my friends went to their first concert in Chicago, 1964. The ticket was astronomically expensive–$10.00!! She may have had a seat–which she probably didn’t sit in–close to the front. I wonder if she saved any memorabilia?!
Let’s hope so!
A nice trip down memory lane, Mitch.
I watched their Ed Sullivan performance in awe. The next day, I started growing my hair out, no haircut until I resembled George Harrison. I had been playing guitar for over a year by then, so I began learning some of their music. There was a run on the local music stores; guitars, amps and PA systems sold out, and it seemed there was a band practicing in a garage on every block. Of course, the Beatles had no idea what they had started in America. I was one of their merry converts.
;>)
Yeah yeah yeah..love the Hoffner bass, don’t see those anymore
True. They still make them, but you rarely see one this side of the Atlantic.
I was in fourth grade when I watched the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan show. My cousin Kathy was babysitting my sisters and I, and put on quite a show for us, pulling her hair and screaming. I still tease her about it.
From supercalifragging to yeahyeahyeahing what great time of music!🎶
I was never in my life into the popular music scene, but I imagine I did see that Ed Sullivan show introducing the Beetles because we watched it every Saturday night. I worked with a cousin of one of The Monkeys (can’t remember his first name, but his last name was Jones), but that’s the closest I ever got to “familiarity” with any of them. I was into classical music even in my teens. I guess I was the oddball of the class! I did have a classmate with my tastes, so she and I stuck together in our musical tastes. 🙂
Two peas in a classical pod.
🙂
And all these years on I still love all the older Beatles songs. 🎼🎵🎶
I saw the Beatles at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in August of 1966. Of course, I didn’t stay in my $4.00 seat. I moved up front and then when there was a rush to the stage, I joined in tripping over the barrier fence and skinning my knee. The Beatles ran into the trailer behind the stage. Awesome memories.
I was 4 years old and I remember one of their songs coming on the car radio and my dad saying, “Turn that junk off!” lol. Lot of good stuff in 1964.
Sorry. That was me but I wasn’t logged in.
Kids these days just don’t have great music like we had!
I saw this great sign the other day … “I may be old, but I saw all the great bands”
Great memories! I was so young then….🌹
I enjoyed reading the comments almost as much as your post, Mitch. Soaking up the memories in those beautiful album covers and 45 pics. Love it all. And I’d forgotten about the Dean Martin album — that cover art greeted me like an old friend. One of my dad’s faves and I’d forgotten all about it.
Xo! 🥰
My son recently discovered the song Yellow Submarine and it’s amusing watching him hum and sing it by and to himself.
Awww.
I arrived into this world in 1957. It was frustrating I missed the 1950s and all that fun in high school. I was a child growing up in the 1960s and missed the Hippie Generation. So when I was a teen in the 1970s I gave myself a real rock and roll education to catch up on all that had passed me by.
That’s the year I was born. Thanks for the reminder that I’m going to be 60 years old soon.
Sorry about that, Kara. ;>)
Yes, yes, yes! Did you know I introduce my preschoolers to the Beatles ? I play my Meet the Beatles album on my old record player. They love it, and them!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Jennie!
😀😀😀
Getting older isn’t necessarily those “Golden Years’ you hear people referring to but we DID experience some pretty incredible music & musicians. So what if we’re a little hearing impaired from listening to it at 7,000,000 decibels, sometimes sitting close up & personal between 2 monster speakers??? Sometimes sacrifices are worth it
Sorry, what did you say? ;>)
LOL … exactly …& worth the price of the hearing aid
Although I was in my mother’s womb when the Beatles played the Ed Sullivan show, I was raised on their music and will always love it!
We’ll never see (or hear) anyone like them again!