Although Beatlemania was in full bloom in Britain in 1963, no one in the U.S. knew who they were. But all that changed on February 9, 1964.
That day The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, the same week as “I Want To Hold Your Hand” hit #1 on the U.S. charts.
Nothing would ever be the same.
Over 70 million viewers saw The Beatles on television that night, the largest audience ever gathered for a single show. Their music, their hair, their personalities, their humor and energy - it all seemed to set the sixties into motion, as an entire generation felt the joyful possibilities that were available simply by picking up a guitar and starting to play.
What The Beatles brought to America was rock’n’roll, as originally launched by its earlier pioneers like Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Buddy Holly, absorbed and re-interpreted by the lads from Liverpool, influenced by other Americans like Chet Atkins, delivered like a thunderclap to the American youth.
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| Chuck Berry |
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| Chet Atkins
There’s no way to overstate the impact of The Beatles on American music of the sixties. Beyond their hits (25 albums reaching #1), an entire generation of bands grew directly out of the seminal power of that night of February 9, 1964.
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Much of the California scene from The Byrds through Crosby, Stills, and Nash came from Roger McGuinn and David Crosby being inspired by The Beatles, getting for themselves the same brand of guitars they saw The Beatles playing.
The Birds: Crosby on Gretsch, McGuinn on Rickenbacker
It all started on February 9, 1964.
Meanwhile, back in London, The Beatles were making history, recording epochal albums like Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road before breaking up in 1970.
And in that city, in 1971, two shaggy haired Americans wanting to find a good hamburger, opened up a diner in an old Rolls Royce dealership. They called it Hard Rock Café.
Wanting something that looked like a Chevrolet hood ornament, they hired artist Alan Aldridge, best known for his work with The Beatles, to design the now famous logo.
The first live music at Hard Rock came in 1973, with Paul McCartney and Wings warming up for their UK tour.
The first guitar on the wall was Eric Clapton’s, which was hung over his bar stool to “mark his spot.” A week later, Pete Townsend followed suit, offering his guitar.
Clapton’s connection to the Beatles is through at least two of George’s most famous songs: “Here Comes The Sun” was written while George was at Eric’s home, and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” features Clapton playing lead.
In 1986, purchasing rock memorabilia from Sotheby’s, Hard Rock became the world’s premier music museum, with John Lennon’s glasses among the thousands of iconic items.
In 1990, the Signature Series t-shirts were launched, starting with a Peter Max design, raising money for millions of organizations. Ringo Starr wore one that said Peace Love.
In 1994, the Nashville Hard Rock Café opened.
In 2007, The WannaBeatles started in Nashville.
In 2010, The WannaBeatles released “February 9, 1964,” our musical tribute to that historic day.
In 2018, that song was released as a digital EP.
In 2019, The WannaBeatles played Hard Rock Casino in Tampa. Not quite Nashville.
It took a while. But now, exactly 56 years after the date of The Beatles' first time on American television, The WannaBeatles will bring to Nashville the fulfillment of the connection between Beatles music and the legendary restaurant.
It was destined to happen.
Blogging Bryan - 21 January 2020
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