Local recall first time they ‘met’ the Beatles

It was 50 years ago this month when the Beatles first came to America; and their impact, much more than just musical, is still felt a half century later — around the world. The Beatles arrived in New York on Feb. 7, 1964, in preparation for their first US performance on the Ed Sullivan show two days later.

They played their first concert on US soil Feb. 11 at the Washington Coliseum in the nation’s capitol, and then performed again on the Ed Sullivan Show, on consecutive Sundays, from the Deauville Hotel in Miami, Fla., on Feb. 16. Songs the Beatles recorded when performing their first Ed Sullivan Show, were then broadcast on the CBS program Feb. 23, placing the Fab Four in front of American television viewers for the third straight week. Neosho’s Steve Kenny was a pre-teen when the Beatles splashed onto his television screen. “I was in my living room, and there was a lot of anticipation, because we weren’t regular Ed Sullivan watchers,” he said. “It was more than I expected. Kenny, a musician who has performed some Beatles songs, was at first attracted to the beat and the tight harmonies, “and a lot of their early stuff, I would call it ‘happy’ music,” he said, “Because it just had a really uplifting beat to it.” Later, Kenny said the Beatles did a lot of songs others wouldn’t do, taking chances others wouldn’t take.

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Source: Neosho Daily News