In early 1964, my sister Mary K. went bananas over a band called the Beatles. She seemed to know everything about them, and it was easy to share her excitement when the announcement was made that the Beatles would appear on the Ed Sullivan show. This would be the first American look at this new band, with their long hair and Liverpool accents. Their long hair was a problem for many parents, including mine, but that didn't prevent them from sitting down in front of the TV on February 9, 1964, to watch the Beatles perform.
It's hard to describe the Beatles and the mania to someone who did not live through it. As we watched the hysteria on the TV that night, even Dad had to smile and know that something big was happening.
The next thing you knew, there were Beatles trading cards, Beatles toys, Beatles lunch boxes, Beatles everything. The Beatles had so many songs out that an entire "Beatles Countdown" was dedicated to them on one of the Cleveland radio stations every Sunday night.
In music, as in life, success breeds imitation. And thus began the British Invasion.
One after another came bands from England: The Dave Clark Five, Herman and the Hermits, the Kinks, Gerry and Pacemakers, the Rolling Stones, and on and on. The music producers in England knew a good thing when they saw it, and the air waves became saturated with the British sound. The radio station that created the Beatles Countdown expanded it to the British Countdown to make room for all of the new music.
The news clip is from today's Columbus Dispatch. I remember watching the Dave Clark Five the first time they appeared on Ed Sullivan, and several times after, and I've always thought that they were one of the better bands of the era. When I read that Mike Smith died at the age of 64, I was shocked. Not that he had died, but that he was 64.
5 comments:
Mike Smith was one of the great voices of rock'n roll. It's strange because I've been listening to "The History of The Dave Clark Five" CD all this week - and visited The Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame yesterday, (Friday). When we returned home I saw the story about his passing. He was touring again with his band, Rock Engine," then had his accident. Very sad story.
The radio station in Cleveland with "The Beatles Countdown" and later, "The British Countdown" was KYW-AM. It became WKYC around 1966. The deejay who developed and hosted both shows is Jerry G. Bishop. He also toured with The Beatles in 1965 & 1966 - and I have his memories in my book, "The Beatles In Cleveland." Very cool guy...
Keep Rockin'!
Dave Schwensen
www.BeatlesInCleveland.com
Thanks for the comment, Dave. And I like the link you provided...what memories! I'm adding that link to the front page of my blog so others will be able to find it.
"...Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?" Farewell Mike Smith!
After the humiliation of the Boston Tea Party, we had to think of some way to invade the States and regain our control - that is why we invented The Beatles and the succession of other bands we sent over in the sixties! They were all primed by MI5 & MI6 - the British equivalent of the CIA.
That's a very sly way of invading the USA, but please give my thanks to the British government for sending us all that great music. I still rank the Beatles at the very toppermost of my list of great bands.
To Dave Schwensen -- once I realized you are a fellow Falcon, I had to buy the book!
Post a Comment