where did the beatles first perform in the united states
The Beatles in the United States After a press conference, where they first met disc jockey Murray the K, the Beatles were put into limousines—one per Beatle[27]—and driven to New York City. On the way, McCartney turned on a radio and listened to a running commentary: "They have just left the airport and are coming to New York City..."[28] After reaching the Plaza Hotel, the Beatles were besieged by fans and reporters. Harrison had a fever of 102 °F (39 °C) the next day and was ordered to stay in bed, so Neil Aspinall, the band's personal assistant, replaced Harrison on guitar during the Beatles' first rehearsal for The Ed Sullivan Show.[29] On 9 February 1964, the Beatles made their first live U.S. television appearance.[30] 73 million viewers—about two-fifths of the total American population—watched the group perform on The Ed Sullivan Show at 8 P.M.[31] According to the Nielsen ratings audience measurement system, the show had the largest number of viewers that had been recorded for a U.S. television program.[32]
The Beatles in the United States Following popular television appearances and concerts during their February 1964 visit, the Beatles returned to the United States in August 1964, and again in August 1965, for tours. In August 1966 they returned once more, and although this tour was commercially successful, it coincided with a storm of U.S. public protest after publication of a quote from John Lennon's remarks about Christianity. The 1966 U.S. tour marked the end of the Beatles' concert days. The band ceased to perform commercial concerts, instead devoting their efforts to creating new material in the recording studio.[4]
The Beatles in the United States The Beatles' first visit to the United States came at a time of great popularity in Britain. The band's UK commercial breakthrough, in late 1962, had been followed by a year of successful concerts and tours. The start of the Beatles' popularity in the United States, in early 1964, was marked by intense demand for the single "I Want to Hold Your Hand"—which sold one-and-a-half million copies in under three weeks—and the band's arrival the following month.[1] The visit, advertised across the United States on five million posters,[1] was a defining moment in the Beatles' history, and the starting-point of the British Invasion.[2]
The Beatles The Beatles built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960, with Stuart Sutcliffe initially serving as bass player. The core trio of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, together since 1958, went through a succession of drummers, including Pete Best, before asking Starr to join them in 1962. Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act, and producer George Martin guided and developed their recordings, greatly expanding the group's popularity in the United Kingdom after their first hit, "Love Me Do", in late 1962. They acquired the nickname "the Fab Four" as Beatlemania grew in Britain over the next year, and by early 1964 became international stars, leading the "British Invasion" of the United States pop market. From 1965 onwards, the Beatles produced increasingly innovative recordings, including the albums Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), The Beatles (also known as the "White Album", 1968) and Abbey Road (1969). After their break-up in 1970, they each enjoyed success as solo artists. Lennon was shot and killed in December 1980, and Harrison died of lung cancer in November 2001. McCartney and Starr remain musically active.