Back in 2014 when fans celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ first televised performance in America, I asked my father for his reflections. What it was like to watch the four members perform live, on TV, in 1964? He was only eight years old at the time, but distinctly remembers the event. “What we saw changed everything.”

I’ve seen and loved many bands in my long life (60 and counting… when did the Jamfather get so old?), but none had the gravitas and impact of The Beatles.

Well, that’s not exactly true… Elvis Presley was pretty darn close. From 1956 to the early 1960s, Elvis was the king of rock and roll. I was too young to live through the initial Elvismania, but even as a child, I was well aware of his existence. He was the first major artist to make the blues and similar styles originating from Black musicians palpable for white audiences. It was a remarkable achievement and opened the floodgates to a wave of great British rock bands the decade after.

I mention this because The Beatles were heavily influenced by Elvis, Chuck Berry, and other blues/rockabilly artists of the 1950s. Through the early 60s, The Beatles ultimately cultivated their unique sound. They were not as blues-heavy as The Rolling Stones, but the same early influences were there.

Now, in the early 1960s, there were only two ways to hear new music for free–the radio or on television. For TV, no one’s influence rivaled that of Ed Sullivan. His top-rated variety show, the aptly named Ed Sullivan Show, could make or break an artist. An invitation to the Sullivan show for any artist was the mark that you had arrived–and you’d better not cross him… his word was the word of God.

Read more at liveforlivemusic.com