It was 50 years ago today...

... The Beatles sang in the USA.

Having arrived at the newly christened John F Kennedy airport in New York two day previously, The Beatles performed their first of three shows on the Ed Sullivan show on Sunday, February 9th, 1964. This performance began with "All My Loving" and in seconds, America fell in love.

Their first appearance had a record breaking 73 million views. This was just the start or America's Beatlemania. The Beatles were a sensation that did not end when they broke up on April 10th, 1970. I'd argue that Beatlemania exists today, in the young people discovering the music for the first time, for the people of my parents generation who haven't quite forgotten the thrill of the opening note of "A Hard Day's Night," for every band that was inspired by these four men, and for the millions who watched tonight's CBS Beatles Special that aired at the same time as their Ed Sullivan appearance.

For me, The Beatles have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was about 14, however, I truly discovered the magic their music could bring. I bought all of their albums,
most on vinyl, and declared them to be my favorite band. As bands these days seem to come and go like Taylor Swift's boyfriends, I would say that The Beatles still are number one in my book.

Last May I went to Hamburg and visited
many of the clubs where The Beatles
performed in the early 1960s.

The story of The Beatles is quite remarkable. The band just didn't 'work' until it was John, Paul, George, and Ringo (and fell apart when it became more than just the four of them). They were plenty popular in England and Hamburg before coming to America. In the first of their two long stints in Hamburg, bass was played by Stuart Sutcliffe, who tragically died two years before they went to America. Many other musicians were there throughout the years, but there is nothing like the sound of four young Limey men performing effortlessly.

When you search for The Beatles on Google, common results are:
"The Beatles are legend"
"The Beatles are the best"
"The Beatles are God"
"The Beatles are bigger than Jesus"
...etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

While some of these might be exaggerations, the point is made. The Beatles remain, to this day to be one of the most
influential and greatest bands of all time.