Dec. 15, 1963 - The Beatles, who have been described as Elvis Presley multiplied by four, will journey from their native England early next year and come to the U.S. to render musical mayhem on American television. Although the four young men, who sing their own compositions, are more or less unknown in this country, all England has learned in recent months that whatever Elvis can do, the Beatles can do even more frenetically. The Beatles, whose performance at the Royal Variety Show Nov. 4 prompted the Queen Mother to clap her hands on the off-beat, will make their U.S. debut Feb. 9 on the “Ed Sullivan Show” over CBS-TV. Without even waiting for American reaction, Mr. Sullivan already has booked them for Feb. 16 as well. Still another appearance will be taped for use later in the season after the Beatles have returned to England. The Beatles, all natives of Liverpool, are John Lennon, 23 years old; Paul McCartney, 21; George Harrison, 20; and Ringo Starr, 23. In nine months, they have sold nearly three million records of rock ’n’ roll songs such as “From Me to You,” “Twist and Shout,” and “Love Me Do.” It remains to be seen whether Beatlemania catches on here.
Comments