The Beatles 8 O’clock February 9th 1964 And 73 Million People

Sunday night, 8 o'clock on February 9th, 1964, America tuned in to CBS and The Ed Sullivan Show. Not an ordinary Sunday Night.. 73 million people gathered in front of their TV sets to see The Beatles first live in the United States.

The Beatles, " I Wanna Hold Your Hand." was released in the UK in November of 1963. It took 2 weeks to make it to #1. Capitol Records weren't going to release it here until mid-January but a few sneaky disc jockeys got a hold of the record from airline flight attendants who would smuggle the 45 singles on flights.

Capitol Records tried to stop DJs from playing the record but soon used radio to their advantage and the record sold 250,000 in just days. When it hit #1 on Feb. 1, it stayed at the top for seven weeks.

Paul McCartney and John Lennon allegedly  told Brian Epstein their manager, "We're not going to America till we've got a number one record." But Brian Epstein, in November 1963, committed the Beatles to appear on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on February 9 and 16, 1964.

The theory was the group didn't want to come here yet unless they had a number one due to other British bands that came before with songs that were popular but not number one. It wasn't fair as well when they came to America because of the popularity of Motown and Surfing music that was on the radio. But Brian Epstein knew the Ed Sullivan show would be huge for the Beatles exposure.  So he booked the gig.

February 7, 1964, they stepped onto U.S  for the first time. As they stepped off their flight from Heathrow Airport in London to John F. Kennedy International Airport, the quartet was greeted by  3000 fans. The screaming fans were everywhere around the terminal. On the roof, tarmac with hundreds of reporters to capture it all for the local and national news.

8 o’clock on February 9th 1964, America tuned in to The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS TV. 73 million people gathered in front their TV sets to see The Beatles’ first live performance. The television rating was a record 45.3% of households with televisions were watching. The show garnered a 60 share, meaning 60% of the television’s turned on were tuned in to Ed Sullivan and The Beatles.

The Beatles did two sets that night in front of all the screaming teenagers and adults in the theater.

Ed Sullivan during the performance mentioned to John, Paul, George and Ringo that he received a telegram from Elvis and Colonel Tom Parker with congratulations.

Impressionist Frank Gorshin, acrobats Wells & the Four Fays, the comedy team of McCall & Brill and Broadway star Georgia Brown joined by the cast of “Oliver!”

The Beatles went on to play the Ed Sullivan show a total of four shows and a total of a billion people got to watch on TV. You have to admit a remarkable achievement for Four Lads from Liverpool.

The WCSX Staff share their favorite song by The Beatles! Today is the day that fans of The Beatles have been waiting for. Starting at 10am, you can enjoy 'The Holiday Beatles Blitz On CSX Hosted By Ken Calvert.'

You'll hear exclusive interviews with members of the band, stories from artists talking about how they were influenced by The Beatles, deep cuts, and of course their new single, "Now And Then."

The Beatles have special meaning to all of us, and all for different reasons. To celebrate 'The Holiday Beatles Blitz On CSX Hosted By Ken Calvert,' the WCSX staff has shared their favorite songs from the Fab Four.

It's awesome to see these music lovers share their favorite picks and give detailed reasons why. There's never been anyone like The Beatles before, and there probably won't be another one like them ever again.

The band's latest single "Now And Then" was brought to life decades after it was created using AI technology. It's amazing what they were able to do with this. Check out the "Now And Then" video and details by clicking here!

To play along with the "Now And Then" theme, we thought it would be fun to share pictures of the WCSX Staff from "Now And Then" with pictures of them when they were young paired with a picture from them today. So cool to see! Check out those images by clicking here!

That's not all the fun, either! We also have an excellent Must Have shopping list put together for you: 11 Of The Best Beatles Memorabilia  Items On The Internet.

Additionally, you can enter for a chance to win a Ron Campbell Beatles Lithograph! Ron was the director of the famous Saturday Morning Beatles Cartoon series that aired from 1965-1969. A great collection piece for you or The Beatles fan in your life. Let us help you make shopping this holiday season even easier.

Let's get to the list of the WCSX Staff and their favorite song from The Beatles!

I’ve always loved the energy of “Hey Bulldog” - it’s was John’s song originally titled “Hey Bullfrog” but he changed it when Paul was screwing around and started barking.

There’s a raw simple fun to this song - and it resonates with me. Always puts me in a good mood.

Ryan picked "Rocky Raccoon." A great choice!

I love “Tomorrow Never Knows.” It’s got a very different sound than most Beatles tracks but you still know who it is. Lennon said it was “my first psychedelic song.” Legend has it that Lennon would trip on LSD, read the book The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of The Dead aloud and record himself. Then he listened back to the recording, again while tripping, and wrote the song. The line “turn off your mind… relax and float downstream” is directly from the book.

Hard to pick just one Beatles song but if I had to it probably be Magical Mystery Tour. The bright horns and the beginning always changes my mood anytime it comes on. We would always play it on our way to a concert not knowing what fun was in store for me and my best buds. Later on knowing that there was a very cheesy movie that goes along with it it's a cult classic and I actually have it on Super 8 mm sound movie film. I've watched it so many times on the projector I had as a kid. There are so many Mysteries in this movie about the Beatles it'll keep you guessing for hours whether Paul is dead or not LOL

Scott Jameson is the brains behind 'The Holiday Beatles Blitz On CSX Hosted By Ken Calvert.' When asked for his favorite Beatles song, he responded:

You Never Give Me Your Money – Paperback Writer-  Rain-

Ooops. 2-2 many.