Today would have been George Harrison’s 68th birthday. It is a perfect day to dust off a couple of his records (dusting off CDs doesn’t have the same ring!) and listen to why we love him so much. His voice, those harmonies, amazing guitar licks and of course those songs are so permanently planted in our brains. The world is certainly a better place because of him. If you go his website georgeharrison.com they are streaming The Concert For George all day today as a birthday gift to his fans. This was the tribute on the first anniversary of his passing. Included in the tribute are Paul, Ringo, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, Billy Preston, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Dhani Harrison, Ravi Shankar and many other friends. Spread the word.

The Grammy Awards are tonight, but many winners were already announced. The Beatles Original Studio Recordings won a Grammy for Best Historical Album. Paul won Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for Helter Skelter off the Live at Citi Field CD. Congratulations!!

Today marks the 47th Anniversary of the most significant date in Beatles History – February 9, 1964 – The Day The Beatles Conquered America! It was such a clear line in the sand moment! One day The Beatles were the new hot up and coming band with the top two songs. The next day it was the only thing anyone at school was talking about. The girls all had crushes on their favorite Beatle, and the guys we so jealous they immediately started to grow their hair longer and learned to play guitar. (I know. I was one of them!) Seeing and hearing them Live on The Ed Sullivan Show that Sunday Night convinced us right then and there, that they were ‘it’. What an explosion! And it kept getting better and better! When you hear the thousands of interviews with other rock stars who followed, their answer on how they got started is universal –  “I saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan and I just had to do that too!” If you have the DVD, put it on tonight at 8PM and imagine it is 1964! I guarantee you will get chills! In 1974, our first FEST celebrated the 10th anniversary of this special occasion. Now, 37 years later (& 47 years since the Ed Sullivan Show), Beatles fans of all ages and from all over the country still Come Together to celebrate our common love for THE BEATLES at THE FEST FOR BEATLES FANS. Hope you can join us at the next FEST, the weekend of March 25-27 at the NJ Crowne Plaza Meadowlands.

Friday, February 7, 1964: The Beatles arrived at the newly named JFK Airport in NYC on PanAm Flight 101 to a hero’s welcome. Thousands of screaming fans clogged every inch of the airport and terminal to get the first glimpse of them coming off the plane. (Yes, the only way to get off an airplane in 1964 was on steps taking you down to the ground! Then you had to walk outside for a while before you got the entrance door.) Here is a link to a YouTube video marking the occasion. The Beatles were blown away by the reaction. It was just the beginning…