CBS will salute one of the most significant events in television and music history on Sunday, February 9 with The Night That Changed America: A Grammy® Salute To The Beatles.The Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964 is one of the most watched television events ever with 74 million people tuning in to watch the group perform five songs during the variety hour.
“The Beatles are one of music’s most iconic groups, who won their first two Grammys, including one for Best New Artist, in 1964, the same year they took America by storm,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. “As the Grammy Awards are Music’s Biggest Night®, it’s only fitting that we recognize this milestone moment in music history and pay tribute to this larger than life group and their enduring music and legacy.”
“Whether you were alive to witness it on television that night, or you’ve just known about it all your life, that first television appearance by the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show is historic,” said executive producer Ken Ehrlich of AEG Ehrlich Ventures. “To be able to celebrate this significant event 50 years later, and to the exact day, date, and time, with an all-star cast of Grammy participants shapes up to be one for the books.”
“That night 50 years ago on the Ed Sullivan stage, the Beatles delivered a momentous performance, and America witnessed a historic television event and the beginning of a new era in music,” said Jack Sussman, CBS Entertainment Executive Vice President of Specials & Events. “We are thrilled to honor these music legends with performances from amazing Grammy-winning artists who were influenced by the Beatles’ unforgettable music through the years and that incredible performance in 1964.”
The two-hour show will tape on Monday, January 27, the day after the Grammy Awards. Performers and presenters will be announced in the near future.