The Ed Sullivan Show


  • The Night Ed Sullivan Swore Off the Rolling Stones (But Couldn’t)

    In the autumn of 1964, America was a cauldron bubbling over with change. The civil rights movement was in full swing, the Vietnam War was escalating, and the Beatles had already ignited a British Invasion that left teenagers screaming and parents scratching their heads. But on October 25th, a new kind of British export hit…

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  • Elvis Presley’s First Ed Sullivan Show: The Night TV Captivated the Nation

    Elvis Presleyโ€™s first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 9, 1956, was more than just a televised performance; it was a landmark cultural event that reshaped the entertainment industry and solidified Presley as a global icon. This moment was crucial not only for Elvisโ€™s career but also for the trajectory of American pop…

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  • When Muhammad Ali and the Fab Four Collided

    In February 1964, two of the most iconic forces of the 20th century collided in an encounter so surreal it could have been scripted by Hollywood. The Beatles, fresh off their earth-shattering debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, met Cassius Clay (soon to be Muhammad Ali) in Miami Beach. It was a meeting that combined…

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  • When Four Became One: McCartney’s Melodic Farewell

    On this day in history, the tapestry of modern music was forever altered by a seismic shift that sent ripples through the realm of pop culture and beyond. April 10, 1970, stands as a cornerstone moment, not just in rock โ€˜nโ€™ roll lore but in the annals of artistic endeavors at large. It was on…

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  • The Night Bo Diddley Broke the Mold on National TV

    On the evening of November 20, 1955, the usual calm of Sunday night television was shattered by the electrifying strum of a square guitar. Bo Diddley stepped onto the stage of โ€œThe Ed Sullivan Show,โ€ not just to perform but to ignite a cultural revolution. Scheduled to play Tennessee Ernie Fordโ€™s โ€œSixteen Tons,โ€ Diddley instead…

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  • The Doors Defy Ed Sullivan: The Night Rock ‘n’ Roll Refused to Be Tamed

    In the ever-evolving tapestry of rock โ€˜nโ€™ roll, there are moments that define generations and challenge the status quo. On September 17, 1967, such a moment materialized on the stages of โ€œThe Ed Sullivan Show,โ€ forever embedding itself in the annals of music history. The Doors, led by the enigmatic and unpredictable Jim Morrison, transformed…

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  • Interview with an audio trailblazer: Norman Varney, on room acoustics, Pt 1

    โ€œ90% of audiophiles are not experiencing 50% of their equipmentโ€™s potential.โ€ At High End Munich 2022, I had the opportunity to interview industry veteran Norman Varney of A/V RoomService, Ltd., who debunked many of my theories on how room acoustics influence the sound in our listening rooms. He has modeled, installed, and improved hundreds of…

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  • Rock Chronicles, Part 1 โ€” Joe Cocker, with a little help from his friends

    In 1966, a gruff-voiced blues singer was looking to put a band together that might finally propel his straggling career to the next level. Joe Cockerโ€”born John Robert Cocker in 1944โ€” lived on Tasker Road in the English city of Sheffield. As early as 1960, at the age of sixteen, Cocker was already well under…

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  • Diving into Disco, Part 5 โ€” Going to a Go-Go

    While the Supremes, with the support of their writing and producing team of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland, a.k.a. H-D-H, continued their winning streak with “I Hear a Symphony” in October, 1965, and “My World Is Empty Without You” in December of the same year, squeezed in between those two months, in…

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