It Was 40 Years Ago Today: Beatles Win Grammy for Decades of Inspiration

HOLLYWOOD--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 2004--The Beatles won a top rock 'n' roll honor at The Grammys in Los Angeles last night when they were awarded for their influence on the American music scene that began 40 years ago today, Monday, February 9, 2004.

The Beatles received the "President's Award," a special Grammy to hallmark topline achievement and inspiration and to celebrate the anniversary of the band first bursting into American homes on the "Ed Sullivan Show" on February 9th, 1964.

“It's a fantastic award and a great honor for us.”

The Beatles' first appearance on American TV drew a then-record audience of 73 million viewers who tuned in to watch The Beatles become the first British band to conquer America as "I Want To Hold Your Hand" reigned at No. 1 in the U.S. charts.

The special Grammys award coincides with the Worldwide EMI release today of "The First U.S. Visit" (released in the U.S. on Capitol Records this past Tuesday, February 3, 2004), a new Beatles DVD of the Maysles Brothers' film from the time that chronicles the inside story of the trip that began America's still-enduring love affair with the group.

Commenting today, Paul McCartney said: "We didn't know what to expect on that first visit. We didn't expect the craziness that was there and when we did the 'Ed Sullivan Show' it got even crazier. We were just kids at the time and it was just fantastic. Seeing all the footage of it now is still a great buzz. It's a great memory for me, it was one of the highest points of my life.

"The great thing about The Beatles and a lot of the other acts then was that we'd done a lot of work before the big break. Some of the kids these days haven't been around as much as we'd been. We'd done Hamburg and England and a few places in Europe and we were cocky, we kind of knew we were a good little band. So even when we got to go to America, playing in New York on 'Ed Sullivan,' we knew we were a serious little unit."

Ringo Starr added: "We had no idea what the 'Ed Sullivan Show' meant, we didn't know how huge it was. I don't think we were nervous because we were doing songs that we knew how to play, we'd done them before and we'd done plenty of TV. But the idea of just coming to America was the mind-blower -- no one can imagine these days what an incredible feat it was to conquer America. No British act had done it before. We were just coming over to do our stuff, hopefully get recognized and to sell some records. But it turned into something huge."

The Beatles' American TV debut was seen live by so many people that reports at the time claimed it led to the lowest crime rate in 50 years, with the number of break-ins plummeting as tens of milions stayed home to watch.

Ringo Starr added: "Seventy three million people! As George (Harrison) always reminded us, less crime that day than any day in America. It was mind-blowing, the idea of so many people, but it was also incorporated in all of the madness that was being in New York. And how lucky we were that the Maysles Brothers were filming us. Who knew that this footage was going to be so important later on? They followed us everywhere and documented that whole trip so well; to see it now is really fascinating."

The President's Award is a special Grammy presented by the president of the U.S. awards academy, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Accepting the award, Ringo Starr said: "When we arrived in New York it was the most exciting day of my life. A lot of water has run under the bridge since we first did the 'Ed Sullivan Show,' but we're still here and we still love you."

Paul McCartney added: "It's a fantastic award and a great honor for us."

NB: TV DESKS -- NEW FOOTAGE OF PAUL MCCARTNEY AND RINGO STARR TALKING OF THEIR MEMORIES OF THE BEATLES FIRST U.S. VISIT AVAILABLE FROM ON THE SCENE PRODUCTIONS AND THE APPLE PRESS OFFICES.