Unprecedented excitement and hysteria led thousands of fans to John F Kennedy International Airport in New York City on February 7, 1964, with placards and banners to welcome The Beatles and jumpstart their American invasion.
The British rock band consisted of Sir Paul McCartney, 82, John Lennon, who died aged 40 from gunshot wounds, George Harrison, who died aged 58 following a battle with cancer, and 84-year-old Sir Richard Starkey – also known professionally as Ringo Starr – who all originated from Liverpool, England.
“On that plane coming to the United States, they had no idea if anyone would be waiting for them, or the degree to which Capitol Records, writers and reporters did not want them to succeed. They wanted them to fail and worked against them,” says Beatles ‘64 director David Tedeschi, known for Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story By Martin Scorsese, Pretend It’s A City, and Vinyl.
