Grammys to Salute the Beatles With Two-Hour Special in February
- The Grammy Awards will air a two-hour special on CBS commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' performance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
The Grammy Awards will commemorate the 50th anniversary ofthe Beatles' landmark performance on The Ed Sullivan Show with a two-hour special that will air on CBS. The program, titled The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles , will be broadcast at 8 p.m. EST on February 9th, 50 years to the day, date and time thatJohn,Paul,GeorgeandRingomade their U.S. TV debut on Sullivan's show. More than 70 million viewers tuned in to that broadcast to watch the band play five songs, including "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You." The band won seven Grammys in their career.
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The program will be filmed on January 27th, the day after the Grammy Awards, and it will feature "today's top artists" performing the songs the group played on the Sullivan broadcast, as well as their hits through the years. Presenters, who are yet to be announced, will provide commentary and context about the group's impact at the time. The show will also include archival clips and rebroadcast footage from the Sullivan show.
"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 and CEO of the Recording Academy, the group that puts on the Grammy Awards. "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."
Tickets to the taping will be available to the general public. Additional info, including which artists will perform and the celebrities who will attend, has yet to be announced.
Paul McCartney was recently on thecoverof Rolling Stone . In the issue, he discussed his latest album, New , and how he still bounces song ideas off his memory of John Lennon. He also discussed how he'd let go of his animosity toward Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono; she has since replied that she'sthankfulfor McCartney's comments. Since then, the Beatles have issued asecond volumeof their recordings for the BBC titled On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 .
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