Happy 50th Anniversary to The Rolling Stones!

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The Rolling Stones celebrate their 50th anniversary as a band today. Their first performance as a band was on July 12, 1962 at the Marquee Club in London featuring members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Ian Stewart, Dick Taylor and Tony Chapman.

They have had a lot of ups and downs since then, but have always come out on top.  One such moment was a great idea that didn't turn out so well once implemented.  Altamont, a free concert on December 6, 1969 with Hell's Angels for security instead of police.  Four people ended up dying at the event, and there was tons of violence.  Check out this video of the Stones trying to calm the crowd during one of my favorites,
"Sympathy for the Devil."

Did you know Keith Richards wanted to be a librarian? Read more about it here or here.  Known as a rebel, Richards has confessed, "The library was the only place around where I willingly obeyed the rules.

He has said: "When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equaliser."

Read about the Stones' 4th appearance on Ed Sullivan here.

The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show

On February 9, 1964 over 73 million people crowded around their television sets that Sunday evening to tune in to The Ed Sullivan Show for The Beatles first live appearance on the show.

Watch the complete set here: 

After this performance, they would take America by storm, gain a huge following and even a few haters.  Sixty four years later, and The Beatles are still making an impact on us.  Check out this wedding ensemble my good friend Kathryn at Invitation Solutions of Houston, Texas blogged about today that has a Beatles theme.  What an awesome idea!  Have you considered a fun theme for your wedding invitations, menus, etc? 

"All you need is love, love. Love is all you need." - The Beatles, All You Need is Love 

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." - the last line of the last song collectively recorded by all four of The Beatles.

Ed Sullivan tried to provide wholesome family entertainment on Sunday evenings for over twenty years, but it was not without some controversy.  Last semester, I wrote a term paper on music censorship.  Here are some highlights from the section on The Ed Sullivan Show.  

The Rolling Stones' Raucous Fourth Appearance on Ed Sullivan

1957 January 6– Cameramen only show Elvis Presley from the waist up during his third and final appearance on the show.  80% of the nation’s television audience was tuned in that evening.

1963 February – Bob Dylan refuses to appear on the show after being told he cannot sing “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues.”

1967  January – The Rolling Stones agree to change the lyrics to “Let’s Spend The Night Together” for the show. Mick Jagger maintains he sang the original lyrics. 

1967 September – Jim Morrison agrees to change “Girl we couldn’t get much higher” in “Light my Fire” but during the live performance, clearly sings the original words directly into the camera.  


Update: Check out this post from O Say Can You See?, the blog of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History about The Beatles' first concert in America, which occurred just two days after their appearance on Ed Sullivan.