In 1964, The Beatles appeared in the United States for the first time, playing on âThe Ed Sullivan Showâ to the delight of more than 73 million viewers.
But it was a year later, in 1965, that they upped the ante, playing a show at Shea Stadium that would mark the first major stadium concert.
The show set records for revenue and number of attendees, netting $304,000 and packing the venue with 55,000 concertgoers.
Radio legend Bruce Morrow, known as Cousin Brucie, was at the center of it all. He helped introduce The Beatles at that stadium show, and he said that 60 years later, itâs still fresh in his mind.
ââThe memories are so alive in my body and my chest that I sort of relive the feeling of being there at Shea Stadium,â Morrow said. âItâs something I will never forget, and anybody whoâs been there, relive that with me all the time.â
5 questions with Bruce Morrow, or Cousin Brucie
What was it like being there on that day?
âWe have an electrical utility in New York called Con Ed. And I swear that day I was thinking about that. There was so much electricity in the air and so much pressure in the air that I said to myself, âI bet you, Con Edison, can turn off their turbines, and weâd still supply New York City with electric. There was thousands, tens of thousands of young people there generating spark. And the generating spark was something called love.â
You spent some time in the dugout with The Beatles before they went on stage. What was that like?
ââIt was chaotic. Paul and George came right over to me looking kind of scared, because I was scared. So I was hoping that I looked brave because, you know, after all, Iâm a New Yorker. Iâm Cousin Brucie. I canât be scared. But let me tell you, I was, because you knew that anything could happen at any moment with this crowd.
âJohn and Paul came over to me and John said to me, âcousin,â thatâs what he used to call me, âCousin, is this going to be safe?â And then Paul said to me, âBrucie, are we going to be all right?â
âI took my fingers and my two hands behind my back, and I crossed my fingers as if saying, âIâm going to lie right now, forgive me.â And I said, âYep, itâs gonna be okay.â And by the way, I was really very nervous.
âI looked at them. I said, âFellas, these people here, you feel that excessive energy because all they want to do is share space with you. Theyâre here out of love and they want to be together. I was the most scared and nervous Iâve ever been in my career.â
From âThe Ed Sullivan Showâ to the Shea Stadium concert, how did The Beatles help radio grow beginning in the 1960s?
âSo, âI Wanna Hold Your Handâ is brought up to me with a promotion guy, the record promotion man, accompanied by an armed security guard and had an attachĂŠ case handcuffed to his right wrist.
âIn that attachĂŠ case was the record that could not be released to me until it was 9:00. Well, at 9:00, he gave it to me, opened the handcuff, because this is how crazy it was.
âThe audience energy would really save the American music industry because at that time, early [1960s], we were really in not good shape. The music was getting tired. Along came these four mop-tops, and they put this new energy and this new feeling and new love and happiness into this music.â
Tell us about the time you helped Ringo get the St. Christopher medal that he lost at a different show. A girl named Angie McGowan had it, and you facilitated her and Ringo meeting.
âRingo came up to me, and I looked at him, and I said something like, âRingo, you donât look so good. Are you all right?â He says, âNo, Cousin Brucie. Someone cupped my St. Christopherâs medal that my auntie gave me.
âSee, what happened when they came in, things came off those guys: buttons and pants and shirts. They came up all disheveled. Well, anyway, somebody grabbed his St. Christopherâs medal. So, I went on the air and now listen, you got to understand across the street at the Plaza Hotel, thereâs 5-6,000 young people. Almost every one of them had little transistor radios in their hands. So, if I talked to them directly, I say, âCousins, are you listening?â Theyâd be screaming.
âSo I got on the air and I said, âSomebody found Ringo Starrâs St. Christopherâs Medal. If youâd call me,â and I gave a number, my private line, âyouâre not in trouble.â
âI got off the air and sure enough, a young ladyâs mother, Mrs. McGowan, called me and said, âBruce, is she in trouble? This is Mrs. McGowan.â
âI made a deal with Ringo that whoever found it, and we did this on the air, âRingo, would you hug and kiss them if we bring it?â And he said yes. And you heard the crowd screaming.â
Youâre still on the air doing a radio show. Do listeners still want to talk about The Beatles?
âThey absolutely wanna talk about The Beatles and the ones that were there write to me, because this is something that theyâll never forget. This is to them, a lifetime happening, very poignant. So the answer is, yeah, I will always talk about that day with the Beatles.â
This interview was edited for clarity.
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