Another reason to like The Beatles

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

http://guitarsquid.com/newsletter/squidpick/stand-up-blokes-the-beatles-were-old-contract-detailing-their-anti-segregation-stance-for-us-performances-sells-for-23000/172/4/

The Beatles banned segregated audiences, contract shows.

The Beatles showed their support for the US civil rights movement by refusing to play in front of segregated audiences, a contract shows.

The document, which is to be auctioned next week, relates a 1965 concert at the Cow Palace in California.
Signed by manager Brian Epstein, it specifies that The Beatles "not be required to perform in front of a segregated audience".

The agreement also guarantees the band payment of $40,000 (£25,338).

Other requirements include a special drumming platform for Ringo Starr and the provision of 150 uniformed police officers for protection.

But the security arrangements were not perfect.
The band played two sets, a matinee and an evening performance, at the venue on 31 August, 1965. At the latter, some of the 17,000-strong crowd broke through security barriers and rushed the stage.

The show was halted, and The Beatles were forced to wait backstage while order was restored. They eventually finished their 12-song set with Help! followed by its B-side, I'm Down.

The Beatles had previously taken a public stand on civil rights in 1964, when they refused to perform at a segregated concert at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. City officials relented, allowing the stadium to be integrated, and the band took to the stage.

"We never play to segregated audiences and we aren't going to start now," said John Lennon. "I'd sooner lose our appearance money."

The struggle for racial equality in America later inspired Paul McCartney to write Blackbird.

The contract for The Beatles' 1965 show is expected to raise up to $5,000 (£3,167) when it goes up for sale by a specialist memorabilia auctioneer in Los Angeles on 20 September.
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Marc Friedland · From: Fort Collins, CO

Hi Mike –

My wife Lorilee was at that concert. She was not aware of any of that until I just showed her your post. She said though they had relatively good seats it was pretty much impossible to hear anything except the noise of the crowd. Of course even with the roar of the crowd and not actually hearing The Beatles play & sing, it was still a great time and probably everyone was glad they went.

-- Marc

www.PedalSteelGuitarMusic.com

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

I dunno.The paradigm of entertainment icon as social activist makes me uncomfortable for two reasons:

1) the only thing we can know for sure about an entertainer is that he can entertain.We know nothing of an entertainer's ability to guide society in a political direction that benefits people as much as their entertainment does.In the instance Mike cites,the people who'd have been most pleased were those who were even then known to use the race situation not to improve the lot of a minority group but to destabilize the social system and discredit the legitimacy of government here-for the only partly inadvertent benefit of an entirely different political system infamous for its treatment of anyone who protested and anyone who didn't.I suspect Brian Epstein had a hand in it;he was much more savvy than his youthful charges.

2)One any entertainer gets into the business of social guidance,their personal situation now becomes fair game,partly due to the excesses of the historical period when the Beatles had their greatest popularity.The Beatles were among the many public figures whose behavior got a pass because of the media "gentlemans'agreement" then in effect.

I think there are as many reasons to like the Beatles as there are Beatles fans(I'm certainly one)but I think there are better ones than this.

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

I have the Ed Sullivan Show that they did in Florida on video. It was a very strange audience, and the sound system didn't work right. Very different from the tightly engineered New York shows. At one point when the sound in the hall cut out, Ed shook his fist at the sky and shouted "Communists!".

I would have been a stranger in a strange land at that show. No doubt about it.

As far as I know, the Cow Palace in San Francisco was never a segregated venue. The clause in that 1965 contract was probably just a boilerplate by then. Contracts weren't designed to be public. It was just a routine contract rider.
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Joachim Kettner · From: Germany

Dave Hopping wrote:

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

Joachim,your translation is right,although"savvy"(from the Mexican-Spanish "sabes",or "do you know") also has a subtle connotation of willingness-to-shade-the-truth-for-gain.In any event,the "Movement" was very youth-oriented at a time where there were more young people here than ever before or since.Having the hottest youth oriented act in history endorse the "Movement" gets the Beatles even more fans; getting publicity and paying customers was Epstein's job.Vetting the legitimacy of what the band endorsed wasn't.Publicity stunt? I think more likely than not.

Covering material originated by black artists was standard procedure for vocal-based rock and roll bands of the day.As a youthful rocker of that time(in Toronto),I recall playing and hearing all the R&B material the Fabs covered on those first albums,and a whole lot more,long before anybody here heard of JPG&R.It's great stuff,guaranteed to keep people dancing and bands working.

Joachim Kettner · From: Germany

Interesting! Thanks Dave.
For me the whole Beatle thing started as a twelve year old with "Rock'n'Roll Music". (Older people around here were always putting them down). From than on it was cardbord boxes for drums and a one string guitar and posing with an unplugged Telefunken microphone.
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CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

Lest we forget Lennon's great publicity stunt :
" we're more popular than Jesus Christ "

Dave, since you mention Toronto - remember John, Lee & the Checkmates ?

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

Crowbear,the family returned to Boston in July '62,after I finished Grade 12,(and just as things were beginning to get interesting),so The Checkmates were after my time,although I'd heard the name later on,and I knew Al D'Orsay,their first lead guitarist.A friend and I did start the band that became The Majestics,whose rhythm section is still in business today as "Replay".Early Majestics members included Garry Wright,later with Little Caesar,and Eugene "Jay" Smith,who did some work with Ronnie Hawkins and a post-Band set of Hawks.

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

If an "entertainer" feels strongly enough about something to publicly back it, I have no problem with that - it's who they are. Though I do agree there's bound to be some pretty calculated issue-jumping going on - if you had polled every musician playing "Farm-Aid" as to what the money was going to actually DO I'm sure you would've drawn some blanks. Laughing

But the notion that "entertainers" have no business or right to at least express their views, well - who then is supposed to try to fix things? If you are arguing that social problems should be left in the hands of the professionals, i.e. politicians - you know, those socially-concerned, highly ethical, super-smart ones who are only acting in our best interests. Ummm, look around? They've done such a great job. From the very first day they get to Washington, their primary activity is fundraising and running for the next election. Talk about "posturing"... Rolling Eyes

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

There have been concerns about this topic turning political from the beginning. It's ostensibly about The Beatles, but so far there has been very little said about The Beatles' music. It's all about sociology, marketing and yes, politics.

Closed as "off topic" for this Forum.
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