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The Beatles In Cleveland |
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Includes eyewitness accounts from:
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| Jack Armstrong - Known as
"Your Leader," Armstrong's high energy, rapid-fire delivery made
his nighttime show on WIXY Radio an instant hit when he joined the station
in 1966. At five hundred words per minute, his talent behind the
microphone earned him a spot in The Guinness Book of World Records
and his own television show in Cleveland. As MC of the concert at
Municipal Stadium, (with WIXY's Johnny Canton), he is credited with
calming fans during the riot so the Beatles could continue their
performance. As "Big Jack Armstrong," he has continued his
successful career in other major cities throughout the country.
Jerry G. Bishop - As host of The Beatles Countdown and On The Beatle Beat for KYW and WKYC Radio, "Jerry G." was the most-listened to deejay on the most powerful radio station in Cleveland. He traveled with the Beatles during their 1965 and 1966 North American tours and kept listeners riveted to their radios with his nightly eyewitness accounts of Beatlemania and interviews with the group. He has continued his successful career on radio and television as Jerry G. Bishop in Chicago and San Diego. Johnny Canton - The afternoon "drive time" deejay and program director for WIXY Radio in 1966. Along with Jack Armstrong, he was the MC for the Beatles concert at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Continuing his broadcasting career in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Canton was inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Bill Harry (Foreword) - An art college classmate of John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe, (original bass player for the Beatles), in Liverpool, Harry was a member of the group's inner circle from their earliest days together. He is the founder and editor of the legendary Mersey Beat newspaper, which included regular contributions from Lennon and Paul McCartney. Bobby Hebb - Toured North America with the Beatles in 1966. Hebb wrote and recorded Sunny, which was the number one song in the country that summer and rated by Broadcast Music Incorporated, (BMI), as number 25 in its Top 100 Songs of the Century. Hebb is still a force in the Nashville music scene with an especially strong following in Germany and England. In the summer of 2004, he once again hit the top of the Billboard Album Charts when Sunny was included on the hit CD, Night Train From Nashville. Harry Martin - Teamed with Specs Howard on KYW and WKYC Radio, The Martin and Howard Show was Cleveland's top-rated morning show from 1964 through 1967, before moving on to equal success in Detroit. Both are members of the Radio Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame of Ohio and are legendary for "saving the Beatles concert" in 1964. Jane Scott - Truly a Cleveland legend, Scott was the celebrated rock music columnist for The Cleveland Plain Dealer Newspaper. In a career that spanned almost thirty five years, she covered every important rock event in the city and reported the onstage and backstage highlights to her loyal readers. A fixture on the scene well into her seventies and on a first name basis with most of the stars, two of her earliest assignments were the concerts by the Beatles in Cleveland. She was also one of the few reporters to interview the group at their hotel in 1966. Two decades later she was instrumental in bringing The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum to Cleveland. Joe Stipe - As an employee of Sahara Mobile Homes, Stipe was responsible for the "luxury house trailer" that served as the Beatles backstage dressing room at Cleveland Stadium in 1966. He was inside the mobile home with the group before their performance. Ron Sweed - Only fourteen years old in 1964, Sweed was already working for one of the most popular characters in the history of Cleveland television: Ghoulardi. As the resident teenager behind the scenes at Channel 8, he was admitted to the Beatles 1964 press conference and concert in Cleveland, the 1965 press conference and concerts in Toronto, and the 1966 Cleveland "informal press gathering," (where he was the only photographer), and stadium concert. For the past thirty five years he has portrayed the equally popular character of The Ghoul and is syndicated on television and radio in major markets throughout the country. Barry Tashian - Leader of The Remains, the Boston-based group that opened all the shows for the Beatles during their 1966 North American Tour. The group also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and NBC's Hullabaloo. Tashian is a respected musician in Nashville and author of the book Ticket To Ride, which chronicles his experiences on the 1966 tour. Norman Wain - Along with Bob Weiss and Joseph Zingale at WHK Radio, Wain is responsible for contracting the Beatles for their 1964 concert at Cleveland's Public Hall. The partners later formed the Westchester Corporation, which owned and operated WIXY Radio, and produced the Beatles performance at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium in 1966. The Fans - They were there to witness and experience these two exciting moments in Beatle history.
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