Post by BeatlePaul on Oct 18, 2009 21:04:47 GMT
August 24, 2004, 09:00 AM
Beatle Mania in Houston
By Dan Lovett
I had no idea how big they were becoming, so thought very little of my contact with the Beatles the evening they arrived in Houston on a hot summer night nearly 40 years ago. It was August 18, 1965 when they landed at Hobby aboard a chartered four engine Electra from Miami.
Much has been written over the years in the local newspapers, remember there was a time when Houston had another paper called the Post, about the Beatles concert dates in Houston. Much of it has been amplified over the years and written by a Features reporter at the Chron named Ken Hoffman, who wasn’t even born when the Fab Four hit the Bayou City. Let me set the record straight for Mr. Hoffman and others who have taken the liberty to make up their own stories. It is of course, not as serious or dishonest as John Kerry’s current lies about his military record, that in his mind are worthy of the Presidency of this country.
Hard to believe it’s been almost 40 years now. Also, it’s hard to believe that Harrison and Lennon are dead. But no one gets out of this life alive, not even Lennon, who at one time said the Beatles were bigger than Jesus.
Beatles Party Ticket
Official Beatles Concert Ticket
Over the years the story has been told, many times, how the late Dickie Rosenfeld brought the Beatles to Houston. That is not true. Rosenfeld was, at the time, the general sales manager of KILT and while he was involved in the event, it was in fact, Bill Weaver, the general manager of KILT, who negotiated the deal with Brian Epstein, the Beatles manager.
Back in 1965 KILT and KNUZ were going head-to-head in the Arbitron ratings for the top prize among Top 40 radio listeners. At KILT, we had such great jocks as Chuck Dunaway, Russ Knight (The Weird Beard) and Bob Pressley. Over at KNUZ, they had Arch Yancey, Joe Ford and the powerful Paul Berlin. It was in fact, Berlin, who thought he had the Beatles locked up for their appearance in Houston, until the money vault of Gordon McLendon was opened. McLendon owned KILT and other highly rated Top 40 stations, among them KLIF in Dallas.
McLendon dispatched Weaver to New York City as the Beatles tour was being put together. Weaver had with him a blank check signed by McLendon and was instructed to have Epstein simply fill in the figure, for the Beatles appearance in Houston. The deal took place in Epstein’s suite at the Plaza Hotel. The Beatles manager agreed to do two shows, plus expenses, and filled in the blank for $125,000. Bill Weaver had the BEATLES for KILT!!!!
In 1965 I was working as a newsman at KILT at 500 Lovett Boulevard. I knew of course who the Beatles were, but my favorites were still Elvis, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis. I really had no clue how big this event was at the time. All I knew was that the station program director, Bob White, told the news director, Richard Dobbyns, he wanted a news guy to cover the Beatles arrival. I got the assignment.
There was a mob of close to 4000 screaming teenagers when they arrived at Hobby. It was impossible to get them off the plane. We had to use one of those food catering elevator trucks and load them on for a trip to another part of the airport tarmac and then squeeze them into a single Brinks armored truck. Then we were off to the downtown Sheraton-Lincoln Hotel where they were quickly transferred to a freight elevator from the loading dock and taken to their rooms on the 10th floor.
All of the disc jockey’s at KILT participated in the two shows at the old Sam Houston Coliseum with Russ Knight, the ‘Weird Beard’ and also an original member of the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and Chuck Dunaway, the MC’s of both the 3:30 matinee and 8:00 pm evening shows. Tickets cost $5.00 for each performance of the Sixth Annual KILT Back to School Series. Additional money came from tickets sold, but not used as well as 1500 standing-room-only tickets to each show, which Epstein never questioned. Hotel expenses were traded out with the Sheraton for advertising on KILT.
Rental of the Coliseum cost $1500 and police security $2500. KILT donated almost $15,000 to the Houston Farm and Ranch Club, a social organization of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
And here’s another sidebar to the Beatles arrival at Hobby Airport that has never been reported.
As the ‘boys’ were being loaded onto that food catering truck, Epstein fell from the plane as the truck lowered its elevated cargo bed and began pulling away from the planes open door. That left Epstein with one foot in the plane and one foot in the air. He fell about 16 feet and landed on his back and had to be taken to the hospital from Hobby in a taxi. He had a severe spinal injury and really never fully recovered from that fall. Epstein died two years later from a drug overdose, although it has never been determined if it was deliberate or by accident.
Oh, here’s something else never reported, until now, about the Beatles 1965 tour stop in Houston. I rode in the Brinks truck with them to the Sheraton Hotel!
Beatles live in Houston
Dan Lovett is a former ABC News sports anchor.
From:
www.chronicallybiased.com/features.php?itemid=1316
Beatle Mania in Houston
By Dan Lovett
I had no idea how big they were becoming, so thought very little of my contact with the Beatles the evening they arrived in Houston on a hot summer night nearly 40 years ago. It was August 18, 1965 when they landed at Hobby aboard a chartered four engine Electra from Miami.
Much has been written over the years in the local newspapers, remember there was a time when Houston had another paper called the Post, about the Beatles concert dates in Houston. Much of it has been amplified over the years and written by a Features reporter at the Chron named Ken Hoffman, who wasn’t even born when the Fab Four hit the Bayou City. Let me set the record straight for Mr. Hoffman and others who have taken the liberty to make up their own stories. It is of course, not as serious or dishonest as John Kerry’s current lies about his military record, that in his mind are worthy of the Presidency of this country.
Hard to believe it’s been almost 40 years now. Also, it’s hard to believe that Harrison and Lennon are dead. But no one gets out of this life alive, not even Lennon, who at one time said the Beatles were bigger than Jesus.
Beatles Party Ticket
Official Beatles Concert Ticket
Over the years the story has been told, many times, how the late Dickie Rosenfeld brought the Beatles to Houston. That is not true. Rosenfeld was, at the time, the general sales manager of KILT and while he was involved in the event, it was in fact, Bill Weaver, the general manager of KILT, who negotiated the deal with Brian Epstein, the Beatles manager.
Back in 1965 KILT and KNUZ were going head-to-head in the Arbitron ratings for the top prize among Top 40 radio listeners. At KILT, we had such great jocks as Chuck Dunaway, Russ Knight (The Weird Beard) and Bob Pressley. Over at KNUZ, they had Arch Yancey, Joe Ford and the powerful Paul Berlin. It was in fact, Berlin, who thought he had the Beatles locked up for their appearance in Houston, until the money vault of Gordon McLendon was opened. McLendon owned KILT and other highly rated Top 40 stations, among them KLIF in Dallas.
McLendon dispatched Weaver to New York City as the Beatles tour was being put together. Weaver had with him a blank check signed by McLendon and was instructed to have Epstein simply fill in the figure, for the Beatles appearance in Houston. The deal took place in Epstein’s suite at the Plaza Hotel. The Beatles manager agreed to do two shows, plus expenses, and filled in the blank for $125,000. Bill Weaver had the BEATLES for KILT!!!!
In 1965 I was working as a newsman at KILT at 500 Lovett Boulevard. I knew of course who the Beatles were, but my favorites were still Elvis, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis. I really had no clue how big this event was at the time. All I knew was that the station program director, Bob White, told the news director, Richard Dobbyns, he wanted a news guy to cover the Beatles arrival. I got the assignment.
There was a mob of close to 4000 screaming teenagers when they arrived at Hobby. It was impossible to get them off the plane. We had to use one of those food catering elevator trucks and load them on for a trip to another part of the airport tarmac and then squeeze them into a single Brinks armored truck. Then we were off to the downtown Sheraton-Lincoln Hotel where they were quickly transferred to a freight elevator from the loading dock and taken to their rooms on the 10th floor.
All of the disc jockey’s at KILT participated in the two shows at the old Sam Houston Coliseum with Russ Knight, the ‘Weird Beard’ and also an original member of the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and Chuck Dunaway, the MC’s of both the 3:30 matinee and 8:00 pm evening shows. Tickets cost $5.00 for each performance of the Sixth Annual KILT Back to School Series. Additional money came from tickets sold, but not used as well as 1500 standing-room-only tickets to each show, which Epstein never questioned. Hotel expenses were traded out with the Sheraton for advertising on KILT.
Rental of the Coliseum cost $1500 and police security $2500. KILT donated almost $15,000 to the Houston Farm and Ranch Club, a social organization of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
And here’s another sidebar to the Beatles arrival at Hobby Airport that has never been reported.
As the ‘boys’ were being loaded onto that food catering truck, Epstein fell from the plane as the truck lowered its elevated cargo bed and began pulling away from the planes open door. That left Epstein with one foot in the plane and one foot in the air. He fell about 16 feet and landed on his back and had to be taken to the hospital from Hobby in a taxi. He had a severe spinal injury and really never fully recovered from that fall. Epstein died two years later from a drug overdose, although it has never been determined if it was deliberate or by accident.
Oh, here’s something else never reported, until now, about the Beatles 1965 tour stop in Houston. I rode in the Brinks truck with them to the Sheraton Hotel!
Beatles live in Houston
Dan Lovett is a former ABC News sports anchor.
From:
www.chronicallybiased.com/features.php?itemid=1316
