In 1964 The Beatles came to America for one final tour. Their journey in America began on Friday, February 7, of that year, when John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr arrived from the UK at the newly named John F. Kennedy International Airport. With cameras flashing and reporters jostling, they were whisked into Manhattan amid the screams, shouts, and tears of New York-area teens, braving the cold for a mere glimpse of the band. Then, that Sunday, the veritable king of the television variety show, Ed Sullivan, introduced them to a captivated American audience of more than 73 million viewers—at the time a television record. And just like that Beatlemania was upon us.
Curated by the GRAMMY Museum and Fab Four Exhibits, Ladies and Gentlemen … The Beatles! brings us back to the early ’60s when rock and roll was re-energized—some say saved—by four lads from Liverpool. This exhibit covers the period from early 1964 through mid-1966—the years Beatlemania ran rampant in America. During this time the band affected nearly every aspect of pop culture, including fashion, art, advertising, media, and, of course, music. On display are many Beatles-related pop culture artifacts from the period, as well as correspondence, instruments, posters, photographs, interviews, and interactive displays.
The Beatles in Bel Air at the Reginald Owen residence, 1964 (Photo: The Bob Bonis Archive, www.bobbonis.com)
Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles! provides insight into how and why The Beatles impacted America in the 1960s—and beyond.
This summer the gallery exhibit is featured after the Ravinia Music Box timed program and is only available to guests who have been through the immersive theater experience. The celebration of The Beatles in 2022 also includes the cabaret Reimagine The Beatles on June 30 and the orchestral tribute Classical Mystery Tour on July 3.
Artifact highlights:
Items and features of the Ladies and Gentlemen … The Beatles! exhibition include:
Clothing worn by the band, including the jacket worn by Paul McCartney during The Beatles’ 1965 Shea Stadium concert
Original lyric sheets written by Paul McCartney
Hand-written setlists from The Beatles’ concerts
Rare footage of The Beatles’ 1964 performance at the Grammy Awards
Gold record presented to The Beatles by Capitol Records
Venue contracts from the band’s American tours
Kid-friendly, interactive elements, including a virtual drumming lesson from Ringo and a playable home-made skiffle bass
About the GRAMMY Museum®
Established in 2008, the GRAMMY Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating a greater understanding of the history and significance of music through exhibits, education, grants, preservation initiatives, and public programming. Paying tribute to our collective musical heritage, the Museum explores and celebrates all aspects of the art form — from the technology of the recording process to the legends who've made lasting marks on our cultural identity.