Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History 

accessible at thejewishnews.com

54 | FEBRUARY 22 • 2024 
J
N

The Fab Four
A

long with the football game, this year’s Super Bowl 
LVIII featured the hugely popular singer/dancer 
Usher. Supported by a cast of hundreds, he centered a 
massive spectacle. As indicated by his performance, watched by 
more than 100 million Americans, Usher has reached a level of 
popularity reserved for only the best artists.
The groundwork for Usher was laid by 
megastars who preceded him. There was Frank 
Sinatra in the 1940s and Elvis Presley in the 
1950s. Sixty years ago on Feb. 9, America got its 
first glimpse of another musical phenomenon: 
The Beatles. Appearing on television’s Ed 
Sullivan Show on Feb. 9, 1964, an estimated 70 million viewers 
watched John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr — the 
“Fab Four” — perform on live TV (the U.S. population at the time was 190 million).
I’m old enough to remember watching that live performance. It was something to 
see a rock band that influenced my generation perform on a TV show that our grandparents loved. I 
remember hearing their remarks about the Beatle’s long hair and loud music — I can only imagine 
what they might say about recent Super Bowl halftime shows.
The Beatles appear on 423 pages in the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit 
History. Early reports from 1964 are most interesting. First, a small item asked: “Beatles to Invade 
the Holy Land?” (Feb. 28, 1964, JN). It never happened. The idea did generate a public debate in 
Israel that reached the Knesset. Security was a legitimate concern. Beatles fans were many and 
rambunctious. Israel’s cultural committee, however, concluded there was “no artistic value” in the 
music. I think it’s fair to say the committee grossly underestimated the Beatles. 
On Sept. 6, 1964, the Beatles played two shows at Detroit’s Olympia Stadium to more than 
30,000 adoring and screaming teenage fans. Later that month, the Beatles performed in Toronto. 
Acting upon unfounded but pervasive rumors that one band member was Jewish (Ringo Starr, who 
was not Jewish), neo-Nazis decided it was a good time to pass out antisemitic literature (Sept. 18, 
1964). 
The band from Liverpool, England, broke up in 1970, but their legacy has endured. The Beatles 
had an indisputable impact upon modern music and a lasting relationship with their fans. This is 
obvious when reading about the Beatles in the Archive. Bernie Hamburger, for example, was an 
autoworker at Ford’s truck plant by day and a guitar maker after the whistle blew. He had a direct 
relationship with Beatle George Harrison, who played Hamburger’s customized guitars (May 26, 
2000).
Another Jewish Detroiter who was closer to the Beatles than most of us was the late Bob Benyas. A 
prominent photographer, Benyas took shots of world-famous persons, from Golda Meir and Moshe 
Dayan to Leonard Bernstein and … the Beatles (May 8, 2014).
Howard Hertz received a lifetime achievement from the Cultural Council of Birmingham 
Bloomfield in 2022 as a “Champion for Artistic Freedom.
” His career began after watching the Beatles 
on TV and then rushing out to buy a guitar for $25 (Oct. 27, 2022, JN).
A great article about the Beatles and Jewish Detroiters is “Ultimate Fans” (Nov. 24, 2016). You may know Karen 
Tintori Katz, Tara Applebaum, Andi Sklar, Larry Lawson or Cheryl Weiss.
The Beatles indeed changed music history. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN archives, available for free at thejewishnews.com.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

