Ladies and gentlemen … THE BEATLES!!!

Before Ed Sullivan ever uttered those words of introduction 50 years ago on Feb. 9, 1964, I was a Beatles fan. Listening to John, Paul, George and Ringo on a tiny transistor radio and gabbing about them with a few fellow Beatlemaniac friends, we could not wait to see them on that wonderful Sunday night.
And after that night, my love for the Fab Four never ended, much to my parents' dismay.
Ringo and John were my favorites, followed by George and, in last place, Paul. 

My room became plastered with posters and photos; my mom made me a Beatles suit with the piping where the collar should be; I bought their 45 and LP records (and later tapes, CDs and iTunes downloads), buttons, jewelry, knickknacks … well, you get the idea.
But with all the attention this week leading up to that magical Ed Sullivan Show 50 years ago, I thought I'd share a bit as well.
Here are a few of my early -- and well-worn record albums. I have too many to show them all...

One of my favorite posters from the early days…

A few glimpses at an ancient scrapbook…

And here are some of my early magazines… a little bit worn, but still well-loved…

Still love my Beatles pillow and serving tray….

 And of course this book by John. I remember how hard I had to work to get it way back when. Local bookstores were not abundant….

A tad bit more-recent treasure...

Ah yes…. those wonderful Beatle flicks!

My Ringo doll! My late Aunt Mary gave this to me, way back then… 

And then there is this treasure … my ticket from when I saw The Beatles in 1966. I remember thinking that my dad would NEVER agree to taking me and a few friends to Philly to see them. But to my utter amazement and complete joy, he said yes! 

Back then, you had to send your money to the radio station sponsoring the show and hope for the best. If you look at the ticket, you'll see I had to pay $5 to see them at JFK Stadium… big bucks!
My parents dropped us off for the show, then went to visit my aunt and uncle in Philly. They said that when they came to pick us up, all they could hear were screams. They said we couldn't possibly have heard anything over those screams… WRONG! It was a night never to be forgotten. 

We saw them, we heard them and yes, we screamed!
 

It seems impossible that all of this started more than 50 years ago. I have many other Beatles items that are near and dear to my heart. I have seen Paul McCartney in concert a few times and even Ringo and his All Starr Band.
It was heart-breaking when John was murdered and I also mourned the death of George.
I hold in my heart countless memories connected to The Beatles' music, movies and lives.
My life was changed and enriched by these "mop tops." I count myself lucky to be a Beatlemaniac.
Most days I look in the mirror and wonder who the heck that old lady is looking back at me.
But I'm happy to be this old so that "in my life" I could love these lads from the beginning.
Thank you so much, John, Paul, George and Ringo.