Race/Beatles

Did the Beatle phenomena cross over racial lines? Seems all the footage
I see.....concerts, American visits, Sullivan, ect. seem to only have
white faces in the crowds. Did or do they (Beatles) have a racially
mixed following?

Bip Bop...

There's a black girl screaming her head off in the Shea Stadium film on
the Anthology!

fishandchips...

maybe her pocket book was ripped off

Jeff...

Sure, they have a racially mixed following..just like us white folks
like some of the black
music. I do anyhow.

Lookingglass...

Jimi Hendrix thought enough of SGT PEPPER to perform the music a few days
after it's release.

TAR...

And let's not forget Billy Preston's contributions.

fishandchips...

Talkin about the masses Ms TAR

TAR...

Oh, no... not *another* religious thread. ;)

johnny b. love...

My black friends did NOT like the Beatles. One in particular absolutely
despised them. From the classic rock era she liked the Rolling Stones
and Led Zeppelin, even Bowie, but couldn't stand the Beatles. Too cute.

inwood_1999...

Most blacks that I've ever read or heard in interviews talk about Led
Zeppelin despised Led Zeppelin because of there rip off of old blues
tunes and especially Willie Dixon. Personally I like Led Zeppelin.

johnny b. love...

Were they female?

She liked Robert Plant and his big hair and his big dick and nevermind
Willie Dixon and artistic nuance. :)

The Paul McCartney, ultra cute, muggy, hair shaking stuff really
repulsed her. I think if I could have gotten her to give it a chance,
she would have liked "Come Together" or similar.

fattuchus...

The Beatles were covered by many artists including Ike and Tina Turner.

fishandchips...

NOT talking about covers

D. Moreno...

But they had to like it to do it, no?

fattuchus...

Yes, that is my point. The Beatles had many admirers including black
musicians.

Danny Caccavo...

Not necessarily. Many times covers were done because a song or band was
popular, not because the cover artist admired the original artists.

Sean Carroll...

And Muhammad Ali's meeting with them.

donz5...

True story:

Mid-August 1978. My girlfriend and I had just driven from SF to NYC. We
stayed at my uncle's in NJ. The next day, the uncle drove us into the
city. Parked the car. Walking down the street was this huge black guy
balancing a huge boombox on one of his shoulders.

The music coming out of the boombox: "Let It Be."

fishandchips...

I'm sure there were a few followers but not many. Black dude I was in
the Army with LOVED Sgt. Pepper, but then again we were smokin the
pipe.....:-) Don't think there were many fab four posters hanging in
the hood... So I think their appeal isn't as universal as we Beatle
lovers might think. IMHO

terra...

I heartily disagree. While the earlier Beatles were not embraced so much
the mid to late Beatles were, by people of all persuasions.

Rich...

And percussions!

abby road...

Oprah said that she was the exception among her friends because she liked the
Beatles and her friends were into Motown.

TAR...

Yes, that's right. I saw her show when she interviewed Paul. She
seemed enamored, and said that she used to have a wild crush on him when
she was younger.

johnny b. love...

Well there's a wife number 3 candidate. Kick Steadman to the curb and
double your money.

IBen Getiner...

IBen Getiner...

Gee... I wonder what Jenny meant by that... Guess we'll never know...

BlackMonk...

You too, fishandchips

IBen Getiner

So....???

IBen Getiner

IBen Getiner...

Race?? What are you talking about? What kind of racist statement is
that? I though all of us in here subscribed to the ideal that 'we're

Bernie Woodham...

Paul probably banged her after the show.

Lookingglass...

Gee! I wonder if it's possible to like the Beatles AND Motown...?!? I did.

Sean Carroll...

The Beatles loved Motown. It was one of their biggest influences in the
early years.

Dale Houstman...

A lot of whites did, (myself certainly) although I think it was not so
much the other way, probably due to some degree of (understandable)
racial pride. Hendrix supposedly fretted over the sparse amount of
blacks who attended his concerts also. I'm not so sure that (say in
Washington D.C. at the time of the Beatles concert) it would have been
an easy thing for a black person to suddenly decide to go to the arena
to see the 4 white boys and their predominantly white audience. And
maybe there was still some lingering resentment over the "they stole our
music" attitude that started with Presley and other rockabilly acts. But
- from a purely aesthetic view - it is very easy to like both the
Beatles and Motown, and country, and blues, and be-bop, and funk.

Phlp2...

I never understood why Hendrix's audience was predominantly white. I could
be
mistaken, but I think Chuck Berry's audience was also mostly white.

Dale Houstman...

Probably, although I don't know that for a fact. Like I surmised, there
was probably some (quite understandable) resistance to joining in on
what had become white-boy mainstream, and wanting to create something
all one's own. Soul music (in the 60s) filled the bill quite well, and -
more importantly - produced some excellent music.

Lookingglass...

I always considered the Four Top's REACH OUT (I'll Be There) one of the top
5 songs of the 60's era...just an absolutely GREAT song...both musically,
and the sentiment of the lyric.

Now if you feel that you can't go on
Because all of your hope is gone
And your life is filled with much confusion
Until happiness is just an illusion
And your world around is crumbling down, darlin
Reach out come on girl reach on out for me
Reach out reach out for me
I'll be there with a love that will shelter you
I'll be there with a love that will see you through

When you feel lost and about to give up
Cause your life just ain't good enough
And your feel the world has grown cold
And your drifting out all on your own
And you need a hand to hold, darlin
Reach out come on girl reach out for me
Reach out reach out for me
I'll be there to love and comfort you
And I'll be there to cherish and care for you

I'll be there to always see you through
I'll be there to love and comfort you
I can tell the way you hang your head
Your not in love now, now your afraid
And through the tears you look around
But there's no piece of mind to be found
I know what your thinking,
You're alone now, no love of your own, but darling
Reach out come on girl reach out for me
Reach out reach out.......... just look over your shoulder
I'll be there to give you all the love you need
And I'll be there you can always depend on me
I'll be there to always see you through
I'll be there to love and comfort you

all one big race...the human race'.....? I saw NOTHING but beautiful
colourless smiling faces in those crowds, so I don't know what you're
driving at here.
I want to tell you right here and now... This kind of observation
will not go rationally challenged. Don't DARE make us chastise you with
a freeze-out. We'll do it too, you know.
We're watching you...

By the way.... What are you doing to support affirmative action, forced
integration, the NAACP and black history month?

fishandchips...

gonna eat alot of ribs

joe b...

I brought a brand new bag.

the almighty Griff...

Mark Lewisohn cites an appearance in Jacksonville in September 1964,
where The Beatles refused to perform unless they received an assurance
that the crowd would not be "color segregated".

Dale Houstman...

Yet that doesn't mean that their audience that night would be full of
black fans. It is admirable of the Boys to insist on this, but whether
or not it ended up attracting a lot of African Americans is another
question. Of all the Beatles concert footage I've seen, I do see a
number of black audience members, but not anything approaching parity.

the almighty Griff...

I think you'd be hard pressed to look into *any* concert crowd of that
time and find parity.

Dale Houstman...

Oh - I don't doubt that. The question was about The Beatles though, so
(oddly) that was what I was talking about. But there were times and
places such a "melange" might be found: in the "roaring twenties" at
many jazz clubs (especially in Harlem), and in Europe at many different
times. Also, there were a few "crossover" bands that could attract a
rather more "mixed" crowd. But - in general - you're most likely correct.