The Beatles came to Florida twice in 1964 and a new book chronicles the musical, cultural and social importance of those visits to Miami Beach, Key West and Jacksonville.
New book: Good Day Sunshine State — How the Beatles Rocked Florida by Bob Kealing, published by the University Press of Florida.
In 1964, Beatlemania flooded the United States. The Beatles
appeared live on the Ed Sullivan Show and embarked on their first tour
of North America—and they spent more time in Florida than anywhere else.
Good Day Sunshine State dives into this momentous time and place, exploring the band's seismic influence on the people and culture of the state.
Bob
Kealing sets the historical stage for the band's arrival—a nation dazed
after the assassination of John F. Kennedy and on the precipice of the
Vietnam War; a heavily segregated, conservative South; and in Florida,
recent events that included the Cuban Missile Crisis and the arrest and
imprisonment of Martin Luther King Jr. in St. Augustine. Kealing
documents the culture clashes and unexpected affinities that emerged as
the British rockers drew crowds, grew from fluff story to the subject of
continual news coverage, and basked in the devotion of a young and
idealistic generation.
Through an abundance of
letters, memorabilia, and interviews with journalists, fellow musicians,
and fans, Kealing takes readers behind the scenes into the Beatles'
time in locations such as Miami Beach, where they wrote new songs and
met Muhammad Ali. In the tropical environs of Key West, John Lennon and
Paul McCartney experienced milestone moments in their friendship. And
the band dodged the path of Hurricane Dora to play at the Gator Bowl in
Jacksonville, where they famously refused to perform until the city
agreed to integrate the audience.
Kealing highlights
music legends the Beatles inspired; rock-and-rollers like Tom Petty who
followed the Fab Four's lead in their path to stardom. This book offers a
close look at an important part of the musical and cultural revolution
that helped make the Beatles a worldwide phenomenon.
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