This photo was taken in 1965 outside the Beatles' hotel room at the Holiday Inn in Baltimore. I am on the right. Next to me is the late Carroll James, a local Washington DJ who was one of the first to play the Beatles on the radio.I was interviewing the band for the Washington Star newspaper. From 1964 to 1967 I wrote a regular weekly column on rock and r&b. It was one of the first regular newspaper columns devoted to rock.
Over the years, I interviewed the Beatles, Stones, James Brown, Beach Boys, Dave Clark Five, Animals, and many of the biggest acts of the 60s.
I covered the Beatles very first show in the U.S. in February of 1964. It was at the Washington Coliseum. It was preceded earlier in the day by a press conference in a boxing ring at the Coliseum.
In all, I was able to attend five different Beatles shows: Two in D.C., one in Baltimore, another in Atlantic City, and finally one at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Regarding the LA show, I was friends with the lead singer (Bobbie Howard) of a local D.C. band, the British Walkers. One day he asked me where the Beatles were playing. I looked at their itinerary and told him they had an upcoming show at the Hollywood Bowl. So, he flew me and his bass player to LA to see the show.
We did not have tickets. However, we were able to buy them from scalpers at $50 apiece. The list price of the tickets was $5.00.
Hope this is helpful. If you have any questions, ok to email me.
Best,
Ron Oberman
2 comments:
Ron
I am the current GM of the Holiday Inn and have been for the past 12 years. I am also a Beatles fanatic. I'm intrigued by the picture. So many guests inquire as to what room they stayed in. Apparently, there used to be plaques on the doors, but they were removed before my arrival. Do you have any other info on their visit? I'm planning to inquire through the Md Historical Society for pictures or film.
Thanks for sharing this story.
Peter Komar
I'm Jack Brooks, the BW bass player mentioned in the section about the trip to L.A. & the Hollywood Bowl. We stayed at the same hotel as the supporting acts:
King Curtis and Cannibal & the Headhunters.
There's a British Walker website at http://www.britishwalkermusic.com
Rock n' Roll may get amnesia, but it never forgets!
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