Bob Eubanks
and The Beatles

by Mickey Cochran


Copyright ©2000-2009 Mystic West Products

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Source Story from "Introduction to Fingerstyle Mandolin"

Bob Eubanks & The Beatles

"In retrospect, it seems hard to believe, but the management of the world famous Hollywood Bowl had to be persuaded and cajoled into "taking a chance" on letting the "upstart" Beatles perform there during their first American tour in 1964. They weren't at all sure, whether the British group was really a big enough draw to fill their amphitheater!

"In 1964 Eubanks borrowed $25,000 on his house and produced The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl Concert. THis was the beginning of a 20-year concert promotion career that included The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Barry Manilow, Elton John and Bob Dylan, just to name a few. During that time Eubanks became one of the largest concert promoters in America producing over 100 concerts per year nationwide."

The man who did most of the persuading and cajoling was a Los Angeles radio DJ, artists' agent and promoter by the name of Bob Eubanks, who proposed to produce and promote the concert. The Bowl people demanded a non-refundable security deposit, just in case the British Rockers failed to bring in a large enough audience to cover expenses. Bob Eubanks actually had to go out and mortgage his home to raise the money!

As it turned out, Eubanks and Capitol Records, with some help from the local media, created an event, the likes of which Los Angeles and the Hollywood Bowl had never seen before.To this day, the Bowl concert dates, all produced by Eubanks, are recalled, and replayed, as among the most important live appearances of the Beatles' careers.

Bob Eubanks, born on 8 January 1938 in Flint, Michigan, USA, began his broadcasting career as a disc jockey and, by the early 60's, had become one of the most successful DJs at Los Angeles' premier rock-and-roll station, KRLA. Besides producing the Beatles Bowl appearances for three years running, Eubanks produced live concerts for Elton John, Barry Manilow, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones.

In 1966 the superbly telegenic Eubanks became the host of ABC Television's "The Newlywed Game", which became one of the top rated prime time game shows of all time.

By 1972 he had entered the country music business as a producer and artists manager, guiding the careers of performers such as Marty Robbins, Barbara Mandrell, Dolly Parton and Merle Haggard, for whom he produced over a hundred concert dates a year for a decade.

Eubanks continued to produce and/or host some of the most successful game programs and musical shows for the major television networks into the 1990's, but is probably best known to audiences around the world for his coverage of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade for KTLA-TV, which he has done every New Years Day since 1978!

And he will always be remembered as the man who brought the Beatles to the Hollywood Bowl." (which of course was the main reason for the Beatles' first visit)

Source Story from "Introduction to Fingerstyle Mandolin"

go to: http://www.beatles.ws/ for lots of great stories on The Beatles • The above story was used by permission from: FRK, at the Beatles Worldsite


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