This year marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles famous debut on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. To commemorate the landmark performance, CBS aired the special, The Night That Changed America – A Grammy Salute to The Beatles, last night on the exact anniversary of the original show. The Beatles received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s ceremony, and the surviving half of the Fab Four was on-hand to accept. Paul McCartney took home a Grammys for Best Rock Song for “Cut Me Some Slack”, a track he recorded with original Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, and Best Music Film for his live concert movie, Live Kisses. McCartney, 71, and Starr, 73, also performed one of McCartney’s new tunes together. The last time the now-duo shared a stage was Ringo’s 70th birthday celebration at Radio City Music Hall (New York, NY) in 2010. A star-studded line-up was assembled for the tribute performances, and here are some of the rock highlights:
Maroon 5 – “All My Loving”, “Ticket To Ride”
John Mayer and Keith Urban – “Don’t Let Me Down”
Ed Sheeran – “In My Life”
Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) – “Hey, Bulldog”
Joe Walsh (Eagles), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), and Gary Clark Jr. – “As My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Imagine Dragons – “Revolution”
Ringo Starr – “Yellow Submarine”
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr – “Hey Jude”
The Beatles are undoubtedly one of the most iconic and influential music artists of all time. Throughout their career, they’ve garnered 7 Grammy Awards and an Oscar for Best Original Score. The Beatles are the number one selling act of all time, with over 2.3 billion records sold worldwide since their debut in 1962. Their discography boasts an impressive 6 diamond albums, and 24 multi-platinum albums. The band as a collective was included in Time Magazine’s list of The 100 Most Influential People of The 20th Century.
