1964 the Tribute

Last updated
1964 the Tribute
1964 the Tribute 02.jpg
Background information
Origin United States
Genres Rock
Years active1984–present
MembersMark Benson
Mac Ruffing
Doug Couture
Joseph Bologna
Past membersGary Grimes
Todd Rainey
Ricky Vacca
Graham Alexander
Tom Work
Robert Miller
Tom Teeley
Jimmy Pou
Greg George
Terry Manfredi
Bobby Potter
Website 1964thetribute.com

1964 the Tribute (originally called 1964 as The Beatles) is a US Beatles tribute band formed in 1984. The group focuses on early Beatles music from the 1964 "American invasion" era when the band first toured in the US.

Contents

Updating the Beatles

1964 the Tribute strive for authenticity in their portrayal of the Beatles, but not everything they do is the same. Two areas that differ are sound quality and set length. Mark Benson, who portrays John Lennon in the band, says in the original Beatles live performances in the 1960s, the fans were lucky to hear the music. "You have to credit the Beatles with revolutionizing the sound-reinforcement industry," says Benson. "Back then they had these little speakers that you couldn't hear anything out of. The way concerts were amplified had to be changed." [1] Benson says fans who saw the original shows notice the difference. "People will come up to us and say, 'I saw the Beatles in '64 and the only difference is I can hear you,'" Benson says. [1]

Another difference is the set length. The Beatles did two 30-minute sets in their early shows and never did encores, while 1964 the Tribute performs two 45-minute sets. "We tried the half-hour show initially, but it didn't go over well," says Benson. [1]

Members

The members of the group decided which member would portray which Beatle based on the instrument he played. "I was a guitarist, so the natural thing was the John or the George character," says Tom Work, who portrayed George Harrison. [2] "The way I got into it was, the fellow playing John Lennon [Benson] joined a band that was a local Beatles tribute act. This was around 1981. After about a year, he got his buddy [Grimes] to join and play Paul, and I was friends with him. About a year later, he got me to join and play George." [2] Over the years, the lineup has included:

The group plans to continue performing. [2] Asked about their future, Tom Work, who portrayed George Harrison until 2022, said, "The answer to that is the answer Gary gave his dad. His dad asked him, 'How long are you going to do this?' And Gary Grimes (who played Paul McCartney until retiring in 2009 due to brain cancer) said, 'Until they stop coming.' We are not anywhere close to the age the Beatles were. I'm sure many people will comment, 'They're starting to look a little old to be doing this,' but people are still coming. Just being a musician keeps you young at heart." [2]

The current lineup is Mark Benson, Mac Ruffing, Doug Couture and Joseph Bologna.

Gary Grimes died after a long battle with brain cancer in December 2010 at age 60. His death was hard on members and fans. A memorial service was broadcast online. Mark Benson performed "In My Life" at the service.

Mission

The band's mission is to accurately re-create the 1964 Beatles invasion of America. Members play a set of all early Beatles music, with some middle Beatles thrown in. Sometimes the group's costumes reflect the Beatles' early period, and sometimes members wear replicas of the Shea Stadium concert apparel from 1965. The "concept is performing a show that gives you an idea of what it was like to see the Beatles when they were touring," says Benson. [1] "It's definitely a music gig, but there's an acting element to it," says Work. "None of us is really an actor per se. I probably come closest because I've done some plays, just in community theater. But there's some acting. You need to adopt the body language, the speaking voice. Those two things, I guess, for this kind of a role are two aspects that resemble acting. Everything else is more musicianship and vocal impersonation — singing, I mean." [2] The group separates its life onstage from offstage. "We didn't want to be them, just wanted to portray them," says Work. "No one really considered wearing those boots around all the time or the tight pants or having hair that looked like that. We were musicians before, professional, full-time musicians. We didn't start doing Beatles until we were 30." [2]

Discography

PBS Soundtrack CD

  1. I Saw Her Standing There
  2. I Want to Hold Your Hand
  3. From Me to You
  4. Love Me Do
  5. Please Please Me
  6. Do You Want to Know a Secret?
  7. All My Loving
  8. This Boy
  9. And I Love Her
  10. Act Naturally
  11. Eight Days a Week
  12. A Hard Day's Night
  13. I Should Have Known Better
  14. If I Fell
  15. Can't Buy Me Love
  16. Nowhere Man
  17. Twist and Shout
  18. Roll Over Beethoven
  19. "I Feel Fine"
  20. Paperback Writer
  21. In My Life
  22. If I Needed Someone
  23. We Can Work It Out
  24. Yellow Submarine
  25. Yesterday
  26. Help!
  27. Day Tripper
  28. She Loves You

"All You Need Is Live!"

Disc 1

  1. I Saw Her Standing There
  2. I Want To Hold Your Hand
  3. Love Me Do
  4. Please Please Me
  5. Do You Want to Know a Secret?
  6. All My Loving
  7. This Boy
  8. Till There Was You
  9. Eight Days a Week
  10. A Hard Day's Night
  11. I Should Have Known Better
  12. Nowhere Man
  13. Can't Buy Me Love

Disc 2

  1. Twist and Shout
  2. Roll Over Beethoven
  3. I Feel Fine
  4. Michelle
  5. And Your Bird Can Sing
  6. Taxman
  7. I'm a Loser
  8. I Don't Want to Spoil the Party
  9. Yellow Submarine
  10. Yesterday
  11. Help!
  12. Day Tripper
  13. She Loves You
  14. Dizzy Miss Lizzy
  15. Long Tall Sally

Nine Hours in November

  1. It Won't Be Long
  2. There's a Place
  3. I'll Follow the Sun
  4. If I Fell
  5. Boys
  6. Slow Down
  7. Kansas City
  8. Bad Boy
  9. Don't Bother Me
  10. And I Love Her
  11. Any Time at All
  12. You Can't Do That
  13. I'm Down
  14. Rock and Roll Music

30/50 Celebration

  1. I Want To Hold Your Hand
  2. I Saw Her Standing There
  3. Love Me Do
  4. Thank You Girl
  5. Please Please Me
  6. I'll Get You
  7. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You
  8. All My Loving
  9. Boys
  10. And I Love Her
  11. A Hard Days Night
  12. If I Fell
  13. Money
  14. She Loves You

Starhand Visions

Original material by Gary Grimes. Other members are on the album throughout it.

  1. They're Here...
  2. The Arrival Theme
  3. The Illusion
  4. From the Light of Change
  5. Hold On
  6. Hold On to Love
  7. Daydream Lover
  8. Marla Star
  9. Take Good Care of Her Heart
  10. Would You Say No?
  11. Tell Her I'm Home
  12. You Are My Heart
  13. Because of You
  14. I Can't Live Without Your Love
  15. Feel the Fire

Related Research Articles

<i>Please Please Me</i> 1963 studio album by the Beatles

Please Please Me is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released in the UK on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963. The album is 14 songs in length, and contains a mixture of cover songs and original material written by the partnership of band members John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

<i>A Hard Days Night</i> (album) 1964 studio album by the Beatles

A Hard Day's Night is the third studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 10 July 1964 by Parlophone, with side one containing songs from the soundtrack to their film of the same name. The American version of the album was released two weeks earlier, on 26 June 1964 by United Artists Records, with a different track listing that included selections from George Martin's film score. In contrast to the Beatles' first two albums, all 13 tracks on A Hard Day's Night were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, showcasing the development of their songwriting partnership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy J. Kramer</span> British pop singer

William Howard Ashton, known professionally as Billy J. Kramer, is an English pop singer. With The Dakotas, Kramer was managed by Brian Epstein during the 1960s and scored hits with several Lennon–McCartney compositions never recorded by the Beatles, among them the UK number one "Bad to Me" (1963). Kramer and the Dakotas had a further UK chart-topper in 1964 with "Little Children" and achieved U.S. success as part of the British Invasion. Since the end of the beat boom, Kramer has continued to record and perform. His autobiography, Do You Want to Know a Secret, was published in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Me Do</span> 1962 single by the Beatles

"Love Me Do" is the debut single by the English rock band the Beatles, backed by "P.S. I Love You". When the single was originally released in the United Kingdom on 5 October 1962, it peaked at number 17. It was released in the United States in 1964 and topped the nation's song chart. Re-released in 1982 as part of EMI's Beatles 20th anniversary, it re-entered the UK charts and peaked at number 4. "Love Me Do" also topped the charts in Australia and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Buy Me Love</span> 1964 single by the Beatles

"Can't Buy Me Love" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in March 1964 as the A-side of their sixth single. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The song was included on the group's album A Hard Day's Night and was featured in a scene in Richard Lester's film of the same title. The single topped charts in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the Netherlands, France and Sweden. In the UK, it was the fourth highest selling single of the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Please Please Me (song)</span> 1963 song by the Beatles

"Please Please Me" is a song released by the English rock band the Beatles. It was their second single in the United Kingdom, and their first in the United States. It is also the title track of their first LP, which was recorded to capitalise on the success of the single. It is a John Lennon composition, although its ultimate form was significantly influenced by producer George Martin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Saw Her Standing There</span> 1963 single by the Beatles

"I Saw Her Standing There" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It is the opening track on the band's 1963 debut UK album Please Please Me and their debut US album Introducing... The Beatles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">There's a Place</span> 1963 song by the Beatles

"There's a Place" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their debut album, Please Please Me, released in March 1963. It was written primarily by John Lennon and credited to McCartney–Lennon. In the United States, the song was released in July 1963 on the group's first US LP, Introducing... The Beatles, later reissued in January 1964 as Beatlemania surged there. It was also issued as a non-album single in the US, in March 1964, as the B-side to "Twist and Shout", reaching number 74 in the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Birth of the Beatles</i> 1979 biopic film directed by Richard Marquand

Birth of the Beatles is a 1979 American biographical film, produced by Dick Clark Productions and directed by Richard Marquand. The film was released into cinemas worldwide, except in the United States, where it was shown as a TV film on ABC. The film focuses on the early history of the Beatles. It was released nine years after the announced break-up of the Beatles themselves, and is the only Beatles biopic to be made while John Lennon was still alive. Pete Best, the Beatles' original drummer, served as a technical advisor for the production.

<i>The Beatles</i> (TV series) Animated television series

The Beatles, also referred to as The Beatles Cartoon, is an animated television series featuring representations of the popular English rock band of the same name. It was originally broadcast from 1965 to 1967 on ABC in the United States, with reruns airing until 1969.

<i>The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits</i> 1964 studio album by Alvin and the Chipmunks with David Seville

The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits is a tribute album of Alvin and the Chipmunks singing the hits of the Beatles. It was originally released in 1964 by Liberty Records on vinyl record, and consists of Chipmunk renditions of early Beatles hits. This was the very first Beatles tribute album.

The Beatles Anthology is a documentary television series on the career of the Beatles. It was broadcast on UK television in eight parts on ITV between 26 November and 31 December 1995, while in the United States it was seen as three feature-length episodes on ABC between 19 and 23 November 1995. It was released in greatly expanded form as an eight-volume VHS set and an eight-disc LaserDisc set on 5 September 1996. The series was re-released on DVD in 2003, with an 81-minute special-features disc.

<i>Love Songs to the Beatles</i> 1965 studio album by Mary Wells

Love Songs to the Beatles is a tribute album dedicated to the Beatles, released in 1965 by Mary Wells on the 20th Century Fox label. The album was a personal tribute to the British rock group by Wells, who was one of the first Motown artists to tour overseas as the group's opening act after her single "My Guy" had gained hit status in the UK. Wells befriended all four members of the group and released it as a labor of love. This was her second and last album for 20th Century Fox.

The History of Rock and Roll is a radio documentary on rock and roll music, originally syndicated in 1969, and again in 1978 and 1981. It is currently distributed as both a 2+12-minute short feature on internet networks, and a two-hour weekly series hosted by Wink Martindale, distributed to radio stations nationwide. This list below reflects the contents of the more widely heard 1978 version of The History of Rock & Roll.

<i>The Beatles Box</i> 1980 box set by the Beatles

The Beatles Box is an eight-record box set of Beatles recordings, initially released on 3 November 1980 by World Records, a mail-order subsidiary of EMI. It was also issued in two formats by Reader's Digest in New Zealand, Australia and Mexico.

<i>Around the Beatles</i> 1964 television special featuring the Beatles

Around the Beatles was a 1964 television special featuring the Beatles, produced by Jack Good for ITV/Rediffusion London. It was taped in Wembley Park Studios in London on 28 April 1964, and broadcast internationally, with its initial airing on 6 May 1964, and in the US on the ABC network on 15 November. The show featured other performers as well, with the Beatles providing backing vocals for some of them. The music had been pre-recorded at London's IBC Studios on 19 April 1964, and the Beatles mimed during the show.

This is a summary list of all the top singles in the VG-lista, the official Norwegian hit-chart, from 1964 to 1994. For detailed listings week by week for number-one positions from 1995 onwards, see List of number-one songs in Norway.

<i>The Japan Box</i> 2014 box set by the Beatles

The Japan Box is a boxed set compilation of the five albums released by the Beatles for the Japanese market between 1964 and 1965, originally released in Japan by Odeon Records. The albums consist of Meet the Beatles!, The Beatles' Second Album, A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles No. 5., and Help! The box set presents them in the Mini LP format. It also includes a 100-page book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of the Beatles</span> Overview of and topical guide to the Beatles

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Wikipedia articles available about the Beatles from their formation through their breakup; it does not include information about members' solo careers.

References