Our Dad passed away on December 30, 1963. Our family had recently moved from Davenport, Iowa to Ann Arbor, Michigan in the spring of 1963. We were still adjusting to our new lives in Michigan, when the rug was yanked out from under us. With the passing of our Dad, our lives were suddenly turned upside down.

Then along came the Beatles. In January 1964 “I Wanna Hold your Hand” hit the airwaves in America. Even though we really didn’t know it at the time, our lives were about to change again. Big time. Our country was still grieving over the loss of President Kennedy, and with the arrival of the Beatles, the press kind of took on this tone of equating their arrival with some kind of soothing factor for our country. I know it sure was for us.

The Beatles made their television debut on the Ed Sullivan show on February 9th, 1964. It was a television event that far surpassed anything that we had ever seen before, and have not seen anything quite like it since. Our Mom even liked the Beatles. Good thing, because little did she know what she was in for.

Dave Alexander moved into our neighborhood shortly after we did, in 1964. I had spotted Dave walking down the street a few times, and was curious. I mentioned him to Scotty and then we decided we would keep an eye out for him. One day we spotted him walking down the street, and Scotty “whistled him down”, and so, the story goes…

Dave got on board with Ronny’s love for the Beatles and the “British Invasion”. It was the fall of 1964, that Ronny and Dave decided they had to go to England and meet the Beatles. Well, they never did meet the Beatles. Instead, they returned home and began their journey to the Stooges…

Fifty years ago.

A letter sent to Ronny and Dave while they were in England, from Ronny’s dear friend and fellow Stooge, Bill Cheatham.