Next week marks the 40th anniversary of the utterance of five of
the most significant words to ever shape pop music and culture:
“Ladies and gentlemen—the Beatles!”

In celebration, OU is hosting a weekend of Beatles-related
events, featuring three performances from 1964…The Tribute,
a Beatles tribute band. 1964 pays tribute to the Beatles not only
in song choice, but in sound, style and presentation.

“[1964] lets people see what a Beatles concert, somewhat,
was like,” said associate professor of music Carl Rath, who
co-produces the yearly tribute shows with music professor Eldon
Matlick. This will be 1964’s 12th year to perform at OU.

“You will think you are seeing the Beatles in
concert,” Rath said. “They really get you to believe
it. They are remarkably consistent and dead-on accurate.”

1964...The Tribute will be performing at the Paul F. Sharp
Concert Hall today through Sunday.

Other events will include presentations by Beatles collector
Russ Lease and Andy Babiuk, the author of “Beatles
Gear,” prior to 1964’s Friday and Saturday
performances.

Lease, a resident of Maryland, will be flying in to partake of
the weekend’s activities.

He will be displaying some of his Beatles collection, featuring
items such as the jacket Paul McCartney wore at the band’s
historic Shea Stadium performance, Ringo Starr’s jacket from
the “Abbey Road” cover and the bass-drum head that
Ringo Starr used in the band’s first appearance on the
“Ed Sullivan Show.”

Lease said he’s glad to bring the drum to show to fans but
at the same time he is apprehensive about its transport.

“This is the first time I’ve ever flown with the
drum head, and it’s presented a lot of problems,” Lease
said. “There’s no way it’s going in the belly of
the plane. It’s worth the price of my house.”

Lease said he worked out a deal with the airline to allow him to
carry on the drum head as well as the historic garments.

Mark Benson, who plays the role of John Lennon in 1964, said the
significance of the Beatles, even 40 years later, cannot be
understated.

“They’re on the cover of all the major magazines
right now,” Benson said. “Clearly, the interest level
has no signs of waning. There’s no demographic that
isn’t included in their fan base—all ages, races and
economic levels are represented.”

The Beatles were heavily influenced by American pop stylings and
managed to make the sounds of American rock sound all their own,
Rath said.

“They took our own music and made it better,” Rath
said. “They taught us what rhythm and blues and rock n’
roll were all about. They didn’t just push the envelope. They
invented the envelope for others to push.”

As far as Benson and his band are concerned, the shows in Norman
are not just another set of gigs.

“This is like coming home for us,” Benson said.
“We have so many friends in Norman. It’ll be nice to
kick back for a few days and play some fun shows.”
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