DM's Beatles forums
Beatles forums => The Beatles => Topic started by: TomMo on June 24, 2012, 06:04:31 PM
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Imagine you are an established artist or a new band in the 1960's. You've been invited to be an opening act on one of the Beatles' U.S. tours. Do you take the job?
Here is a list of acts that opened for the Beatles in the U.S., 1964-1966.
Tommy Roe
The Chiffons
The Exciters
The Bill Black Combo
The Righteous Brothers
Jackie DeShannon
Brenda Holloway
The King Curtis Band
Cannibal and The Headhunters
Sounds Incorporated
The Remains
Bobby Hebb
The Ronettes
The Cyrkle
What happened to these acts?
The Righteous Brothers, Tommy Roe, and Jackie DeShannon seem to be the only acts who had hits after their tours with the Beatles. But all three were already established acts.
The Chiffons and the Ronettes faded away. The Cyrkle were a two-hit wonder before their tour and remained so afterwards. Bobby Hebb was a one-hit wonder. What about the rest?
Was it a bad career move to tour with the Beatles?
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I think it was partly due to the fact that support acts will have been chosen which weren't strong enough to upstage the headline act.
Plus, why pay for big-name artists as support acts when it was obvious that the crowd would only come for one act.
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I think it was partly due to the fact that support acts will have been chosen which weren't strong enough to upstage the headline act.
Plus, why pay for big-name artists as support acts when it was obvious that the crowd would only come for one act.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. When I saw them in '66, it was okay hearing Bobby Hebb do "Sunny" or The Cyrkle doing "Red Rubber Ball" and "Turn Down Day", but you're right: "Bring on the Beatles!"
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How can you not? Even if you don't become successful, that experience of opening up for the Beatles at Shea is something you'll never forget. At least, until Alzheimers creeps in :)