Ivor Davis and the Beatles
Posted by Sandy Warren
Ivor Davis Regales Ventura Rotary South
With Stories of His Time with the Beatles
It was a fascinating afternoon, rather than a "hard day's night," at our regular meeting on Monday, July 11, as members and guests of Ventura Rotary South were treated to stories and reminiscences from Ivor Davis, a veteran British journalist who spent most of his time in 1964 covering the Beatles during their meteoric rise to worldwide stardom. Ivor, pictured above, is the author of "The Beatles and Me," a book he recently wrote that chronicles his experiences with the legendary foursome, attending their concerts, socializing with them in their hotels, and writing about it all for the London Times.
"In some ways," said Ivor, "it feels like a distant memory. These four lads really covered the waterfront - no other musical artist has done what they were able to do, and the whole world still loves them."
Ivor was a correspondent working in Los Angeles in the summer of 1964 when his editor called and told him to get on a plane for San Francisco where "the boys were going to play." Ivor's first response was, "What boys?", but it didn't take him long to find out. Over the course of the coming months, he attended 25 of their concerts and witnessed the hysteria and magic of Beatlemania.
Regarding those concerts, Ivor pointed out that each was identical - the same 10 songs in the same order, night after night. "The average show ran for about 27 and a half minutes," said Ivor, "then it was into the limousines and back to the hotel." Ivor noted that those limousine rides could be downright terrifying with hundreds of teenagers surrounding the cars and pressing on the windows to get a glimpse of their idols.
Ivor made special note of the fact that it was 50 years ago this summer that the Beatles played their last public concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco (unless you count the impromptu rooftop jam session in London on January 30, 1969). Either way, it was a slice of musical history that the world is not likely to witness again. Thank you, Ivor, for sharing it with us firsthand.