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The Beatles First U.S. Tour In 1964: From The Archives Of Rowland Scherman

Ben Yakas

Published Feb 6, 2013

Modified Feb 6, 2013

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Ben Yakas

Published Feb 6, 2013

Modified Feb 6, 2013

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Photographer Rowland Scherman, who grew up in Pelham Manor, NY, began his career as the first photographer for the newly formed Peace Corps in 1961. He went on to work for the likes of Life, Time, National Geographic, Playboy, and countless other magazines. He even won a Grammy Award for his iconic photograph cover of "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits."

But as far as Rowland is concerned, he views himself as "the Forrest Gump of Photography," consistently stumbling into the right place at the right time—and he was there to document some of the most iconic moments of the 1960s and 1970s. For the next few weeks, we'll take a closer look at some of his incredible photos and the stories behind them, including pictures of Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Woodstock, the March on Washington, John Lennon, Bobby Kennedy, and more. To see more of his work, check out his website here—and also make sure to check out the trailer for a documentary being made about him here.

Previously, we got a peek at a very young Bob Dylan making his debut at Newport Folk Festival in 1963, dipped our toes into Woodstock, admired Janis Joplin, and learned how Rowland ended up on the "Woodstock" album. Now, we take a look at the Beatles on their first U.S. tour in 1964.

They played The Ed Sullivan Show, and then they took the train down to DC. That's where I lived at the time, that's where my career started. So when they showed up in DC, my sister was assisting their photographer, and she said, "You'd better come see these guys," so I did.

I didn't have a ticket or a press pass or anything. I was just starting out, and I was shooting pictures from way, way, way back in the wings. But I got a little closer and nobody stopped me...and then I got a little closer, still nobody stopped me. I was running out of film, and pretty soon I had my elbows on the stage, and I was right next to them blasting away with the few frames I had left. I got some pretty good stuff of these guys. The young Beatles. The kids were going nuts.

Tagged

beatles

Music

photography

rock

rowland scherman

the beatles

original

Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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