The Ed Sullivan Show was the #1 prime time show of its day.
Ed announced the birth of our oldest daughter Jerri Paige on the show. Ed Sullivan was a unique host and the shows I performed on are some of my most valuable memories.
BJ Thomas
Dino, Desi & Billy appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in the summer of 1965. There were a few things that made it special and historical: (1) it was the very first color broadcast of the show (2) it emanated not from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York but rather from the CBS studios on Beverly Blvd. and Fairfax in Los Angeles - Mr. Sullivan even wore a tuxedo to mark the occasion. DD&B performed our hits "I'm a Fool" and "Not the Lovin' Kind" back-to-back before going over to chat with our host. Desi's mother, Lucille Ball, sat in the studio audience and was flanked by her mother, Dede Ball, and daughter, Lucie Arnaz.
We may not be in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, but DD&B are proud to have been a part of the exclusive club of performers that appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Best,
Billy Hinsche / Dino, Desi & Billy
We were fortunate enough to have Mr. Sullivan present us with one of our gold albums in 1968. It was a great honor to meet him and be on his, “Really Big Shew”. We did his show several times and he treated us with great respect.
Gary Pike
The Lettermen / Reunion
Appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show was our vindication and laurel wreath. Several weeks before our appearance, we had done several dates with the Beach Boys, who had done the Sullivan show many times. The week before we were to go on, we stopped by their rooms at the Hyatt House in Los Angeles. They were going to walk me through all the protocols because prparations for an Ed Sullivan appearance took all week. No matter what your status in the entertainment world, it was a scary thing appearing with Ed. The Sullivan could break as well as make careers.
The Beach Boys and I were watching that Sunday and I was particularly interested because Ed always came out at the close of the show to announce who the headliner would be for the following week. Sure enough, just before the end of the show, Ed steppend in front of the camera and said, "And next week on our show, for all the youngsters ... Tony Jones and the Shondells." We looked at one another. "Great. He never heard of us and he can't read." It got worse.
Tuesday morning we went to the Sullivan Theater because you had to commit to being on the set, around the clock, for several days. They wanted us to do the show live and I begged them to let me do a lip sync. They always insisted on live performances but they would compromise as long as I could give them a four-track tape with different layers of sound so they could regulate the output and not have it sound like the record.
I went to Allegro Studio, which was just across the street. I mixed a four track of "Crimson And Clover" but instead of giving them different mixes, I gave them different levels and different ETs, which meant they couldn't fool around with the mix, but the needles on their machines would be jumping around. All they could do was change the volume. They never caught on and I got to do a lip sync, which took a lot of pressure off because there was no way these guys were going to get the fade at the end of the recording of "Crimson And Clover". That was a train wreck waiting to happen.
Each day they marched us progressively into the final show. It was literally a zoo backstage because there were always hundreds of people, animal acts, the Vienna Boys Choir, a guy practicing his spinning plates routine. Our show inlcuded John Byner, Stiller and Meara, and Sergio Franchi. They custom built a stage set just for us. The band was on platforms at different levels and they shot us against funhouse mirrors that would slightly distort our features ... and Ed Sullivan acid trip. As we were watching the dress rehearsal on Sunday, Bob Precht, who was both the producer and Ed's son-in-law, walked over to me with that week's copy of Billboard, opened to the chart page. He tossed it on my lap. "Crimson" had gone number one at that moment.
In reality, The Ed Sullivan Show was almost live. They taped a show before a live audience from 5:00 to 6:00 and then took and hour for dinner. Then they taped another show before another live audience from 7:00 to 8:00. At 8:00 PM sharp, they went on the air and the production crew ran both tapes simultaneoulsy and aired the best performance. They were incredibly skillful at split-second timing.
At the end of the show, if you were the headliner, you got to talk to Ed. It was another thing the Beach Boys warned me about. While the acts were performing, Ed would stand in a narrow alcove watching the show on a little black-and-white TV set. He would also unwind with a little nip. We finished our last song and Ed, who by this time was on his sixth scotch, called me over. "Now Tommy, I understand you were born and raised in New York City." I froze. Where the hell did he get that info? I could not let that stand because I had relatives and friends watching and the whole town of Niles, Michigan, was glued to their sets.
"Well, actually, Ed, I've lived in New York City for a couple of years, but I was born in Dayton, Ohio, and raised in Niles, Michigan, but I've lived here since I was eighteen." I gave him every opportunity to exit gracefully. He wanted none of it. "Once again, born and raised in New York ... Tommy James."
At least he got my name right.
--Tommy James
I talk about this before I introduce "Susan" at a Buckinghams concert. Back in the 60's the epitome of success was being invited to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. It was 1968 and "Susan" was our latest hit so we performed "Susan" and what was to be our next single at the time, "What Is Love," a James Guercio produced song. We performed the two songs as a medley starting with "Susan". We got to the psychedelic break in "Susan" when it cut to a video of us running around in various fun situations, then out of the break into "What Is Love." It was actually very cutting edge for the time.
We were very excited to perform on Ed Sullivan, especially because Elvis, The Beatles and The Stones had been guests on the show. I remember thinking the Ed Sullivan Theatre was a lot smaller than I thought it would be ... on TV it seemed much larger. As a matter of fact, I thought Ed Sullivan would be taller, because he seemed larger than life on TV. The show was taped live, and I remember the week we were supposed to appear and after we told all our friends and family, it didn't happen. They pushed it a week later because of some scheduling problem, so that was a disappointment, but it finally aired.
Like I said, appearing on Ed Sullivan was as good as it gets back then. We didn't have MTV or VH1, so the best you could hope for was to be invited on one of the great variety shows like The Smothers Brothers, American Bandstand or The Jerry Lewis Show, to name a few of the many we did. But Ed Sullivan was it! That was success!
Carl Giammarese
The Buckinghams
Ed Sullivan was a gentleman.
He invited me to meet him at DelMonico (his apartment building in New York City) to go to mass with him on Sunday. After that he introduced me as Peter (Herman) Moon, because we had become sort of close, but not so close as to remember my actual name ... so I called him Mister Sulligan and he laughed because he was a gentleman.
Herman's Hermits was the perfect Sullivan act, although we only agreed to do the show for big money because we thought we were very valuable (our agent did anyway), but when I heard that we would meet the 4 Seasons, I agreed to do the tv show for low money so I could meet them. In the dressing room they were close to a fist fight over which jacket they were going to wear (Frankie won, of course) ... and when I told this to the Hermits, we laughed because we only had one stage jacket each!
Of all the people who had shows, Ed was the only one who just introduced the act and didn't try to dance, sing or joke around with the act. Since him, they all try to get "in" on the act, which is why so few variety shows last. I have noticed that successful variety shows like American Idol are the ones where the leads of the show don't try to sing or dance with the acts.
We did Ed's show a few times (not sure of the actual number) and I am always proud to have been treated specially by this man, as I think he knew I was a gent, too?
This does not exempt me from swearing at you, kk, or threatening to box you for money, if you say anything I don't like.
Hope you get lots of good input on this lovely man who was there when he was needed.
Can we get someone like Ed on the tv again soon? Someone who presents the acts doing what they do best without any interference?
-- Peter Noone
The Ed Sullivan Show was Mecca for all of us who wanted to be the Beatles back in the sixties.
The other big shows were wonderful - no disputing that. The Hollywood Palace and the Smothers Brothers, Mike Douglas and even Johnny Carson never meant what it did to get the invitation to perform in New York City on live television, 8 pm on Sunday nights.
That was instant validation. My parents, who hated the idea of my leaving college to pursue a career in the risky world of rock and roll, were at last legitimized in the eyes of their peers. The trip to Hawaii and the color tv meant nothing compared to this kind of success.
We were all nervous beyond belief before our first Sullivan show. But it sounded great and it was the most fun ever! Rehearsals all week: no other show did that. Staying at the Plaza Hotel to the surprise of other legitimate guests, who quickly changed their attitudes when they learned that we were there to appear with Ed.
Mr. Sullivan himself only saw us during the actual show and we handed him a huge paper flower as he thanked us for Happy Together on that first program. Now we had made it. We were elite now. All the big bands did the Sullivan Show and our performances are still to be seen on DVD and during those ubiquitous PBS pledge drives, so our times with Ed have been immortalized and will outlive us. And that's all any of us wanted to do - Ed helped us live the dream and now, we're alive forever. Thanks, Mr. Sullivan.
Howard Kaylan / The Turtles
Thelma Camacho was this hot little lady with the pixie haircut. Everyone who met her fell in love with her. That probably explains what happened to us during an appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show". Our manager, Ken Kragen, had been trying to make The First Edition into a house-hold name and we were all excited to be doing "Sullivan", then the number one variety show on TV.
We had a rehearsal in the afternoon and it went fine. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome The First Edition," Ed said, and we came out and did our song. The second go-round, for the actual nighttime show, he says, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome ..." ... and he couldn't remember the name ... so he says, "Thelma and her boys!" So much for name recognition.
-- Kenny Rogers
When "Diana" went to number one in the USA in September of 1957, a month after my sixteenth birthday, I found myself all of a sudden booked on "The Ed Sullivan Show"! Aside from "American Bandstand" all we watched back then was "The Ed Sullivan Show". Sure, there were other shows ... "Milton Berle", "I Love Lucy", "Howdy Doody" ... but "The Ed Sullivan Show" was the thing. One minute I was sitting there as a fan and then, all of a sudden, I was going to be on it. I was scared to death.
I had to fly into New York from wherever we were on tour. Pittsburgh I think it was. Originally, "The Ed Sullivan Show" had been filmed in this little sutdio where David Letterman is now, but for some reason they moved it to Madison Square Garden and I didn't find that out until I got there. So there I was, rehearsing in this HUGE space. The band is WAY the hell over on one side and I'm WAY the hell ove ron the other side ... not intimate at all. This was only my second time on national television in the US and I'm like "Shit!"
Also, I'm singing live, unlike "American Bandstand" and shows today where they play the tracks and you're lip-synching to the band. It was a very weird situation: you'd have a hit record that you'd cut in mono in a studio with simpatico musicians and then you'd have to sing it with a band that not only HATED the music, but were simulating the instruments on the record ... a sax and trumpet, a guitar ... with an orchestra. The sound had nothing to do with what was on the record. You're standing there live and you KNOW it's live so you can't stop and go back and start over again. I remember walking in there and going "Shit, I've got to just stay focused as I can, 'cause I don't know how I'm gonna get through this!"
And Ed Sullivan? Stiff, unusual-looking guy, big jaw, but stylish, always a custom-made shirt and tie, sharkskin suit, which kind of hung weirdly on his shoulders. You never felt relaxed when you talked to him. He remained a columnist at heart; they put him in the position of being an emcee but he was never at ease with it. It was a tough gig for him. He was very uptight, an odd, almost Frankenstein-like character ... big with this funny pronunciation. Head too big for his body. A truly strange guy to be an emcee. Emcees usually are "AlRIGHT, and here ... they ... are!" As if you're about to hear the greatest band on earth. Ed often sounded almost embarrassed and he never got all the names right. That was Ed. It was like one of those movies where the wrong guy gets shoved on stage and has to ad lib. But he was always a gentleman.
-- Paul Anka
The Ed Sullivan Show? Oh my God, it was like the kids, back when Dick Clark was on, everybody raced home from school to watch American Bandstand. And, of course, Ed Sullivan was one of those guys that you NEVER missed … you know, The Toast Of The Town and The Ed Sullivan Show … it was HUGE, you know, to be a guest on Ed's show … it was spectacular, of course. It was a network tv show, for cryin' out loud! And he had a HUGE audience … EVERYBODY watched The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday nights ... it was the biggest show at the time, The Ed Sullivan Show … and he had EVERYBODY on for cryin' out loud.
I didn't really spend too much time with Ed Sullivan, you know, I would be there for rehearsal … I'd see him and we'd chat, you know, it was very, very casual, you know … it'd be like "Oh, hi Ed" … "Hi, Bobby, how ya doin'? Look forward to havin' you on the show tonight" and all of that stuff. I never really knew the man that well.
-- Bobby Rydell
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Ed Sullivan and The Ed Sullivan Show became a central character in the film version of "Bye Bye Birdie" … in fact Paul Lynde (as Ann-Margret's dad) led the chorus in singing a tribute to television's most popular (stone-faced) variety show host!]
Well, everybody knew that if you got asked to do the Sullivan Show, that was going to be a high point in your career. So we went on there and debuted "This Diamond Ring" to the country and I know that had a lot to do with that going to #1 for us … and then we got asked back six different times to do it. So within the release of our first seven singles, we did six Ed Sullivan Shows … and so all seven of those tunes went to The Top Ten. And it was just great … it was really great … and then I got my draft notice!
-- Gary Lewis