Paul McCartney: Man on the Run, in Movie Theaters for ONE NIGHT ONLY, Limited screenings on Thursday, February 19th.
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Paul McCartney: Man on the Run comes to movie theaters nationwide for one night only!
Screening on Thursday February 19, Tickets go on sale Wednesday, February 4th.
Man on the Run captures Paul’s transformative decade in the wake of The Beatles’ break-up.
Featuring interviews with Mick Jagger, Chrissie Hynde, Sean Ono Lennon, Mary and Stella McCartney, all the living Wings members, and Paul himself
Includes a bonus conversation with Paul McCartney & director Morgan Neville, exclusive to movie theaters!
Paul McCartney: Man on the Run The New Documentary Chronicling Paul McCartney and Wings’ 1970s Ascension, Directed by Morgan Neville Released In Cinemas For One Day Only, Thursday 19th February By Trafalgar Releasing Tickets On Sale From 4th February at manontherun.film
Register below for your chance to win FREE passes to the February 19th premier!
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Paul McCartney picked his Got Back Tour as 2025’s biggest moment during his final website Q&A session this year. The 83-year-old musician revealed he’s working on a fresh album and provided details about multiple upcoming releases slated for 2026.
“But yeah, if I had to pick one I think the tour was probably the highlight of the year for me — it was so successful and enjoyable for everyone involved,” he said. Twenty-one concerts across North America kicked off September 26 in Santa Barbara, California. The final two performances took place on November 24-25 in Chicago.
McCartney credited fans for making each show exceptional. “The … tour was spectacular: the audiences were so warm and receptive,” he noted.
Phone-free concerts at Bowery Ballroom in New York City, Santa Barbara, and Nashville left the strongest impression on him. “People aren’t just holding up phones, so you really see the whites of their eyes. It’s lovely!” he said.
What excites him most about 2026? “My new album!” he declared. “We’re just starting to think about how to put that together.” Production talks have begun.
Man on the Run will arrive soon — a documentary Morgan Neville directed about McCartney’s years after The Beatles disbanded.
High in the Clouds, an animated movie adapted from his 2005 children’s book, also nears completion. “We’ve finished up all the recordings of the vocalists in the last couple of days,” he said. Ringo Starr lends his voice, along with Celine Dion, Lionel Richie, Idris Elba, Jimmy Fallon, Hannah Waddingham, and Himesh Patel.
His memoir Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run hit shelves in November. A Wings compilation dropped at the same time. “The great thing is there’s so much suddenly happening,” he said. “It’s like a log jam, loads of things have just come in.”
Asked about New Year’s resolutions, he cracked a joke: “To be a good boy!” Then came something more genuine. “I normally don’t have one, but what comes to mind is things like ‘to eat sensibly.’ That’s always a good one.”
Sean Ono Lennon has had a versatile career, as a musician, producer, and songwriter. Asked what part of the musical creation process he likes the most, Lennon replied, “That’s easy: I love writing and recording, and I hate finishing.”
With his mother, Yoko Ono, now in her 90s, he’s added a new job: the custodian of his father’s legacy. “Yeah, technically,” he said, “but obviously the world is also the custodian of his legacy, I would say. I’m just doing my best to help make sure that the younger generation doesn’t forget about The Beatles and John and Yoko. That’s how I look at it.”
“Do you think that’s even possible?” I asked.
“To forget about it? I do, actually,” Lennon said. “And I never did before.”
Correspondent Anthony Mason with Sean Ono Lennon in New York’s Washington Square Park.
CBS News
For his parents’ classic, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” Lennon looked for new ways for the song to be heard. “I wanted to see if I could get that feeling of maybe it sounds like you’re hearing it again for the first time, or at least in a new context, in a way that you’d pay attention, as opposed to, ‘Oh, there it is on the radio again.’”
Lennon collaborated with former Pixar animator Dave Mullins to make a short film, “War Is Over!” “We came up with this idea that two soldiers would be playing chess on opposite sides of a war,” Lennon said. “I’d also read an article that there were sort of heroic messenger pigeons from World War I and World War II.”
The 11-minute film, now on YouTube, won an Academy Award last year for best animated short. “It felt like a Miss Universe pageant or something,” Lennon said, “and I was just standing there kind of crying.”
He used the moment to shout-out his mom: “So, could everyone please say, ‘Happy Mother’s Day, Yoko!’”
“It’s a personal thing”
Lennon said, “My parents gave me so much that I think it’s the least I can do to try and support their legacy in my lifetime. I feel like I just owe it to them. It’s a personal thing.”
What does he see is their legacy? “Peace and love,” he said. “But it’s not just peace and love. It’s an attitude towards activism that is done with humor and love.”
That attitude is visible in the new HBO documentary “One to One,” about John and Yoko’s 1972 benefit concert at Madison Square Garden – the only concert John and Yoko had done together. “The only full-length concert,” Lennon said, “certainly the only concert I think that he played a Beatles song, too (“Come Together”), because I think he was just in a good mood.”
To watch a trailer for “One to One,” click on the video player below:
The concert occurred during Lennon’s first years in New York, when he was fighting a bitter deportation battle with the Nixon administration, in part because of his anti-war activism.
Featured in the film, said Lennon, were recordings he’d never heard: “They found these phone calls that my parents had recorded of themselves which, interestingly, was a response to the FBI tapping their phones. So, they thought, ‘Well, we need to tap our own phones. Because if they try to say we said something that we didn’t say, we’ll have our own record of it.’”
The documentary captures John and Yoko at a critical time in their lives. “Yeah, and you know, it’s my origin story actually,” said Lennon. “If you think about it, they came to New York, and that’s the only reason I exist.”
I asked, “Do you see something you maybe didn’t see before? Or have you seen it all before?”
“I hadn’t seen all of the home video footage in ‘One to One,’” he said. “I hadn’t heard those phone recordings before. It’s like getting more moments to spend with my dad. So actually, for me on a personal level, it just really means a lot.”
Sean produced the music (also released as a box set). He’s working on his own new album, too, his third with the Claypool Lennon Delirium, which he describes as “kind of a whimsical prog rock, experimental psych band. It’s fun!”
The Claypool Lennon Delirium performs “Blood and Rockets”:
Lennon and James McCartney (Paul’s son) have also been working on a new song with Zak Starkey (Ringo’s son), kindling hopes that the “Children of the Beatles” might unite.
Asked if they’ve been offered a gig to play together, Lennon replied, “Sure. I think people ask for that a lot, but I do think that would be ridiculous. But you know, the reason Zak and James and I made a song together is not because we’re trying to redo The Beatles, it’s just because we like each other. We’re not gonna do it because of some expectation or to, like, fulfill anyone’s expectation of what we should do. It has to be natural.”
Sean Lennon takes his new responsibilities very seriously: “I think the Beatles’ music, and John and Yoko’s legacy, is something important for the world to kind of cherish and be reminded of. So, that’s how I see my job.”
Asked how his mother is doing, Lennon said, “She’s good. I mean, you know, she’s 92, so she’s slowed down a lot, and she’s retired. That’s why I’m kind of trying to do the work that she used to do. That’s why I feel a lot of pressure, actually, to do my best, because she set a high standard for the way that she dealt with my dad’s music, and the Beatles stuff. She’s always been very singular. And I think my dad was less so. You know, he had Paul to write with, and then he was hoping that my mom would kind of be a writing partner. And I just think it’s really funny that, you know, there’s probably only one person in the world who would turn down John Lennon as a writing partner, and that’s my mom, you know?”
“That’s probably why he liked her,” I said.
“Yeah, exactly. No, that’s exactly right!” Lennon laughed.
The music of The Beatles, and of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, is timeless. And yet, musician, songwriter and producer Sean Ono Lennon says he feels a responsibility to promote his parents’ legacy, by reminding the world of its power. He talks with Anthony Mason about the Oscar-winning animated short inspired by their anti-war anthem “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”; and of the new HBO documentary “One to One: John & Yoko,” which features material he’d never heard before.
Plenty of iconic names feature in the most significant rock music events associated with Dec. 20, including The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Keep reading to discover what happened on this day in rock history.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Dec. 20 was a big day for John Lennon’s legacy and The Rolling Stones’ career. These are the milestones their fans celebrate today:
1969: The Rolling Stones’ eighth studio album, Let It Bleed, reached the top spot on the U.K. albums chart. It features two of the band’s most iconic songs, “Gimme Shelter” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” The album has been certified Platinum in both the U.S. and the U.K.
1980: John Lennon’s song, “(Just Like) Starting Over,” went to No. 1 in the U.K., less than two weeks after his untimely death. It was the final single Lennon released in his lifetime, from his 1980 album Double Fantasy, and it also reached No. 1 in the U.S.
Cultural Milestones
Here are the notable cultural milestones that took place on Dec. 20 throughout the years:
1945: KISS co-founder and original drummer, Peter Criss, was born in New York City. He formed the band by placing an ad in Rolling Stone, which was answered by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.
1948: Alan Parsons was born in Willesden, Middlesex, England. He made a name for himself as a sound engineer and worked on some of the most noteworthy rock albums of all time, including The Beatles’ Abbey Road and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Parsons also had a successful music career as part of The Alan Parsons Project.
1975: Guitarist Joe Walsh officially joined the Eagles and replaced Bernie Leadon. His first album with the band was Hotel California. Walsh shifted the Eagles’ musical direction away from their country rock roots toward a more classic rock sound.
These are some of the most memorable events in rock history that happened on Dec. 20, with legends such as The Rolling Stones, John Lennon, and the Eagles taking center stage. Visit this page again tomorrow to discover all the major events from that day in rock history.
The Beatles aren’t just a band. They’re seriously the blueprint, the original pop-culture icons, the musical group that reshaped everything from radio playlists to hearts. When John, Paul, George and Ringo stepped into the world, guitars in hand, they didn’t just make music. They made history.
Their songs still feel like magic spells. “Hey Jude” is so comforting. “Let It Be” is emotional. “Here Comes the Sun” can fix a bad mood in moments.
To say the Beatles are legendary is a total understatement. They showed the world that pop could be high art, that rock could absolutely have feelings, and that four witty musicians from Liverpool could rewrite the entire global playlist. There is so much to the Beatles and their story, and that story continues to be told in a beautiful way.
Decades later, their influence is still basically everywhere. Their harmonies float through movies, cafés, playlists and late-night car rides. Their melodies stick in your head like the catchiest little love notes. And their legacy keeps nudging new dreamers to pick up guitars, write something honest and chase music like it’s destiny.
The Beatles Back on the Charts
Now, the Beatles are back on the Billboard charts with to Anthology 4, their latest piece of the Anthology series of reissues. Anthology 4 offers 36 songs, including 13 previously unreleased demos, session recordings and other bonuses. It debuted in the top 10 on five Billboard charts.
Anthology 4 was released alone and also as part of The Anthology Collection box set, and both debuted at No. 48 on the Billboard 200 chart. The Collection includes the first three Anthology releases.
Also, The Anthology Collection dropped goes along with the Disney+ debut of the restored and remastered version of the Anthology documentary series, which aired on ABC back in 1995. The new version features even more Beatles fun, going from eight to nine episodes. A 25th anniversary edition of The Beatles Anthology book also arrived in October.
So, as the years go by, the Beatles continue to make waves and top the charts. Because the Beatles didn’t just change music. They changed everything.
Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.
Paul McCartney releases a Wings compilation album on Nov. 7. The 83-year-old handpicked every track.
Buyers can grab it in different ways. A 1LP and 2CD version hits stores, and there’s a bigger 3LP 180g vinyl package with 32 tracks. The three-LP version packs in classics like “Band on the Run,” “Live and Let Die,” “Jet,” and Let ‘Em In.
The 3LP package arrives in a hardback slipcase that McCartney designed with Aubrey Powell from Hipgnosis. Inside, there’s a booklet with an intro from the ex-Beatle, plus Powell’s notes on each album’s artwork. A poster comes tucked inside, as well.
McCartney first played the city in 1965, when the Beatles took Atlanta Stadium. He’s returned eight more times, including a 1976 Wings gig at the Omni.
The current tour runs 35 songs across seven decades. Help! popped back into the setlist after disappearing for over 30 years. Coming Up showed up again, as well.
Sisters Lillian, 19, and Faith Merriman, 22, drove from Orlando for one show. “I’m so excited,” Lillian said, according to GPB. “I’ve loved the Beatles for a long time.”
Rusty Anderson handles guitar, Brian Ray plays guitar and bass, Abe Laboriel Jr. plays drums, and Paul “Wix” Wickens plays keyboards. Each concert honors John Lennon and George Harrison. Ringo Starr hit 85 in July.
The tour pushes through late November. A book about Wings arrives later this year. On Instagram, McCartney wrote, “I’m so very happy to be transported back to the time that was Wings and relive some of our madcap adventures. … We proved Wings could be a really good band. To play to huge audiences in the same way The Beatles had and have an impact in a different way. It was a huge buzz.”
Paul McCartney plans to release WINGS, a fresh compilation of 32 tracks from his 1970s group. The album hits stores on November 7, while he’s still on his Got Back tour in the US.
Music fans can get this compilation in three ways: a triple vinyl set, a double CD pack, or a single record. The big vinyl version sits in a special case, which McCartney worked with Hipgnosis artist Aubrey Powell to make it just right.
Buyers find much more than music inside the box. A thick book starts with words from Paul himself, plus Powell’s take on the cover art. Music writer Pete Paphides adds his thoughts, while artist Humphrey Ocean’s photos show the band in their prime. The three-record set also includes a wall-sized poster.
The track list mixes big hits with hidden treasures. Next to “Band on the Run” and “Live and Let Die,” you’ll find surprises like the road-trip anthem “Helen Wheels” and the smooth “Arrow Through Me.”
On stage, McCartney switches between three musical lives: Wings member, Beatle, and solo artist. At Tulsa’s BOK Center, Paul spotted his wife, Nancy Shevel, watching and gave her a sweet mention, The Oklahoman reports. The night jumped between Wings hits like “Band on the Run” and Beatles classics such as “Drive My Car.” The crowd sang along to every word.
The tour is still happening across America until late November. Fans can still get tickets to future shows on the Beatle’s website.
Oct. 18 has seen many significant rock-related events over the past decades. It’s the day Paul McCartney took his first step toward becoming a Beatle and when The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their first show. Keep reading to find out what else happened on this day in rock history.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Some of the biggest names in rock had major career highlights on Oct. 18:
1957: Paul McCartney made his live debut with John Lennon’s band, The Quarrymen, which evolved into The Beatles in 1960. This was the first time McCartney and Lennon played music together.
1966: The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their first major gig at the Paris Olympia Theatre, supporting the French star Johnny Hallyday. The trio’s official debut was a few days earlier at the Novelty cinema in Evreux, France.
Cultural Milestones
Notable cultural events that took place in the rock world on this day included:
1926: Chuck Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Berry was a foundational figure in rock ‘n’ roll, creating a blueprint for future rock artists through songs such as “Maybellene,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” and “Johnny B. Goode.”
1989: Guns N’ Roses opened for The Rolling Stones during the first of four concerts at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Besides the historic significance of the two giants sharing the same stage, the show is also memorable because Axl Rose threatened to break up the band if the other members didn’t stop using drugs and alcohol.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Oct. 18 also marks the anniversary of several unforgettable albums, such as:
1974: The Rolling Stones released their 12th studio album, It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll. It was the last to feature guitarist Mick Taylor before Ronnie Wood replaced him.
1985: The Cult released Love, their second studio album. It reached the top five in the U.K. and propelled the band to mainstream success with hit singles such as “She Sells Sanctuary” and “Rain.”
1988: The supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, consisting of Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Tom Petty, released their debut album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. It was a major commercial success, reaching triple-Platinum status in the United States.
Oct. 18 is a day to remember for rock fans, with legends such as The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney having something to celebrate. Come back again to discover more exciting events in rock history.
Paul McCartney put on a stunning three-hour show at Coors Field, which stretched past midnight.
“I can tell you’re going to be a great crowd,” McCartney told the audience early in the show, according to The Denver Gazette.
The night started with “Help!” — a song that he hadn’t played since 1965. What followed was a mix of Beatles songs, Wings tracks, and fresh work like 2018’s “Come On to Me.”
John Lennon’s voice from the ’69 Apple Corps show joined in for “I’ve Got a Feeling,”. A touching moment came when McCartney picked up a special ukulele, which was a gift from George, to play “Something.”
“Back in the ’60s, when there was a lot of troubles going on, in the southern states of America particularly, over civil rights, we would get the news from America to England,” McCartney told the crowd before playing “Blackbird,” according to Westword. “I wanted to write a song that if it ever got back to any of the people going through that, it might just give them a little bit of hope.”
This show was the 78th from his Got Back Tour, which started in 2022. The current run began in Palm Springs last month and finishes in Chicago in late November.
This tour adds to his record of commercially successful shows, such as his 2002 world tour that brought in $126 million. Fans can revisit past shows and get tickets for future performances from Paul McCartney’s official website.
Regent Sound studio, which The Who’s Pete Townshend once described as a “massive part of rock history,” had been silent for decades. Now, it’s being revived as both a landmark site filled with rock, jazz, and blues memorabilia, and a newly refurbished guitar store.
Ozzy Osbourne at the Regent Sound studios during the recording of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, 1970.
Chris Walter/Getty Images
Located on Denmark Street, a historic hub of London’s music scene, Regent Sounds opened its first exhibit last week, featuring the guitar of blues legend T-Bone Walker.
The reopening also marked the launch of a new book, “Electric Blues! T-Bone Walker and the Guitar That Started It All.”
Regent Sounds co-owner Crispin Weir told CBS News at the launch event that it was a pleasure to work in a place with so much history, including so many landmark recordings.
“The music is kind of ingrained in the walls,” Weir said. “It sounds a bit corny, but you can feel the vibe in here.”
Regent Sounds guitar store, Sept. 25, 2025. The newly refurbished guitar store has re-opened and the music studio in the same location is expected to reopen next year.
CBS News
Some of the original walls, floor tiles and recording equipment have been preserved from the studio where the Beatles recorded the hit “Fixing a Hole,” from the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. It was the first use of a British recording studio other than Abbey Road for a Beatles album at the time.
The Rolling Stones also recorded their debut album at Regent Sound in January 1964, where the collective of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts together recorded tracks including “Route 66” and “I Just Want To Make Love To You.”
While the guitar store has now re-opened, the full restoration of the music studio is expected to be completed within a year, The Guardian reported last month.
Emmet Lyons is a news desk editor at the CBS News London bureau, coordinating and producing stories for all CBS News platforms. Prior to joining CBS News, Emmet worked as a producer at CNN for four years.
As a kid in the ‘80s, I found the idea of a second generation of Beatles fascinating because The Beatles themselves were so talented and intriguing. Hearing that Julian Lennon, John’s oldest son, played drums in a band called Quasar was exciting to me. I couldn’t wait to hear them, but nothing surfaced…
Before the death of John Lennon in 1980, there was nothing that Beatles fans wanted more than to see the Fab Four reunite. In early 1977, one writer gave fans a glimmer of hope…
A new photo exhibit at the Gagosian Gallery in London shows the Beatles on the brink of superstardom, thanks to Paul McCartney looking through his attic. Haley Ott explains.
Because literally thousands of books have been written about the Beatles—both as a group and individuals, the subcategories can get pretty minute. There is actually—no joke—one called A Cheese Sandwich for John Lennon in which a young Liverpudlian girl recalls, well, making said snack for a hungry pre-fame Beatle.
But one of the most interesting genres is Memoirs by People Employed By the Beatles. Among the better-known ones The Longest Cocktail Party by Apple “House Hippie” Richard Dilello, The Love You Make by NEMS executive Peter Brown, and Yesterday by PR man Alistair Taylor.
Even their chauffeur, Alf Bicknell, put out The Beatles Diary. And Frederic Seaman, a personal assistant at the end of Lennon’s life who later confessed to stealing hundreds of letters, documents, and photos after his boss was assassinated, had The Last Days of John Lennon.
But Elliot Mintz’sWe All Shine On: John, Yoko and Me (304 pp., $32, Dutton) has the interests of Beatle People especially piqued. Arguably, no one was closer to John and Yoko Lennon during the 1970s or spent more time with them in person or on the phone than Mintz.
After Lennon was assassinated, it was Mintz in countless photos with the grieving widow and speaking on her behalf to the media. And his association with her would continue for decades.
Mintz’s introduction to the couple came in a professional way. A radio talk show host and DJ, he had heard an album by Ono and it fascinated him. He arranged to interview her on the phone and kept the focus on her and her work rather than her famous husband.
Days later, Ono called him out of the blue to talk about all sorts of things. And the next day. And the next. Soon, he had spent hundreds of hours chatting with her (with some conversations stretching to seven hours), a curious Lennon started calling as well, racking up similar long-distance bills in the process.
Eventually, the Laurel Canyon-living Mintz was so used to getting calls from the Lennons at all hours, he had three phone lines installed: one for personal use, one for business, and one for the couple, with a red light flashing so he knew it was them.
Then the requests came in. Could Mintz secure some diet pills or syringes for the couple to self-medicate to lose weight (he couldn’t). Could he find out the birthdates of some potential West Coast business partners so Ono could see if they would work astrologically (he could).
And could he watch over Lennon when Ono tossed him out of the house, sending him to California with an assistant-turned-lover May Pang for the infamous and booze-and-drug laden “Lost Weekend” that lasted 18 months? (He did).
And in the process, introduced Lennon to his own musically famous friends Alice Cooper, Mickey Dolenz and Harry Nilsson. The four would form the core of the notorious Rainbow Bar and Grill-based drinking club The Hollywood Vampires.
Mintz writes harrowingly of witnessing Lennon at his Rock Bottom during the Lost Weekend. And at one point is called to the home he was staying to find the former Beatle, after having destroyed his host, producer Lou Adler’s living room and precious possessions, snarling like Linda Blair in the Exorcist while being restrained by ropes. He even calls Mintz something that was so hurtful, the author doesn’t repeat it here. And when Lennon was excited to visit a seedy strip club call the Losers with Mintz, the pair left after a dispiriting 30 minutes where not a customer nor lady taking off her clothes recognized one of the most famous faces in the world.
Interestingly, Mintz’s brief, read-between-the-lines summation of Pang is telling. She has in books, a documentary, and countless interviews discussed her affair with Lennon. But Mintz coyly suggests that the did not have the deep, romantic, and future-looking relationship with him that she thought or felt she had. Many of Mintz’s stories and recollections have appeared in some form or another elsewhere. But there are plenty of new tidbits. John Lennon was an anti-vaxxer distrustful of modern medicine and fought a losing battle to keep youngest son Sean from the needle. His ideas and practices for gambling were shite. And when the Lennons invited him to join them on a weeks-long sojourn to Japan, he was surprised at how spiritual the famously non-religious Lennon became while touring shrines.
And when he found himself—amazingly—the fifth wheel at a dinner with the Lennons and McCartneys at Elaine’s, their disdain for the food led them to order pizzas, which were duly delivered and consumed at the famous New York eatery.
Finally, it is Mintz who rushes across the country to arrive at the couple’s home at the Dakota building the day after Lennon was assassinated. He recalls sitting in the couple’s home with a shattered Ono, silently watching CNN with the sound turned off. And when John’s first son Julian Lennon arrives, it’s Mintz who is chosen to shepherd him around a city filled with hundreds of thousands mourning his dead father.
Eventually, the reader asks the same question about Elliot Mintz that the author himself does. What was he to John and Yoko in the end? Friend? Confidante? PR man? Fix-It Guy or Gofer? Family member? In the end, Mintz took on all of those roles—and more.
Paul McCartney used his Pentax camera the same way he used his guitar: with total freedom. And in early 1964, the 21-year-old took his new camera on perhaps the most momentous musical journey of the 20th century: The Beatles’ invasion of America.
On The Beatles’ first visit to the United States, Paul McCartney brought his Pentax camera. The pictures he took, long thought lost, were recently found, and are the basis of a book and photo exhibition.
Paul McCartney
Hundreds of his photographs from that trip were recently rediscovered in McCartney’s archive: “It was really nice,” he said, “because I thought they were lost.”
An exhibition of the images, collected in the book, “1964: Eyes of the Storm,” originated at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The show is now on view at the Brooklyn Museum in New York.
He offered a tour of the exhibit to correspondent Anthony Mason.
McCartney explained his process: “Taking photographs, I’d be just looking for a shot. And so, I’d aim the camera and just sort of see where I liked it, you know, oh, that’s it. And invariably, you pretty much take one picture.
“We were moving fast. So, you just learned to take pictures quickly.”
Paul McCartney gives correspondent Anthony Mason a personal tour of an exhibition of the former Beatle’s photographs.
CBS News
One picture was taken as the group arrived at the Deauville Hotel in Miami. Mason said, “I think your quote in the book was, ‘I can almost hear her scream.’”
“Yeah, you can!” McCartney laughed. “The cop is going to restrain her, you know?”
Fans greet The Beatles in Miami in 1964.
Paul McCartney
“I also love the cop in the foreground who just sort of looks puzzled by everything,” said Mason.
“I like the architecture of that hotel,” said McCartney. “But, you know, as we were saying before, that had to be taken really quickly, just to snap that.”
“But, you have to have an eye to take that.”
“It’s my left one!”
The Beatles had started their trip in Paris. “And it was in Paris that we got the telegram, ‘Congratulations, boys, number one in the U.S. charts.’”
Setting up for their first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in New York City.
Paul McCartney
In America they played “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Seventy-three million people would tune in. It was, McCartney writes, “the moment all hell breaks loose.”
Mason said, “To look at those pictures, it’s kind of you looking at the world, looking at you. You seemed very comfortable with it.”
“Yeah. I mean, you know, you got to think about it: We’re kids from Liverpool. And we’re trying to get famous, and it’s not easy. And we were like stars in America, and people loved us. So, we loved it. And having that number one was really the secret – because, if the journalists, you know, New York journalists, ‘Hey, Beatle! Hey, Beatle! Why you are here?’ whatever. We say, ‘We’re number one in your country!’ Bingo!”
Beatlemania in New York City.
Paul McCartney
From New York, The Beatles travelled by train to Washington, D.C. McCartney’s camera took the ride, too.
As they traveled South, Paul McCartney took this picture of a railroad worker: “I love this guy. He is like from where I’m from. He looked great. And he’s got his hand up, a little smile. It’s nice. It’s a great memory, you know?”
Paul McCartney
So many of McCartney’s pictures were taken on the move, including shots from his car of a policeman in Miami who’d pulled up next to him: “And that was basically what I saw. And we’d never seen policemen with guns. We just didn’t have that in England.”
Paul McCartney
But in Miami, McCartney broke out the color film. “For us, it was like going on holiday,” he said.
The Fab Four even had a few days off.
Mason said, “There are some great shots of all of you with, like, it looked like terry-cloth jackets.”
“Yeah, the hotel supplied them,” McCartney said. “You normally get, like, a robe, but this place, because it was Miami, had these little cool, little short things – and hats! We lived in them for days. Even Brian [Epstein], our manager. We thought they were really cool items of clothing.”
John Lennon, Brian Epstein, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in Miami.
Paul McCartney
He caught George relaxing with an anonymous admirer: “In that picture, yeah, I don’t think I was trying to protect her identity,” McCartney said. “I love her bathing costume. So great. And, you know, there is George, like I keep saying, living the life. He’s got a drink which is probably a scotch and Coke. He’s got a tan, the girl in the yellow bikini. For lads from Liverpool, that was exceptionally wonderful!”
George Harrison with an admirer in Miami.
Paul McCartney
The band went back home to England in late February. By early April, The Beatles had the top five songs on the U.S. charts. McCartney writes, “We spent the months and years after holding on for dear life.”
Liveright
Mason asked, “Did you remember all these when you saw them?”
“Kind of,” McCartney replied. “It was a very memorable period, you know?”
“But there was so much going on, I’m amazed you could process it and keep it all.”
“Yeah, so am I!” McCartney said. “For me, it is like a little slice of American history. And it’s my history, it’s the Beatles’ history. So, it was great to rediscover these pictures.”
An earlier version of this story was originally broadcast on June 18, 2023.
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Story produced by Ed Forgotson. Editor: Joseph Frandino.
The reason for the Beatles’ demise in 1969 has long been argued and analyzed: how Ringo Starr left the group for two weeks during the White Album sessions, that George Harrison was inspired to go solo after seeing the changes in musical stylings from contemporaries like Bob Dylan, or that when the band ceased live performances in 1966, its members drifted apart while pursuing more individual projects. These moments and more in the Fab Four’s last years together were certainly sowing the seeds of disbandment for the iconic rock band…
It has been written that “history belongs to the victors.” This saying has often been attributed to Winston Churchill, but it actually goes back to the 19th century and has been used in multiple contexts since. No matter who said it, though, the message is pretty darn astute…
Starting February 9, The Beatles Channel (Ch. 18) is celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ first U.S. visit with special programming all weekend long.
Hear airings of their full performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, new episodes of The Beatles Channel shows The Big Bang, Fab Fourum, Across the Universe, and Way Beyond Compare, special stories from celebrity guests, and more.
See the full broadcast schedule below, and start listening to The Beatles Channel now.
Celebrity Stories Throughout The Weekend
Hear stories from different celebrities — including Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and more — throughout the weekend as they share their experiences around the night of February 9, 1964, and how watching The Beatles on Ed Sullivan changed their lives forever.
The Beatles’ Full Performance On The Ed Sullivan Show
Hear The Beatles’ full February 9,1964, performance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Broadcast Schedule: February 9 at 8pm ET February 11 at 8pm ET
The Big Bang
Bill Flanagan celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Beatles’ first performance on Ed Sullivan along with some celebrity guests whose lives were changed the evening of February 9, 1964. Featuring comments from Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and more.
Broadcast Schedule: February 9 at 11am ET February 9 at 9pm ET February 10 at 3pm ET February 11 at 11am ET February 14 at 12am ET (midnight) February 15 at 1pm ET
It Was Sixty Years Ago!… The Beatles Month By Month in 1964
Chris Carter takes you on a month-by-month journey through the year The Beatles landed in America, made their first movie, and changed the world forever
Broadcast Schedule: February 10 at 7pm ET February 11 at 1pm ET
Fab Fourum
Dennis Elsas, Bill Flanagan, and Tom Frangione dedicate their entire show to spotlighting The Beatles’ first American visit, including their first Ed Sullivan Show appearance in 1964. Hear celebrity guests and listeners from all over North America share experiences of where they were that night and the impact it had on them.
Broadcast Schedule: February 7 at 9pm ET February 10 at 7am ET February 11 at 6pm ET
Across The Universe
A weekly show dedicated to the life and music of John Lennon, hosted by Dennis Elsas. This week, Dennis revisits that magical month of February 1964 when the Beatles arrived on American shores, launched the British Invasion, and left an indelible mark on popular music history.
Broadcast Schedule: February 6 at 4pm ET February 8 at 11pm ET February 10 at 1pm ET
Way Beyond Compare
Join Beatles expert Tom Frangione as he explores Fab Four alternate takes, live performances, and versions of Beatles recordings you may have never heard before! This week, Tom features live performances from The Beatles’ first week in America. Hear The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show from February 9, 1964, and selections from their Washington D.C. concert a few days later on February 11, 1964
Broadcast Schedule: February 5 at 2pm ET February 6 at 11pm ET February 9 at 4pm ET February 11 at 10am ET
John was anxious, though, like all the Beatles, about what to expect. Would the American media be tough on them? Or misconstrue something they said in an interview? Would demonstrators, because of all the press on hand, use the opportunity to stage some kind of protest? As the plane taxied in, John and I saw a mob lining the terminal rooftop. But it was a mob of fans, waving and screaming hysterically. They were being serenaded. You could hear the crowd singing, “She Loves You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.” It was a lovefest.
On the flight over, I’d proposed a photo idea, which the Beatles liked: I would be the fifth person off the plane, and as the band got halfway down the boarding stairs, they’d turn back and look at me—and I’d photograph them with the press, the crowd, and the New York skyline in the background. The picture would say, literally: Beatles come to America. But in my mind it also said: Benson got a picture no one else was in a position to take.
So we exited the plane: George, then John, Paul, Ringo, then me. And they got so distracted they forgot to turn around! They were caught up in this chaotic drama. The crowd was screaming. The press was screaming, “Look here!” It was deafening. I just grabbed Ringo’s coat and shouted, “Turn around!” and he hollered at the others, and they all looked back, Paul waving. Bingo. Thank you, Ringo. I fired off three frames. One shot ran in the Express the next day under the headline: “Crazy…that’s New York as the Beatles arrive.”
February 8, Manhattan
Our second day in New York, we went to the CBS TV studio for a rehearsal. Ed Sullivan was the host of the most popular variety show on television. He was deferential and obliging. He even put on a Beatles wig as a joke. They were soaking up the attention. Everywhere we went—in restaurants, passing a bar—there was Beatles music playing. But they never allowed themselves to get a swelled head. We usually just sat around at the Plaza.
As I had done in Paris, I stayed on the same floor as the band. Fact: When you have good-looking guys and their record’s number one, you have girls fighting to get onto the elevators and the back stairwells to get onto the 12th floor. Fact: A couple of girls snuck in and jumped on their beds and security had to take them away. This was rock and roll. Elvis Presley, same thing. But it was a big problem for Epstein because he didn’t want any incident to happen on his watch. He would discuss this with me: “We must watch this. We’re introducing young girls to the Beatles and we’re responsible.”
I began to understand how the band interacted. As I saw it, Paul was the leader. He seemed the most sophisticated, most business-minded, thinking about their image. He was upbeat and encouraging. John was a leader in other ways on other days. He was the conscience of the group, certainly. Creatively, you sensed John and Paul were in charge, insisting, “This is what we do.” Together, they had the last word.
