Eastern Time on Sunday 9 February 1964 a staggering 73million Americans tuned in to , then the largest-ever TV audience, for the first TV appearance in the US of a long-haired ‘beat group’ from Liverpool. To say that the Beatles took America by storm is an understatement. They came ashore like a Force 12 hurricane, dramatically reshaping popular music. Thousands of youngsters were inspired to become guitar-toting musicians and electric guitar manufacturers were in for a bonanza – including the relatively
