JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The iconic English rock band, The Beatles, performed in Jacksonville 60 years ago Wednesday.
What made their trip to the First Coast so significant was that the band refused to perform in front of a segregated audience. Decades later, The Beatles will be celebrated for their performance and role in integrating shows at an event hosted by Florida Humanities at the Ritz Theatre & Museum.
The Beatles concert was their first and only performance in Florida. Bob Kealing, an author and historian, said having the English band visit Florida was a big deal. It was their first American tour and they heard there was a possibility the show would be segregated by race. The Beatles refused to perform and wanted reassurance crowd was integrated. Kealing described their decision as "gutsy."
"Northeast Jacksonville made significant history as this first integrated stadium show in the Southeast United States," Kealing said. "So this was a very historic week 60 years ago at the Gator Bowl."
The historian said the Beatles were not just a group of exceptional singers and songwriters, they were "young men who had an incredibly sophisticated worldview even when they were in their twenties."
Kealing said the Beatles were agents of social change. They came from England where African American artists like Louis Armstrong and later Jimi Hendrix were celebrated. Kealing said a Jacksonville judge backed up the Beatles. This was two months after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 went into effect. The federal judge said a segregated audience was a violation of the law.
At the Ritz Theatre & Museum Thursday, people who attended the concert 60 years ago got to share their stories. Dr. Kitty Oliver, who attended the concert 60 years ago, shared her story. She was one of the few Black people who attended the 1964 concert. The celebration at the theatre also included a tribute performance by Liverpool Live.