Ted Nugent, despite ideological differences, hails impact of Fab 4.
I was in the eye of the American soulmusic storm way before the Ed Sullivan sirens sounded the alert. Born in the mighty Motor City in 1948 just a few years after His Lord Les Paul electrified this wonderful Kalamazoo-Michigan-made instrument of mass construction, my combo was already performing the musical masterpieces of the original founding fathers of American soulmusic. Like the four moptops from Liverpool who were about to blow the place to smithereens, we were mesmerized by Chuck Berry, Bo Diddly, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, The Ventures, Dick Dale and the DelTones, Lonnie Mack, Duane Eddy, Link Ray, The Beach Boys, James Brown, all things Motown and the amazing Funkbrothers, and so many other incredibly gifted musical visionaries that brought forth the grinding, emotional, primal-scream soundtrack of Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Lightning Hopkins, Mose Allison, Screaming Jay Hawkins and so many of those original originals.
But there is no doubt that it was the Beatles and soon the Rolling Stones that reversed the earth’s axis in music lovers’ lives across America and beyond when they unleashed this new, uppity, ultra-passionate interpretation of their black American musical heroes on that fateful night on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” Feb. 9, 1964.
My Detroit band, The Lourds, had just won the Michigan Battle of the Bands, and our prize was to perform at the then brand new Cobo Hall as the opening act for the Beau Brummels and Motown’s amazing Supremes. Having the once in a lifetime dream to perform side by side with our heroes and every musician’s heroes, the Motown Funkbrothers and the world renowned Motown orchestra, it’s not like the Beatles hysteria and magical goosebumps on goosebumps Ed Sullivan moment was lost on us.
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