Sid Bernstein
| Sid Bernstein | |
|---|---|
 Bernstein in 2009 | |
| Born |
August 12, 1918 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died |
August 21, 2013 (aged 95) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Rock promoter, music producer |
| Spouse(s) | Geraldine Berstein |
Sid Bernstein (August 12, 1918 – August 21, 2013) was an American music producer and promoter. Bernstein changed the American music scene in the 1960s by bringing The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, The Moody Blues, and The Kinks to America. He was the first impresario to organize rock concerts at sports stadiums.[1]
Biography
Sid Bernstein was born in New York City in 1918. During World War II, he served in France[2] with the 602nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion of the United States Army.
Impresario career
Bernstein helped start the British Invasion by bringing The Beatles over to the United States from Britain.[3]
In late December 1963, the unknown Beatles were introduced to the Tidewater area of Virginia. Almost every other song played by the area’s DJs were Beatle records, accompanied by giveaways of shirts, etc. The following month in very early January 1964, the same phenomenon occurred, as the Beatles were introduced to the New York City area complemented by all sorts of contests and gifts.
They played at Carnegie Hall after their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Bernstein also booked them at Shea Stadium, a concert that Bernstein described as "inaudible."[4] During the Beatles Shea concert, Bernstein had the phrase "The Rascals are coming!" displayed on the Shea Stadium scoreboard. "I had met the Rascals in the summer of '65; I put their name up on the scoreboard (at Shea) - 'The Rascals are coming! The Rascals are coming!' A lot of people who hadn't seen pictures of them thought they were a black group. I sensed something big about them."
He worked with the Rascals for five years, helping along their rise from obscurity, changing their name from "The Rascals" to "The Young Rascals" in an attempt to avoid controversy because of a similar named group.[5][6]
Bernstein also organized concerts for Lenny Kravitz, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Laura Branigan, Melanie and Sly & the Family Stone. In 1964, he brought many Israeli singers to the United States for their first major concerts, among them Shoshana Damari, Shaike Ophir and Yaffa Yarkoni, who appeared at Carnegie Hall a year after the Beatles.[7] He was the first to stage a rock show at Madison Square Garden.[6]
Bernstein died on August 21, 2013 in Manhattan. He was 95. Bernstein is survived by his wife Geraldine Gale; and their sons Adam, Etienne, Beau and Dylan; daughters Casey Deutsch and Denise Bernstein; and six grandchildren.[8]
Works
Published works
Bernstein wrote or coauthored several books:
- It's Sid Bernstein Calling (Jonathan David Publishers)[9]
- Not Just the Beatles ... (Jacques & Flusster Publishing)[4][10]
Musical works
At age 93, Bernstein released his first album as a singer. Sid Bernstein Presents... is a collection of some of his favorite songs, and was released on February 14, 2012 as a digital download. The album is available at the iTunes Store, CD Baby, and other online outlets.
Sid Bernstein Presents...
Bernstein is also the subject of Sid Bernstein Presents..., a documentary film that details his storied career and life. The film made its world premiere at the DocNZ film festival in Auckland, New Zealand in February 2010.
References
- ↑ The man behind the British Invasion, Haaretz
- ↑ Harabadian. "Not Just Sid Bernstein". Retrieved 2008-12-14.
- ↑ "The oldies.about.com Interview: Sid Bernstein". The oldies.about.com. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Galipault, Gary (2001-01-21). "SID BERNSTEIN: HE'S MORE THAN JUST THE BEATLES". Pause and Play. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
- ↑ "The Rascal's Biography". Last.fm. 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Sid Bernstein Facts". Retrieved 2008-12-14.
- ↑ 18 Magazine, Another Israel Review
- ↑ "Sid Bernstein, Who Helped Import the Beatles, Dies at 95". NY Times. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
- ↑ James, Gary. "Sid Bernstein Interview". ClassicBands.com. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
- ↑ Schulte, Thomas. "Sid Bernstein Interview on Outsight Radio Hours". Archive.org. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
Further reading
- Harry, Bill. The Beatles Who's Who, Putnam Publishing Group, 1982.
- Spitz, Robert Stephen. The Making of Superstars. Artists and Executives of the Rock Music Business, Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1978.
External links
- Emmerson, Glyn (2001-5). "Sid Bernstein: The man who brought America to the Beatles". NYRock. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
- Digger. "Digger's interview with Sid Bernstein - The man who brought The Beatles to America and triggered the 'British Invasion'". Retrosellers. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
- "Sid Bernstein Presents... (2005)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
- Falco, Sue (2001-02-23). "Lenny Kravitz May Play Shea, Promoter Says". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
|