It was 60 years ago today!
The Beatles arrived in America for the first time on Feb. 7, 1964. A future Wellington snowbird arrived with them. Photographer Harry Benson recalls the shot that almost got away.
Feb. 7, 1964, is the day The Beatles arrived in America for the first time.
It’s also the day a future Wellington snowbird arrived in America for the first time.
Harry Benson, a London Daily Express photographer, was sitting in first class with The Beatles on Pan American World Airways Flight 101 from London when it landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
He was there to photograph the band’s first tour in the U.S. And he has plenty of stories to tell, including the one about the shot that almost got away.
For the Beatles, their arrival helped change rock and roll history. For Benson, his arrival opened doors that would establish the Scottish native as one of his era’s most iconic photographers.
Benson, 94, marked the occasion last night when he was celebrated at a private dinner in New York City with about 150 close friends.
I’ve had the pleasure of talking with Benson and his wife Gigi several times in recent years, including a personal tour of some of his photographs on display at the Holden Luntz Gallery in Palm Beach.
Our most recent conversation was this past Sunday when he talked about arriving at JFK 60 years ago today and having to yell at the Beatles for not following his instructions as they walked off the plane. You can read that story here.
Benson spoke to me at length in 2021 about how he started working with the Beatles and how his assignment on their first tour led to close working relationship with the band. You can read that story here.