Every few years, a new music superstar arrives, a singer or group that dominates the charts, captivates fans, fills up the media, and creates a frenzy at the box office. Sinatra did it in the ’40s, Elvis in the ‘50s, Elton John conquered the ‘70s, until The Bee Gees took over in the disco era. Garth Brooks rewrote a few sales records, The Spice Girls were everywhere for a few months, and Taylor Swift may end up bigger than them all at the rate she’s going now.
Then there’s The Beatles. You can argue the merits of whether they made the greatest rock music of all time — although they remain the popular choice in most surveys — but it’s impossible to deny the huge cultural impact the group had worldwide in the 1960s, sparking societal movements that are still being felt today. The Beatles shifted styles, attitudes, and lives.
“They changed our culture, they changed our outlook on the establishment,” says Beatles historian and author Piers Hemmingsen of Toronto. “Our thoughts on society changed. Drugs, religion, what wasn’t changed by The Beatles, in part? In a mere two years, you go from 1964 with people asking them what kind of hair shampoo they are using, to 1966 with people asking George Harrison his feelings on the Vietnam War or asking John Lennon about Christianity.”
Hemmingsen is the author of several books detailing The Beatles’ experiences here and their impact on the country. As the foremost expert on The Beatles in Canada, he was asked by the National Music Centre to curate From Me to You: The Beatles in Canada 1964-1966, a new multimedia exhibition that has just opened at Studio Bell in Calgary, Alta.
Featuring rare photographs, memorabilia, audiovisual elements, and striking collector’s pieces, the exhibit recreates the Beatlemania phenomenon and zeroes in on the many moments when The Beatles had a direct connection to this country.
“It’s the very best of everything,” says Hemmingsen. “Sixty years ago, we had a North American tour by The Beatles that included Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto. You can pinpoint the peak of Beatlemania in Canada to the summer of 1964. We’re exactly 60 years since kids were lining up to see A Hard Day’s Night or buy tickets to see them or win a contest to get tickets to a concert.”
The most amazing part of the story is that the excitement has barely dimmed in all that time, whether you’re a boomer who lived through it, or a teen just discovering the music.
“We’re still talking about them in 2024, and it’s a long, long time ago for a younger person to imagine something happening 60 years ago,” says Hemmingsen. “There was this time when The Beatles were the most popular thing on the planet, and having a Beatle on Canadian soil was front page news.”
The exhibit shows us those headlines and much more, including rare images from the three Canadian tours from 1964 to 1966.
“We have a special contributor who sadly is no longer with us,” says Hemmingsen. “A part-time photographer by the name of Bob Bonis who was actually the tour manager for that 1964 tour. He had a camera, and when he had a minute here and there, he took pictures. There are some unique shots of the Ontario Fan Club head Trudy Medcalf of Toronto with The Beatles at the Ed Sullivan Show, and Michele Finney who was writing for the Toronto Star. Bob snapped some photos that caught some amazing moments.”
Hemmingsen contributed photos and items from his collection, and the exhibit also features memorabilia from some of the world’s biggest Beatles collectors.
“Large department stores across Canada were selling Beatles t-shirts, sneakers, pennants, binders, wallpaper, all kinds of unbelievable stuff. We’ve tapped into some really significant collectors like Bruce Spizer, who’s written many of The Beatles guidebooks, he’s donated some of his Canadian items, including a Canadian Butcher Cover, you’re not going to find any of those anywhere else, a printer’s proof of the cover. That’s exciting we’re going to have that in the exhibit.”
Canada also claims a significant achievement in Beatles history, as Beatlemania infamously came to this country before the U.S. — Capitol Records in the States had declined to release any early Beatles records, not taking them seriously. But Capitol Canada’s Paul White promoted their records from the start.
“’Love Me Do,’ it didn’t do very well, allegedly selling 170 copies,” says Hemmingsen. “Paul White went on with ‘Please Please Me,’ ‘From Me to You,’ and then he thought for sure ‘She Loves You’ would do it in September of 1963, it had just bulleted up to No. 1 in the U.K., but it took months before ‘She Loves You’ hit the number one spot in London, Ontario. Beatlemania became the title of their first album in Canada, the first album by The Beatles in North America.”
The exhibition includes audio and video interviews with White and other special Canadians who had a role in The Beatles story. That even includes George Harrison’s sister Louise, who lived here from 1956 to 1963.
“Louise corresponded with her little brother, and we have some of that correspondence from the 1960 era, with George being on a tour of Scotland with the band, sending a postcard to his sister in Ontario. Her mother sent her a copy of ‘Love Me Do’ from England to Canada at Christmas in 1962.”
Hemmingsen’s fascination with The Beatles started in 1962 when his family had been transferred to England. When they returned, they started telling everyone about this exciting new band.
“It was my older brother Randall who pestered the local radio station in Pembroke, Ontario to play the records. We came from a country that was besieged by The Beatles to Camp Petawawa, Ontario, where people thought The Beatles were a bug.”
Hemmingsen watched Beatlemania unfold over those next few months. With his help, the National Music Centre has recreated those exciting times when Canada was transformed by four unlikely lads.
“It was the Liverpool accents, and the hair was shocking too!” laughs Hemmingsen.
From Me to You: The Beatles in Canada 1964-1966 is now open in Calgary at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, and will be on display until January 5, 2025.
