When John, Paul, George and Ringo first made it across the pond in 1964 to play before their adoring, screaming fans in the States—including, famously, performances on The Ed Sullivan Show that mark, for many people, the true beginning of rock and roll’s British Invasion—LIFE photographers capture the Liverpool lads’ wry spirit, their charm and their youth. (Were they really ever that young?)
Here, then, a short selection of pictures from 1964, when a quartet of mop-topped Brits landed on America’s shores and changed the pop-culture landscape forever.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr pose in January 1964, just weeks before their historic first visit to America. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesTwo days after their U.S. TV debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, the Beatles play for 8,000 fans at their first American concert, at the Coliseum in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 11, 1964. Ticket price: $3. Stan Wayman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesAt press dates, like this one in August 1964 at the start of their U.S. tour, the Beatles offer typically wry remarks. John Lennon quips that he's writing a book called "Snore Wife and the Seven Dwarfs." Bill Ray—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesThe Beatles arrive at Los Angeles airport for a press conference in August 1964.Bill Ray—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesPolice hold back a crowd of fans in Los Angeles, where the Beatles are landing for a brief layover and a press conference before the start of their U.S. tour, August 1964.Bill Ray—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesBeatles concerts, like this American show in 1964, are noisy affairs where screaming crowds drown out the band. Even with their amplifiers, Lennon marvels after a show, "We still couldn't beat 'em." Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJohn, Paul, George and Ringo in a (very, very cold) Miami swimming pool in February 1964. John Loengard—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
