Introducing the Beatles

 

Introducing The Beatles

By Michael Zitz

The Free Lance-Star

February 20, 1999

    Jack Alix was just a 21-year-old novice disc jockey at W E E L- A M in Fairfax, but he knew he was onto something big the first time he saw a picture of the new band from England. "At first, their music wasn't anything special", he said," but they had a look." A look that he knew would ignite the imaginations of rebellious American teenagers. 

    It was December 1963, and Alix began pushing the Beatles hard on his show. The Beatles were so new to America that Capitol Records hadn't released their first US album yet, and the station had only a reel-to-reel tape.

     Thirty-five years ago, this month, the Beatles arrived in America, first appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show on national television, followed by a live concert in Washington.

     But well before the Beatles crossed the Atlantic, "it became evident to us that this was completely different for a rock and roll group," Alix said today, "and the days of crew cuts and conservatism, we knew the long hair, the attitude and the infectious music might be the wave of the future."

     For three months, Alix, who now works at WGRQ in Spotsylvania County, spent much of his time and energy dreaming up ideas to promote the Beatles on his 9 to 11 p.m. show on WEEL.  He developed a "Beatle burger" contest in which teens would submit their ideas for a new sandwich based on the new group. A local burger chain agreed to sell the new burger.  The winning entry had shredded lettuce for hair, olives as eyes, and pimentos for lips. It was served for weeks leading up to the Beatles' first live American concert at the Washington Coliseum. 

    Alix also aired live remotes in which teens were interviewed about the Beatles, mostly girls, raving about the look and sound of the new band. 

    The Beatles made their American debut on the Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, then took a train from New York to Washington's Union Station, arriving in a driving snowstorm for a February 11 concert in the nation's capital. 

    Because he had been so enthusiastic about the Beatles, Alix was asked to introduce them, along with Carrol James of WWDC- AM in Washington and Johnny Dark of WCAO- A M in Baltimore.

     That night, the sold-out Washington Coliseum was a maze of police officers, harried parents and chaperones trying to control 1000s of frantic teenage girls and boys. "There was an air of excitement I don't think has ever been recaptured," Alix said.  "It was cold, snowing, and some schools had been closed because of the storm, and yet it was sold out and the crowd was frenzied," he recalled.

    "Nothing like this had happened to pop music in this country for years." Alix said he was aware at the time that similar excitement had surrounded the early days of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. Sex appeal wasn't the only factor. "There was also rebellion, and long hair was an expression of that rebellion. It sounds silly today, because people think that the Beatles' hair was short by current standards, but the element of rebellion helped the Beatles catch fire before their music caught up with their sex appeal. The music was good, but I wouldn't say we thought it was sensationally different at that early stage."

     Alix said it was "just good pop music. Later, when it went on to the Sgt. Pepper thing, the hair got longer and the music got better," Alix said, "but in the beginning, it was the old thing that where the parents say, 'oh, that music is horrible', and that makes the kids like it even better.

     Alix was backstage with The Beatles before the February 11, 1964 show. Then introduced them to the crowd. He did the same thing when the Beatles played a 1966 show at DC stadium (later renamed RFK Stadium).

    "When we did the first one, everyone was down to earth and having a good time," Alix said, "but the only one who was outgoing and friendly was Paul McCartney. The others were pretty shy, not distant, but pretty quiet. Paul is the one I remember distinctly from that first concert."

     Alix introduced an opening band, Jay and the Americans, then went backstage to wait with The Beatles. Finally, he brought the Beatles out to cheering, squealing and swooning. It was the first time Alix had been in front of a big audience. 

    He had gotten his start while still a student at John Carroll High School, where he was in the same homeroom as John Thompson, later the Georgetown University basketball coach.  "After school, I would go to Channel 5, which had a TV show based on American Bandstand that was called the Milt Grant Show."  It was a live dance party show, and Alix was a regular dancer. Stars like Chubby Checker and Connie Francis appeared live on the show. "I just got the bug", Alex said. And after graduating from high school, he became a disc jockey. He also began promoting concerts, working with the Beach Boys. Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton, the Doors, and the Jefferson Airplane, among others. Then, in the early 70s, Milt Grant bought channel 20 and decided to start a live dance party show on that station. Grant hired Alix, as the as the host, and he worked with co host. including Stevie Wonder and the Monkees. 

    Now, Alix 56 is the general sales manager of WGRQ, an oldies area station. Even though he's been on TV many times before that first Beatles concert, he found himself filled with anxiety by that moment in February 1964.

     "A film of the concert shows me welcoming Paul McCartney, who was the first to climb up on stage,". Alix says.  "My whole body seemed frozen, and there was a bit of a lull before I could get any of the words to introduce anyone."