Written By: Ben Cosgrove
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.
The Beatles, 1964
John Dominis The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Beatles, 1964
Stan Wayman The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Beatles, 1964
Bill Ray The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Beatles, 1964
Bill Ray The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Beatles, 1964
Bill Ray The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Beatles, 1964
Ralph Morse The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Beatles, 1964
John Loengard The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
