Photo Exhibit Of Beatles' First U.S. Tour At WCSU
Bill Eppridge was sent on a photo assignment for Life Magazine on Feb. 7, 1964. Based on how his editor described the job, Eppridge had no way of knowing it would be one of the most important days of his career.
"Dick Pollard at Life told him 'go the airport, JFK, there's a rock group arriving called The Beatles,'" said Adrienne Aurichio, wife of the late photojournalist. "[Pollard] was not too impressed by them. He said for him to just get pictures of them arriving."
Eppridge, however, was impressed, not just by the four musicians, but also by the mob of fans. They were everywhere: against barricades, on the roof, inside and outside the terminal, most of them young girls, holding banners, reaching out to touch the stars, shrieking for all they were worth.
"He told Dick 'this is kind of interesting, I'd like to stick with it for a few days,'" Aurichio said. "He was more interested in the reaction. He liked to see what people saw in them."
He tagged along on their U.S. journey for six days. That road trip was the basis for a 2014 book, "The Beatles: Six Days that Changed the World," with 148 pictures. That book has been condensed into a 55-item exhibit, which is on view now at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury.
By: Susan Dunne
Source: Hartford Courant
