Ed Sullivan
September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974
Ed Sullivan was most famously, the host of a variety show, The Ed Sullivan Show, that was immensely popular during the ’50s and ’60s. It was one of those television programs that brought families together on Sunday evenings for their weekly entertainment. It was a show that was part vaudeville, part Gong Show and part American Idol in that it featured a cross section of entertainment that included established acts alongside virtual unknowns. A typical episode might include a balancing bear, a ventriloquist act, a seasoned comic and the Beatles. Ed Sullivan’s contribution to popular music has never been disputed. It was on his show that most Americans first saw and heard the likes of Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, the Doors, the Jackson Five, the Rolling Stones, and of course, the Beatles. We’ve all heard countless stories by such greats as Bruce Springsteen who have said it was either the Beatles or Elvis Ed Sullivan that sent them down their own paths of rock ‘n roll. The show ran from 1948 until its cancellation in 1971. Ed Sullivan was 73 when he died of esophageal cancer on October 13, 1974.
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