By Terri Lynn, SouthFloridaReporter.com, Managing Editor, August 12, 2015 – This Saturday marks the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles’ historic concert at Shea Stadium in New York. The legendary producer, Sid Bernstein, produced the Shea show. It was the largest venue the Beatles had ever played at the early stages of their career.Our very own Joey Reynolds (Reynolds Rap) was a close friend of Bernstein and has many first hand recollections from the man who put the Beatles on the map.
Joey Reynolds:
Sid Bernstein was my lunch buddy. He loved the Beatles and chocolate.
Returning from a Liverpool trip with a reunion between George, Paul and Ringo I asked him what it was like? He said he had the best chocolate ever from Belgium at the event and a great American hotdog, the only stand in Liverpool. I said, ” What about the Beatles?”
Sid is the only person in history to have all 3 legends, The Beatles, Elvis and Frank Sinatra. He managed The Rascals, produced the Newport Jazz Festival, the comeback concert at Carnegie Hall with Judy Garland and the famous Tony Bennett and Count Basie concert.
He produced the concerts in Central Park including Diana Ross in the rain and so much more!
How did he feel about all of this?
Joey Reynolds:
Sid was amazingly humble. He favored John Lennon and his peace message. Paul McCartney acknowledged that there would be no phenom if it weren’t for Sid’s brave move to bring the boys to the US– first to Carnegie Hall and then to Shea Stadium.
We revisited Strawberry Fields in Central Park, years after the dedication with Yoko Ono and talked about the building where John and Yoko lived before he was killed.
The following is Joey’s last interview with Bernstein and is in his “Top 10”.
