Good Day Sunshine State

The musical and cultural impact ofthe Fab Four in Florida 

In 1964,Beatlemania flooded the United States. The Beatles appeared live on the EdSullivan Show and embarked on their first tour of North America—and they spentmore time in Florida than anywhere else. GoodDay Sunshine State dives into this momentous time and place, exploring theband’s seismic influence on the people and culture of the state.

Bob Kealing sets the historicalstage for the band’s arrival—a nation dazed after the assassination of John F.Kennedy and on the precipice of the Vietnam War; a heavily segregated,conservative South; and in Florida, recent events that included the CubanMissile Crisis and the arrest and imprisonment of Martin Luther King Jr. in St.Augustine. Kealing documents the culture clashes and unexpected affinities thatemerged as the British rockers drew crowds, grew from fluff story to thesubject of continual news coverage, and basked in the devotion of a young and idealisticgeneration.

Through an abundance of letters,memorabilia, and interviews with journalists, fellow musicians, and fans,Kealing takes readers behind the scenes into the Beatles’ time in locationssuch as Miami Beach, where they wrote new songs and met Muhammad Ali. In thetropical environs of Key West, John Lennon and Paul McCartney experiencedmilestone moments in their friendship. And the band dodged the path ofHurricane Dora to play at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, where they famouslyrefused to perform until the city agreed to integrate the audience.

Kealing highlights thehopeful futures that the Beatles helped inspire, including stories of iconicrock-and-rollers such as Tom Petty who followed the band’s lead in their ownpaths to stardom. This book offers a close look at an important part of themusical and cultural revolution that helped make the Fab Four a worldwidephenomenon.

Funding for this publication was provided through a grantfrom Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for theHumanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed inthis publication do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities orthe National Endowment for the Humanities.