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Bob Kealing

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Good Day Sunshine State: How the Beatles Rocked Florida (Co-published with Florida Humanities) Kindle Edition

by Bob Kealing (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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The musical and cultural impact of
the Fab Four in Florida

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

Bob Kealing sets the historical
stage 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 Cuban
Missile Crisis and the arrest and imprisonment of Martin Luther King Jr. in St.
Augustine. Kealing documents the culture clashes and unexpected affinities that
emerged as the British rockers drew crowds, grew from fluff story to the
subject of continual news coverage, and basked in the devotion of a young and idealistic
generation.

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 locations
such as Miami Beach, where they wrote new songs and met Muhammad Ali. In the
tropical environs of Key West, John Lennon and Paul McCartney experienced
milestone moments in their friendship. And the band dodged the path of
Hurricane Dora to play at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, where they famously
refused to perform until the city agreed to integrate the audience.

Kealing highlights the
hopeful futures that the Beatles helped inspire, including stories of iconic
rock-and-rollers such as Tom Petty who followed the band’s lead in their own
paths to stardom. This book offers a close look at an important part of the
musical and cultural revolution that helped make the Fab Four a worldwide
phenomenon.

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

Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

University Press of Florida
Publication date

March 7, 2023
File size

7908 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kealing has identified a few weeks in 1964 as a transition point, both for the band and pop culture. His sources come from outside the Beatles camp, adjacent observers offering reflective testimony on a moment when the Beatles were not yet fully draped in myth." (Recommended) Uncut Magazine

"Entrancing and addictive from page one...This is a must-read and the most powerful account yet of the standard the Beatles set for a higher sense of honor and morality."
-Larry Kane, Author: Ticket to Ride: Inside the Beatles' 1964 Tour that Changed the World.

"How Kealing was able to assemble the details he reveals in the book is a testament to his ability to research a subject well. His book is a must-read for fans and Florida enthusiasts."
-Tampa Bay Magazine

"Kealing dug deep...with new interviews and copious research painting a vivid picture of the Beatles' time in the state at the fever pitch of Beatlemania."
-Orlando Weekly

"Bob Kealing argues that even as early as their first USA tour in 1964, the band was also quite consciously making cultural and political statements that would reverberate across the world."
-Jacksonville Times-Union

"Highly recommend Good Day Sunshine State...an enlightening book with several new stories. Many made me laugh and others made me think. All Beatles fans will enjoy this..."
-MeettheBeatlesforreal.com

Review

“With lively prose and rich details, Kealing transports us back to the Beatles’ Florida sojourn in 1964. Eyewitness accounts from behind-the-scenes folks—fans, reporters, photographers, tour personnel, police officers—and words from the Fab Four themselves add depth to this intriguing look at a band on the precipice of transforming rock and roll forever.”—Holly George-Warren, author of Janis: Her Life and Music

“Good Day Sunshine State is a remarkable achievement, and Kealing’s passion for research and storytelling is evident on every page. A unique and mesmerizing book that will captivate Beatles fans as well as lovers of history.”—

“Florida has a very deep, yet sorely underappreciated, music history, and no one understands this better than Bob Kealing. Good Day Sunshine State is an impeccably researched, culturally significant book written with the flair of a true storyteller. This is a must-read for any Beatles fan and anyone curious about the history of Florida.”—Jeff Nolan, music and memorabilia historian

“A brilliant recounting of Florida (and America in the early 1960s) through the lens of the Beatles. Kealing has a firm grasp on rock and roll and Florida, weaving the two subjects seamlessly through politics, local and national events, and cultural change.”—Gary R. Mormino, author of Dreams in the New Century: Instant Cities, Shattered Hopes, and Florida’s Turning Point --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BTQQ72DN
Publisher ‏ : ‎ University Press of Florida; 1st edition (March 7, 2023)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 7, 2023
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 7908 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0813068932

Best Sellers Rank: #1,431,181 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,442 in Music History & Criticism (Kindle Store)
- #1,547 in Rock Music (Kindle Store)
- #1,717 in History of Southern U.S.

Customer Reviews:
59

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Bob Kealing

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My new book ”Good Day Sunshine State, How the Beatles Rocked Florida” is the first in a series co-published by the Florida Humanities and University Press of Florida.

It’s the product of four years and more than thirty new, primary-source interviews, access to letters and rare artifacts from the Beatles themselves, and transcripts from little-known court testimony connecting the Fab Four to iconic newsmakers, artists and historic events. The time the Beatles spent in Florida, almost two weeks, is more than anywhere else in North America that watershed year.

A Whose Who of Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famers who grew up in an uncommonly musical section of Florida, talk about the Fab Four’s profound influence. Not long after their breakout Sullivan Show appearances, garage bands exploded up and down the peninsula.

For film/tv rights inquiries, lectures and book signings: callingmehomebook@gmail.com

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Richard Driver

Essential reading for 1960s history and Beatles fans

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2023

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Bob Kealing explores the Beatles first trips to the United States alongside civil rights activism and changing political dynamics within the nation in this engaging narrative. Good Day Sunshine State highlights the Beatles extended stays in Miami, Florida, in February 1964, and Key West in September 1964, and emphasizes their role contributing to efforts of change alongside campaigns against segregation in 1963 and 1964. Kealing’s masterful writing not only examines the events and developments that unfolded in America within those critical years but expertly unveils the experiences of the Beatles, their entourage, and reporters like Larry Kane documenting their tour in 1964, but also the excitement they generated with young Americans that sought out the Beatles’ music and concerts. Meanwhile, Kealing additionally tracks events such as the St. Augustine Movement and the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr., challenging segregation in Florida ahead of the passage of the Civil Rights Act in the summer of 1964. The story that unfolds under Kealing’s research and direction emphasizes those activities with the Beatles first trip to the United States, the debut of their first film A Hard Day’s Night and return for a longer tour in August and September, with Hurricane Dora providing a riveting climax and conclusion. Fans of the Beatles will find the history of the band in this book revealing while those interested in the connections between major developments in the United States of the 1960s equally insightful and engaging.

An added bonus is the background Good Day Sunshine State compliments Paul McCartney’s 1964: Eyes of the Storm book featuring his pictures of the Beatles from their whirlwind experiences of that year and trips in Florida!

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Amazon Customer

Great Read

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2023

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Being a Beatle's fan I can't get enough! This book gave me a different perspective of The Beatles that I didn't know. Well written and very entertaining. Highly recommend.

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Richard E. Brunson Jr.

A '60s trip worth taking

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2023

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Because he's a longtime broadcast journalist, Bob Kealing brings his exemplary skills as a researcher and taut writer to this book that makes for an exciting time-travel trip into the history of how Beatlemania hit Florida and helped transform the state culturally and socially. It's a page-turner (I read it in three sittings) and moves with the action, drive and cleanness of Paul McCartney's bass riffs. How the author managed to find all of the people still alive that he interviewed for this book is a feat in an of itself and gives authenticity, voice and verve to the narrative. Bravo, Bob!

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2023

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Yeah, it's for Beatles' fans. If you're not one you probably don't care what those boys did while they were in FL for a few weeks in the 60s. Yet this book chronicles more than that. It addresses the local circumstance of integration and the sadness that was part of everyday life in those times. It addresses that with deftness and skill. It tells of these young guys from Liverpool who had become a much bigger deal than they imagined and how they reacted to the problem of race relations in this country. It also tells of how crowds of crazed folks can affect situations. The fandom was, literally, wild. Often out of control wild. HELP! indeed.

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Amazon Customer

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2024

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Truly enjoyed reading this book. Would recommend it to anyone.

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Lawrence Hyatt

Great representation of my family, my father Sgt. Buddy Dresner

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2023

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Great representation of my family, my father Sgt. Buddy Dresner. The Beatles lived with and then brought home for dinner, The Beatles. This book is a nice collection of our memories.

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Something Fresh about the Beatles

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2023

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Thanks to his outstanding reporting and storytelling, author Bob Kealing shows us how the Beatles helped lead us out of the darkness of late 1963 and into the light of the cultural revolution that followed. Good Day Sunshine State has all of the Beatles hijinks you would expect, but it also highlights many of the vital characters around the band and the fans who adored them. Kealing successfully places all of this in the context of the civil rights movement that was roiling Florida and the nation in 1964. The four lads from Liverpool, who started by interpreting Soul and R&B music from Motown to Memphis, used their considerable platform to insist that there be no segregated seating at their concerts including one in Jacksonville, in the heart of the Jim Crow south. Although the emerging Beatles would not hesitate to face controversy in the future, Kealing shows us an early example of their expanding cultural influence. This book's a keeper!

2 people found this helpful

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Dan S.

Background on the Beatles you’ve never heard!

Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2023

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Great story, well written, exceptionally researched. Brings you right there, 60 years ago. It’s not just about the Beatles, but there’s plenty of never heard of details to make most fans scream and shout!

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Yukon179

Highly recommended not only for Beatles fans

Reviewed in Germany on September 24, 2023

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Great story telling and time travel to the 60s. You get a feeling of Beatlemania in the context of a dramatically changing US American society - what this book separates from the rest is the warm and respectful manner in which all the people are described that helped to keep the Beatles juggernaut rolling - and now I will order EYES OF THE STORM 😉😎

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