Ed Rudy, chronicler of the Beatles’ first trip to America, dies
On Feb. 7, 1964, when the Beatles were greeted by thousands of screaming fans at John F. Kennedy International Airport, a radio reporter named Ed Rudy was there.
When they performed in Washington, Rudy was there. And when they headed to Miami Beach, he was there. Rudy filed reports to a syndicate of radio stations throughout the Beatles’ two-week tour of the United States, their first performances in the country, and soon after packaged his material into a 35-minute album, “The American Tour With Ed Rudy,” which rose to No. 20 on Billboard’s Top LPS chart.
“Here is the sound and substance of the world’s hottest entertainment group,” Rudy said at the start of the album in his booming Bronx-accented voice.
In a promotion to radio stations that was included on the album, John Lennon said, “This is the complete behind-the-scenes coverage of the Beatles in America by the fifth Beatle, Ed Rudy.”
The title is one that others would claim, including the New York disc jockey Murray Kaufman, better known as Murray the K. Like Kaufman, Rudy embraced it.
The album, a chronicle of the Beatles’ invasion of the American market, was released by Rudy to capitalize on the group’s astonishing early popularity. It was the central achievement among Rudy’s various undertakings as a writer, radio announcer, band manager and song publisher.
Rudy died Nov. 7 at his home in Aventura, Florida. He was 93. His daughter, Anita Storr, confirmed the death.
Edward Ralph Rudy was born on June 26, 1929, in the Bronx. His father, Jacob, a Polish immigrant, was a garment cutter who later became a landlord. His mother, Rose (Steiner) Rudy, who was from Austria, was a homemaker.
According to Rudy’s website, he worked in the 1950s on three New York City radio stations, WINS, WMGM and WABC, in various on-air roles, as well as writing for the trade newspaper Show Business and other publications.
His daughter said that he also managed doo-wop groups the Eternals and the Genies; he also published some of their songs, including the Eternals’ “Babalu’s Wedding Day” and the Genies’ “No More Knockin,’” the last of which he is credited with co-writing.