Steve Garland Media

Steve hosted the "Beatles Hour" on CBS radio for several years. During that time he interviewed many of the beatles cloesest friends, producers, and the hardest to reach beatle of them all. This part of Steve's Vault has program highlights from the Beatles hour. Hear interview clips from John, Paul George and Ringo, plus segments with the Beatles 1st Drummer, Pete Best, Walter Shenson, Producer of a Hard Days night, Guitarist from Paul Mcartney and Wings-Laurence Juber, Peter Brown, and many more. 
From Steve-
Like most lifelong Beatles fans, I'm someone who read up on everything about the band, knew all the songs, stories, looked for rare recordings,and followed all the news about them.
As an on air personality at KCBS in San Francisco in 1980, I  found myself on the air the night John Lennon was shot and killed. I was horrified, but could not grieve like others, because I was still live on the air. Most stations played beatle music. After choking through the announcement of John's murder, I too played Beatles music. But then, I though of all the listeners who had thoughts, feelings and might be alone and couldn't share them. So, with my program director's permission I went to live phone calls, asking people what they were feeling, while we filled in with any updates we had. A few more people joined me in the studio live. A guy named Dr. Rock, Sean COnrad my PD, and we just kept going till the wee hours of the morning. It was cathartic.
Coming back to San Francisco on a plane that night was David Sheff, the man who had just spent two weeks with Lennon, for his Playboy magazine interview. He heard us on the radio, and called in. David came into the Studio the next few nights, and while the world was mourning John, we talked to listeners. Like other stations, we did a candlelighting  for John-joined in by listeners on air and hundreds gathered in golden gate park. We talked about David's experience with John and Yoko, and shared with listeners the last days of John Lennon. This event is what inspired me to Launch the Beatles hour for CBS.
Looking back, this night turned out to be a turning point in my life. Hosting the Beatles hour helped heal the pain of John's death, and through re-exploring all their music each week, the people around the beatles, the fans, and the beatles themselves. It reminded me- and hopefully thousands of San Francisco listeners, that we all had a shared experience. We all shared in loving their music, and that even today the Beatles music adds  a richness, happy feeling,  and a "comfort" to our lives.
Please enjoy these highlights from the Beatles hour, "nearly twenty years ago today".....more like 30, but whose counting?