Musician and bandleader, Harry James was an instrumentalist of the swing era. He
was one of the most popular bandleaders of the first half of the 1940s, and he
continued  to lead his band until just before his death, 40 years later. His was the
first "name band" to employ vocalist Frank Sinatra, in 1939. He wanted to change Sinatra’s name to ‘Frankie Satin’ but Sinatra refused. His later band included
drummer Buddy Rich. Harry James was second only to Glenn Miller as the most successful recording artist of 1942.  

Harry James and his Orchestra on The Ed Sullivan show

 
Frank Sinatra, right, with Harry James and his orchestra in 1939

          
                  Outside view of the Ed Sullivan Theater before the show

The Tonight Show is a  late-night talk show that has aired on NBC-TV since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today. The first host of  the show was Steve Allen(above). Allen departed Tonight after NBC ordered him to concentrate all his efforts on his Sunday night variety program,The Steve Allen Show, hoping to combat CBS-TV and The Ed Sullivan Show’s dominance of the Sunday night ratings. Below is a clip from the first Tonight Show that aired on Monday night, September 27, 1954.

The Rolling Stones were initially refused permission to perform the number on The Ed Sullivan Show. Sullivan himself told Jagger, "Either the song goes or you go”. A compromise was reached to substitute the words "let’s spend some time together" in place of "let’s spend the night together"; Jagger agreed to change the lyrics but ostentatiously rolled his eyes at the TV camera while singing them. Soon after the performance, the Stones disappeared from the studio. Ed Sullivan announced that the Rolling Stones would be banned from performing on his show again. In April 2006, for their first-ever performance in China, authorities prohibited the group from performing the song due to its "suggestive lyrics”.

  
                                          Ed Sullivan

       
           Gladys and Vernon Presley with young Elvis in 1937  

                     
           Elvis on a special Milton Berl Show aboard the USS Hancock in    
           San Diego. It was the first of two appearances on the NBC show.

                       Elvis on the the Ed Sullivan show in 1956 

            
          
                              Elvis joined the US Army in 1958 

         
                     Priscilla and Elvis with Daughter Lisa Marie