On June 17, 1967 – 50 years ago today – an advertisement appeared in the New Musical Express, the famed British pop music weekly.
That issue’s cover had a picture of The Monkees, while spread out within the first few pages were stories on The Small Faces, Melody, The Rolling Stones and others.
And tucked somewhere in there, between the reviews of current singles (Judith Durham’s debut at the top) and the list of NME’s Top 30 albums and Top Ten singles, that week highlighting Jackie Trent, The Sandpipers and Ramsey Lewis, was a quarter-page graphic of the Statue of Liberty with some writing below.
Turn the page and you’d miss it. Get caught up in the latest on Gerry Marsden (he of the Pacemakers) and it’s gone. But the text underneath, “Liberty Wants Talent…”, beckoned to the musical youth of Britain just as its namesake that stands upon the shores of Manhattan and New Jersey has to millions of people around the world. As if saying, “Give us your tired, your poor, your Hollies wanna-be’s.”
Two very well-known artists met because of that ad and their friendship and working relationship continues to this day. Read the full story here.
Photo Credits: NME/eltonjohn.com
