The biggest event at the 2014 Grammy Awards involved two men who gained iconic status long before most of the audience and most of their fellow performers were even born. Rock and pop legends Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the two surviving members of the Beatles, reunited on the Grammy stage for a rare performance together. The historic moment comes just as the world is getting ready to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. That Feb. 9th, 1964 performance is credited with starting Beatlemania here in the US, and if you ask many people, it still hasn’t ended. That probably includes most of us.

As if to prove that, Sir Paul picked up a Grammy for Best Rock Song (“Cut Me Some Slack”) with the Foo Fighters’ and former Nirvana band member Dave Grohl, and accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award for the Beatles with Starr. Starr also performed solo on the song “Photograph” before joining McCartney for the latter’s “Queenie Eye”. During their performance, Yoko Ono and son Sean could be seen grooving along and it appears she and McCartney may have mended their differences as a shot of them grasping hands and smiling at each other circulated. It would have been nice if the producers had arranged for a performance of a classic Beatles tune, but just having the two surviving Beatles on stage performing together was enough to send fans to cloud 9. Starr and McCartney shared a hug after the performance while enjoying a well-deserved standing ovation.

That iconic Ed Sullivan appearance wasn't the only history the Fab Four made during that 1964 trip to New York. The images of their arrival at JFK are legendary, and they also played Carnegie Hall and a year later returned to play their historic concert at Shea Stadium. The salute to Beatlemania will continue with a Grammy Special in February, timed to coincide with the exact day and time they changed American music forever. Do you remember what you were doing when the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan? If so, share your memories on our forum!