Ed Sullivan, the legendary TV host whose eponymous variety show helped launch Elvis Presley and the Beatles to superstardom, was one of the key figures in the early evolution of rock & roll. Before American Bandstand‘s Dick Clark and Soul Train‘s Don Cornelius later set the standard for youth-oriented music programs, Sullivan was America’s first oldest teenager.

He quietly helped change television, music and American society by going against the social mores of his time and deliberately seeking out Black talent to spotlight on The Ed Sullivan Show. He was, in a sense, the anti-Lawrence Welk.

Read more at People.com