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Sgt. Pepper fans can twist and shout in honor of The Beatles for a tribute to the iconic rock ‘n’ roll band Friday and Saturday night.

Hosted by Beatles cover band 1964, “1964: The Tribute” features a presentation about the Beatles at 6 p.m. in Pitman Hall (a ticket is required), a cover band of OU School of Music professors, MidLyfe Crysis, performing at 7 and the cover band 1964 performing at 8 in Sharp Concert Hall.

The Beatles were a musical group that stabilized in 1962 with members Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harris in Liverpool and arrived the United States in 1964, starting the phenomenon known as “Beatlemania” and beginning the British Invasion of rock ‘n’ roll music.

The band broke up in 1970 after undeniable critical and commercial popularity, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

OU School of Music bassoon professor Carl Rath, who organized the tribute concert series, said 1964 is a cover group that formed in the ’80s to do a Beatles concert, and after receiving positive feedback, kept going. The band performs as the four members on national tours.

“I saw them in the late ’80s and was just blown away,” said Rath, who also teaches a Beatles seminar through the School of Music. “I remembered them again when I was driving to Wisconsin … I came back to OU and talked to a friend – we thought it would be fun to bring them in.”

After 1964 performed at OU for several years, Rath said the concert series was discontinued due to lack of funding, but restarted after he started teaching the Beatles class in 1995 when students wanted the series back.

“Two years ago it was the first time [1964 was] set up to play with strings and brass,” Rath said to explain why the concert is back by “popular demand.” “I got sick, so I handed the whole thing over to another professor, and long story short, it got canceled.”

However, after a year-long period of phone calls and e-mails from fans insisting 1964 come back again, the concert was rescheduled as two nights long.

Rath brought in speakers for the Beatles presentation including Andy Babiuk, Russ Lease, Cathy Sarver and Steve Loflin, all of whom he met at a Chicago Beatlesfest.

The popularity of 1964’s concert series, and other cover bands, shows the enduring legacy of the Beatles.

“There are a lot of other Beatles tribute bands coming through this area,” Rath said. “This is the cheapest place you can see them.”