Throughout the years, rock groups have been praised and adored, but The
Beatles are unquestionably the most innovative and revolutionizing group
of all time. They have been more influential in the music scene than
any other artists. They single-handedly transformed the record industry
by earning artist royalties for self-penned music. The Beatles had a
very long career, and continue to be the most respected band of all time.
The origins of the band began in 1957 when a young student at the Quarry
Bank School in London decided he wanted to start a band. John Lennon (John
Winston Lennon, 9 October 1940, Liverpool, England) was inspired by the
‘skiffle boom.” He decided to name his band The Blackjacks. That name
lasted only one week. Lennon then decided to change the band’s name to
The Quarry Men in March of 1957. Lennon sang and played the guitar. He
then convinced six of his friends to join The Quarry Men. The members
were Colin Hanton (drums), Eric Griffiths (guitar), Pete Sholton (washboard),
Rod Davis (banjo), Bill Smith (tea-chest bass). Smith was soon replaced
by Ivan Vaughan. Early on, Lennon had been inspired by American Rock ‘N’
Roll which was being influenced by artists such as Buddy Holly, Carl
Perkins, The Coasters, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Gene Vincent.
On July 6, 1957 Vaughan invited fellow classmate, Paul McCartney, to see
their gig at The Woolton Parish Church Fete. The fifteen year old
McCartney was introduced to Lennon. After the gig, Lennon asked
McCartney if he would like to audition for the band. After playing “Twenty
Flight-Rock” McCartney was deemed a member. The Quarry Men now
consisted of seven members. McCartney played the guitar and sang vocals,
John Lowe played the piano, and George Harrison played the guitar and
vocals as well. Griffiths shortly after, left the band. The group played
at local talent shows.
In January 1959, the group broke up. Lennon and McCartney, however, kept
in touch. Harrison joined the Les Stewart Quartet. LSQ had just been
booked as a resident band at a new club named Casbah. The group was
having problems, however. Stewart refused to play the new gig because of
problems with guitarist Ken Brow. Harrison and Brow left the group.
Harrison called Lennon and McCartney and The Quarry Men were reunited.
They group played the seven gigs instead of the Les Stewart Quartet. Ken
Brow left the group.
From October 1959 until January 1960, the group was a trio consisting of
McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison. McCartney played the drums. The boys
changed their name to Johnny and the Moondogs. Lennon then enrolled in
The Liverpool College of Art. The group realized that they would need a
bassist. Lennon asked his two friends, Stuart Sutcliffe and Rod Murray,
if they would be interested in joining the band. Both men could not
afford to purchase the guitars. Murray began to make a bass by hand.
Stuart sold one of his paintings to the John Moores Exhibition and
bought a Hofner bass guitar. In January 1960, he joined the band. The
group changed their name to The Silver Beatles. Throughout this time the
group was constantly changing drummers. Tommy Moore toured with the
group in Scotland and then left. Norman Chapman also left. At theis time,
the group’s drummer was Pete Best.
In August of 1960, the group abbreviated their name to The Beatles. They
then went to tour Hamburg. The group was now Lennon, McCartney,
Harrison, Sutcliffe, and Best. The tour soon ended when Harrison was
deported for being underage. Shortly after the tour, Sutcliffe left the
band when he got engaged to photographer Astrid Kirchherr. McCartney was
now playing bass guitar for the band. Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison
all played the guitar and sang vocals. Best during this time had become
a sex symbol. He was also credited for his unique drumming style, which
was called ‘atom beat.’ The group became jealous of Best’s growing
popularity among fans. In November 1961, the group hired Brian Epstein
to be their manager. Epstein arranged for the band to audition for Decca
Records on New Years Day of 1962. The audition was unsuccessful. The
group later received a contract with Parlophone Records. On April 10,
1962, Sutcliffe died of a brain hemorrhage. He had been complaining
about headaches throughout the Hamburg tour. In August 1962, Best was
replaced by Ringo Starr. Ringo was a locally renowned drummer who had
been playing for Kory Storm and the Hurricanes. On October 5, 1962, The
Beatles first single “Love Me Do” became a modest hit. The group toured
with Little Richard.
In 1963 The Beatles were no longer support acts, but headliners. They
starred on countless television shows; Sunday Night at the London
Pavilion, Royal Variety Show, and Thank Your Lucky Stars .By this time,
the single “Please Please Me” was a UK top hit. The group’s next hit
single was “From Me to You.” The single “She Loves You” hit number one,
then dropped, and seven weeks later hit number one again. It was
replaced by “I Want to Hold your Hand.” “I Want To Hold Your Hand” was
significant to The Beatles because it had advance sales of one million
prior to its release. This was something that has never before happened.
1964 was a very big year for The Beatles. They had finally conquered
America. At this time the US was still getting over the shock of the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Rock idols such as Elvis
Presley had lost popularity and singers such as Jerry Lee Lewis and
Chuck Berry were marred by scandals. The country was struck when chart
toppers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper died in a plane
crash. The Beatles managed to win over the hearts of the Americans.
Although the media was calling the group One Hit Wonders, Ed Sullivan
realized their potential. He asked the group to perform on his show. The
band sang, “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” The Ed Sullivan Show had the
highest ratings that night than any other broadcast in history at that
time. It was around this time period that the boys began experimenting
with marijuana. The group then starred in their first film, “A Hard Day’s
Night.” In April 1964 they had the first five slots for the Billboard
Chart Top 100. In Canada, they had the top 9 out of 10 Ht records. The
Beatles had single-handedly made Liverpool, England a known music
capital f the world. Beatle merchandise such as clothes, chewing gum,
and dolls were continuously being sold-out of stores. The group was
shocking the world. They were the first band to break the hit songs of
Tin Pan Alley (building on Broadway that hosted numerous songwriters. At
that time, all major hits were coming from this building). The Beatles
were the first group to write their own songs. They even had a surplus
of music which they supplied to other artists. Such as; Billy j. Kramer,
Cilia Black, Fourmost, Peter and Gordon, and the Rolling Stones.
In 1965, The Beatles starred in their second feature film entitled “HELP.”
They also performed at New York’s Shea Stadium in front of 55,000 fans.
This was the largest live audience in history – at that time. Although
they had many successes, the group did suffer problems. In Tokyo they
were locked in their hotel room due to militant student protests. They
received bad press in the Philippines when Madam Marces invited them to
dinner. Their were protests when they had politely refused. This was the
time when the group began experimenting with the drug, LSD. During
Christmas of 1965, The Beatles released Rubber Soul. The album was very
diverse. It contained the singles; “Nowhere Man,” “In My Life,” “Norwegian
Wood.” “Norwegian Wood” is a song about Lennon’s infidelity. This was
the first album that contained written material by Harrison; “Think for
Yourself” and “If I Needed Someone.”
In 1966, The Beatles were scandalized once again when Lennon claimed
they were more popular than Jesus. Lennon made numerous public apologies
for his statement. Prior to their August 19 concert, the group received
a death threat. They were alarmed when a firecracker was launched in
the middle of the show. On August 20 in Cincinnati the concert promoter
failed to supply a canopy above the stage. The promoter was infuriated
when The Beatles would not play their electric guitars during a
rainstorm. On August 28 at their concert at Dodger Stadium, police were
seen beating teenage girls. Dozens of other fans were trampled during
the chaos. On August 29, The Beatles performed their last official
concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
On August 27, 1967 manager Brian Epstein died of an accidental overdose
with the drug Carbatrol. Epstein was in the middle of a homosexual
scandal. The group was devastated. Lennon and McCartney began to
experience tension when McCartney wanted to run the group. The Beatles
then embarked on The Magical Mystery Tour. They released Sgt. Pepper’s
Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album contained thirteen tracks. It was
totally different than what the public had ever heard before. It
discussed fashion, drugs, and sex. It was also the first time an album
was ever printed with lyrics. The singles were: “Lucy in the Sky With
Diamonds,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,’ “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” “She’s
Leaving Home,” “Good Morning, Good Morning,” “A Day in the Life.” The
album topped the record charts. In 1968, The Beatles became involved
with running their own company, Apple Productions. Their first
independent single was, “Hey Jude.” The group then starred in the film,
Yellow Submarine. The film was completely animated. At that time, it had
landmark animations. The band then released The White Album. During
this time, Starr left the band feeling left out. When he returned, he
found his drum kit adorned with flowers. The group continuously tried to
make him feel like an important member of The Beatles. The album’s
cover was completely white. The album contained the hits; “Julia” and “Back
in the USSR.” During this time the tensions between McCartney and
Lennon escalated as Lennon became more involved with Yoko One. The group
ended the year with the hit single, ‘Hello Goodbye.” On January 30,
1969 The Beatles did their last public appearance on top of the Apple
Building.
On May 8, 1970 The Let it Be album was released. The album had been
delayed for awhile because it was deemed unacceptable for release. It
was given to music mogul Phil Spector who added heavy orchestrated parts
t it. This infuriated McCartney. By this time, the members of The
Beatles had begun solo projects and were gradually drifting apart. The
film, Let it Be, showed Harrison and Lennon’s unhappiness with McCartney.
One month later McCartney publicly announced he was no longer a Beatle.
McCartney would go on to perform in a band called Wings with his wife
Linda. In the late 1990s Linda dies of Breast Cancer. In 2002, McCartney
re-married Heather Mills. Mills, was a London model who lost her leg
and pioneers against hidden land mines.
Years later, Lennon was assassinated. This caused a world wide mourning.
He represented much to the music industry. His wife, Yoko Ono continues
to release his music. In 1998, the film Yellow Submarine was re-released
after being digitally re-mastered. Audiences were stunned by its
effects. On October 20, 1998, The Beatles were confirmed as the most
successful recording group of the twentieth century. They had sales of
over one hundred and six million in the United States. In 1999, the
Anthology Book was released. It was long awaited. It was also over-priced.
All three surviving members and Yoko Ono collaborated on it. It is
comprised of 23 number one hits. The singles “Strawberry Fields Forever”
and “Please Please Me” were omitted due to the fact they were never at
the top of the charts in either Britain or the US. In November 2001,
George Harrison lost his battle with cancer. There was a worldwide
mourning over his death and intense media coverage.
Today, The Beatles are still considered to be the best Rock ‘N’ Roll
Band of all time.
Bio written by: bandhunt |
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