The Beatles Biography, Photos and Posters

The Beatles

Biography

Started: March, 1957
City and Country of Origin: Liverpool, England
Music Training:
Awards: 1964 Grammy Best New Artist; 1964 Best Performance By A Vocal Group, "A Hard Day's Night;" 1967 Best Contemporary Album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; 1967 Album Of The Year, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; 1996 Best Music Video, Long Form, The Beatles Anthology; 1996 Best Music Video, Short Form, Free As A Bird; 1996 Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, Free As A Bird; 1988 inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Top Recordings: "Love Me Do," "Please Please Me," "From Me to You," "She Loves You," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "Can't Buy Me Love," "Hard Day's Night," "Ticket to Ride," " Help," "We Can Work It Out," "Day Tripper," "Paperback Writer," "Yellow Submarine," "Eleanor Rigby," "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Penny Lane," "Hello Goodbye," "I Am the Walrus," "Lady Madonna," "Hey Jude," "Revolution," "Get Back," "Something," "Come Together," "Let It Be," "The Long and Winding Road"
The Beatles Biography: The Beatles did not start off with the same type of explosion created when they first landed in the U. S., they evolved. First there was The Black Jacks which quickly became The Quarry Men a group that included John Lennon but none of the other future members of the Beatles. John was introduced to Paul McCartney in July of 1957 by fellow band member Ivan Vaughn. Paul finally joined the group in October. In September of that year John enrolled at the Liverpool College of Art while Paul and future Beatle George Harrison were attending Liverpool Institute High School. They grew to know each other during their daily commute. In early Paul finally convinced John to allow George to join the group. The addition of George meant that there were now 7 members of The Quarry Men. In 1959 the group disbanded due to a lack of work. After a short stint with another group George rejoined John, Paul and Ken Brown for a string of performances at the new Casbah Club, but a financial dispute between the club and Brown ended the gig. The Liverpool trio remained together performing as Johnny and the Moondogs while Ken teamed up with the club owners son Pete Best to form a new group.

At the outset of 1960 the Lennon group renamed itself the Beetles, after Buddy Hollies Crickets, and added guitarist Stu Sutcliff. When Alan Williams became their manager he renamed the group the Silver Beatles. They were joined on a tour of Scotland by drummer Tommy Moore, but he had to leave the group because of financial obligations. In July they brought on a new drummer Norman Chapman who worked witht he group until he was called for national service. In August they asked Peter Best to become their regualr drummer. Williams hearing that Hamburg Germany was fast becoming a hot bed for rock music arranged a series of gigs for the group in Hamburg and renamed the group The Beatles. They stayed till December, but revisted often through 1962. Stu left the group to get married and the group disbanded for a short time after their first trip to Hamburg ended. Pete Best was quickly becoming the sex symbol of the group and the others were becoming jealous. A dispute erupted between John and Alan of managerial royalties and Alan quit. While working at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg they were asked to record with Tony Sheridan by Bert Kampfert. They were soon signed to Polydor Records as the Beat Brothers. At this time they made several recordings including "My Bonnie", "In the School Hall", "Cry for A Shadow" and "Ain't She Sweet." A record store owner by the name Brian Epstein, a friend of Alan Williams, was receiving requests for recordings by The Beatles. He introduced himself to the group at the Cavern Club in Liverpool where they were playing and received permission from Alan to try his hand at managing the group. In January they signed a management contract with Epstein. In April Stu Sutcliff died. In June when the group signed with EMI/Parlophone Records, Paul expressed concerns about the quality of Best's drumming skills. They brought in a session drummer who had been filling in for Best from time to time. His name was Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey). Starr, who also had an offer from Gerry and the Pacemakers, was signed as the groups drummer.

On October 5, 1962, the group released its first single "Love Me Do," which was written by Paul in 1958. The song hit number 17 on the U. K. charts. In 1963 "Please Please Me" hit number 1 on the U. K. charts and the album by the same name stayed on top of the charts for 30 weeks. The Beatle phenomenon was underway. Their first American release "I Want to Hold Your Hand," released in December of 1963, went straight to the top of the charts. In February of 1964 they invaded the U. S. shores, the British invasion which they sparked was already well under way with groups like The Dave Clark 5 and Gerry and the Pacemakers already on the charts, to make their first guest appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Immediately after that the group achieved something that has never been duplicated in recording history. They had the top 5 best selling records on the U. S. charts and the top 2 albums on the album charts. What followed was a gradual evolution of their sound from pure 50s style rock 'n roll to a more of a social conscious folk rock influenced style. In 1967 their manager Brian Epstein died of a drug overdose.

They filled the 60s charts with albums like Rubber Soul, Revolver, Magical Mystery Tour, White Album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road. They also tried their hand at the silver screen with movies like A Hard Days Night and Help which were huge box office successes and help pave the way for the modern day music video as well as their only flop Magical Mystery Tour. By 1970 John and Paul were no longer on speaking terms. Some felt that their spouses were the cause, but for whatever reason the group split up.
Disbanded: 1970

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