THEBeatles

Contents

1. John Lennon2. Paul McCartney3. George Harrison4. Ringo Starr5. The Beatles6. Original UK LPs

• The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercial ly successful and crit ical ly acclaimed acts in the history of popular music.  

• Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals),  Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals),  George Harrison ( lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals).

• Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and rol l , the group later worked in many genres ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical  and other elements in innovative ways.

John LennonJohn Lennon• Full Name:Full Name:Originally John Winston Originally John Winston

Lennon, later John Lennon, later John Ono LennonOno Lennon

• Born:Born:October 9, 1940October 9, 1940• Died:Died:December 8, 1980December 8, 1980

Significant Facts About John Lennon• Had two distinct careers, as singer-songwriter-guitarist for The

Beatles , then as a solo musician, author, and political activist• Had a major influence on the evolution of rock music as a force

for social and political change• Performed with, recorded with, and married Yoko Ono, whom

he met at an exhibit of her art n London in 1966• Shot and killed by a deranged fan outside his New York City

apartment as he and Yoko returned from a recording session in December, 1980

John Lennon Before and After The Beatles

• His mother taught him to play banjo as a child. He formed the group that would eventually become The Beatles, then called The Quarry Men, in the late 50s. 

• After The Beatles split in 1970, he continued writing and performing as a solo artist until 1975, when he retired. He had just released a comeback album shortly before his death in 1980.

Paul McCartneyPaul McCartney• Full Name:Full Name:

Sir James Paul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney• Born:Born:

June 18, 1942June 18, 1942• Birthplace:Birthplace:

Liverpool, EnglandLiverpool, England

Significant Facts About Paul McCartneySignificant Facts About Paul McCartney

• Has written or co-written more than 50 Top 10 hits, landing him in the Guinness Book of World Records for that and other songwriting milestones

• Has released 24 albums as a solo artist and 11 with his group, Wings since the breakup of the Beatles in 1970

• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: in 1988 as a member of The Beatles and in 1999 as a solo artist

Paul McCartney Before and After The Beatles

• McCartney met John Lennon at a church picnic. He and George Harrison were high school pals. Together they formed the heart of The Quarrymen, later changing their name to the Beatles . McCartney is best known for his songwriting, particularly in collaboration with Lennon prior to the Beatles' breakup in 1970.

• After a couple of solo albums, McCartney formed Wings, a group that included his wife, Linda, and former Moody Blues guitarist and vocalist Denny Laine. The group released 12 albums and toured extensively before dissolving in 1981. McCartney continues to enjoy success recording and touring, with his most recent album, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard , being released in 2005.

George HarrisonGeorge Harrison• Born:Born:

February 24, 1943 in February 24, 1943 in Liverpool, EnglandLiverpool, England

• Died:Died:

November 29, 2001 in November 29, 2001 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California

• Full Name:Full Name:

George Harold HarrisonGeorge Harold Harrison

Significant Facts About George HarrisonSignificant Facts About George Harrison

• Ranked #21 on Rolling Stone 's list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time

• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 2004, and as a member of the Beatles in 1988

• Had successful careers as a solo artist and as a film producer following the breakup of the Beatles

• During his time with the Beatles, he became heavily involved in Hinduism and music originating in India

George Harrison Before and After The Beatles

• The Beatles' lead guitarist, and occasional songwriter and lead singer, earned the nickname "The Quiet Beatle" because of his shy, introspective nature. In 1958, at the age of 15, he and schoolmate Paul McCartney were playing in a Liverpool band called The Quarrymen, later to become The Beatles.

• Chet Atkins, Chuck Berry, and Carl Perkins influenced his playing style, and he became adept at both lead and rhythm guitar.

• Having stockpiled a catalog of songs that never made it onto Beatles albums, one of Harrison's first solo releases was rock's first triple album, All Things Must Pass . He went on to release a total of 17 solo albums, plus two with the group, The Traveling Wilburys, which also included Bob Dylan , Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne.

Ringo StarrRingo Starr• Full Name:Full Name:

Richard StarkeyRichard Starkey• Born:Born:

July 7, 1940July 7, 1940• Birthplace:Birthplace:

Liverpool, EnglandLiverpool, England

Significant Facts About Ringo StarrSignificant Facts About Ringo Starr

• Oldest Beatle and last to join the group, in 1962• 20 studio and live albums since 1970• Only ex-Beatle who is not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as

a solo artist (The Beatles were inducted in 1988)• Left-handed drummer who uses a right-handed drum kit

Ringo Starr Before and After The Beatles• Young Ritchie Starkey started his own group in 1957, moving on to The

Raving Texans, where he adopted the name Ringo Starr. He met the Beatles in 1960 in Germany when he was touring with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Two years later, the Beatles replaced their original drummer, Pete Best, with Starr. His style of drumming played a key role in the way the Beatles music developed, and helped redefine the role of the drummer in rock music.

• The Beatles broke up for good in April, 1970 and by the end of the year, Starr has released two solo albums. By 1973 he had become the most commercially successful of the ex-Beatles at that time. He appeared in several feature films, and has done TV commercials and voiceovers while continuing to record and tour, under the banner of the All Starr Band.His son, Zak Starkey, is drummer for groups like Oasis and The Who. Starr's trademark motto is "Peace and love."

The Beatles• The group went through several

names. They adopted names such as the Johnny and the Moondogs, The Silver Beetles, The Beatals, The Silver Beatles, and eventually The Beatles. As well as several names, the band went through several members, the more noteworthy of these would be John Lennon's closest friend Stuart (Stu) Sutcliffe - born June 23, 1940, Edinburgh, Scotland, dead April 10, 1962, Hamburg, Germany - (on bass guitar) and Pete Best - born 1941, Liverpool, England - (the drummer before Ringo).

• In 1960, the Beatles went to Hamburg, Germany to play.Thinking they would get rich and famous they instead they found dirty clubs, long hours, filthy living arrangements, and swarms of easy woman. They played through the night, and slept behind a movie screen in a theatre. Throughout their stay in Germany they gained a lot of knowledge of performing but that is all the gained. They never saw the money they were promised. Their stay in Germany ended abruptly when George (then 17) was deported for being under age.

• Towards the end of 1962, the Beatles broke through to the UK charts with their debut single, Love Me Do , and played the Star Club for the final time. The debut was important, as it was far removed from the traditional "beat combo" sound, and Lennon's use of a harmonica made the song stand out. At this time, Epstein signed a contract with the music publisher Dick James, which led to the formation of Northern Songs.

• On February 9, 1964 they appeared on the American television programme The Ed Sullivan Show. The show became the highest rated show in television history to that date. It was also claimed that there was not one reported crime during the time the performed.

• By 1965, Lennon and McCartney's writing had matured to a startling degree and their albums were relying less on outside material. Previously, they had recorded compositions by Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Bacharach And David, Leiber And Stoller and Goffin And King, but with each successive release the group were leaving behind their earlier influences and moving towards uncharted pop territory.

• At Christmas 1965 the Beatles released Rubber Soul , an album that was not a collection of would-be hits or favourite cover versions, as the previous releases had been, but a startingly diverse collection, ranging from the pointed satire of Nowhere Man to the intensely reflective In My Life .

• The Beatles continued on, with McCartney stepping up and trying to take over the management role. But during this time their lives began to go in different directions. Lennon met artist Yoko Ono, George was seeking enlightenment from Ravi Shankar, and Paul fell into the arms of photographer Linda Eastman.

• Disputes, disagreements and disharmony among band members had been gradually increasing, become especially apparent during the White Album recording sessions. The band's last performance together outside the studio (a promotional event on the roof of Apple Studios) came in January 1969. Their last recording session (for Abbey Road ) followed in August.

• In September 1969, Lennon told the band that he was leaving. The others persuaded him not to go public until they made one more effort to get an acceptable version of their final album, Let It Be , which had been recorded several months before Abbey Road but shelved after two attempts by producer George Martin to put it in final form.

• The band's breakup was announced in April 1970, a month before Let It Be was released. Documents filed on December 31, 1970 officially ended the legal entity known as The Beatles.

Original UK LPs• Please Please Me (1963)• With The Beatles (1963)• A Hard Day's Night (1964)• Beatles for Sale (1964)• Help! (1965)• Rubber Soul (1965)• Revolver (1966)• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)• The Beatles (aka the White Album) (1968)• Yellow Submarine (1969)• Abbey Road (1969)• Let It Be (1970)