THE
Beatles

Contents
1. John Lennon
2. Paul McCartney
3. George Harrison
4. Ringo Starr
5. The Beatles
6. Original UK LPs

• The Beatles were an English rock band,
active throughout the 1960s and one of the
most commercially successful and critically
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 roll,
the group later worked in
many genres ranging
from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often
incorporating classical and other elements

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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.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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• 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)