The Beatles

The Beatles 

The Beatles were one of the most creative musical groups in the history of Rock and Roll.  During the period that the Beatles played together as a band they made five films in addition to their voluminous output of original music.

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960, becoming one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music.The group's best-known lineup 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 in innovative ways. Their enormous popularity first emerged as "Beatlemania"; as their songwriting grew in sophistication, by the late 1960s they came to be perceived by many fans and cultural observers as an embodiment of the ideals shared by the era's sociocultural revolutions.

John Winston Lennon

Born 9th October 1940.John was brought up in Liverpool by his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George.He did not like school very much and used to spend his time drawing lots of cartoons.His Aunt asked John’s headmaster to write a letter of recommendation for John to the Liverpool Art College, because of his drawings.Here, he became more interested in music and started his own band called the Quarrymen.He met Paul McCartney in 1955.
1955 - Uncle George dies. 
1956 - Julia buys John a guitar at Frank Hessy’s music store and forms his first group, the Quarrymen, with pals Pete Shotton, Nigel Whalley, and Ivan Vaughan. 
july 6, 1957 - John meets Paul McCartney at the Woolton Parish Church in Liverpool during a performance by the Quarrymen. John, impressed by Paul’s ability to tune a guitar and by his knowledge of song lyrics, later asks Paul if he wants to join the group as lead guitarist. 
1957 - John’s mother is killed on Menlove Avenue by a speeding car when crossing the road after visiting John at Mendips.
august 23, 1962  - John marries Cynthia Powell in Liverpool.
april 8, 1963    - John’s first son, Julian, is born.
january 1965     - John composes “Help!”
March 20, 1969   - John and Yoko marry in Gibraltar.
october 9, 1975  - Birth of John’s second son, Sean.
october 23, 1980 - John’s first new single, “(Just Like) Starting Over,” is released. 
December 8, 1980 - John is assassinated in New York by a crazed fan.

Paul McCartney 

Born 18th June, 1942 in Liverpool.Music was always a part of the McCartney household.Before the war, Paul’s father was a Cotton salesman during the day and a jazz musician by night.Both Paul and his brother Michael, received Piano lessons.His mother Mary died of cancer when he was fourteen, while the two brothers were away at camp.

When the musical style Skiffle became the craze Paul’s dad saved £15 to buy Paul a guitar.Paul’s friend Ivan Vaughan (a member of the Quarrymen) invited Paul along to see the band he played in.Later  in the afternoon, after hearing the Quarrymen play, Paul picked up a guitar and played.He impressed the Quarrymen.The others asked him a few days later to join the band.
july 6, 1957  - Paul meets John Lennon and shortly thereafter joins The Quarrymen.
1961          - Stuart Sutcliffe leaves the band. Paul switches from playing lead guitar to bass.
november, 1967- Paul directed The Beatles promotional film Hello Goodbye. 
March 12, 1969– Paul marries Linda Eastman in London.
summer, 1970  - Paul begins a solo career with the release of “McCartney.” 
March, 1997   - Paul is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. 
May, 1997     - Paul releases new album entitled “Flaming Pie.” 
april 17, 1998– Paul’s wife, Linda McCartney, dies. She had been fighting Cancer.
june 11, 2002 - Paul marries Heather Mills
early 2008    – Paul and Heather divorce

George Harrison 

Born 25th February, 1943, making him the youngest of the Beatles.Father Harold was a bus driver, and mother a housewife.When the Skiffle craze hit Liverpool, George and his brother formed a band.

George and Paul were school friends and spent many hours practising guitar together.In 1956, Paul introduced George to the Quarrymen, but he was not old enough to join.He filled in as guitarist a few times when the regular guitarist did not turn up.Gradually, he became a member of the band.
february, 1958 - George joins the Quarrymen.
january, 1966 - George marries Patti Boyd. 
september, 1966 - George leads The Beatles to visit the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India, and there develops his lifelong passion for Indian music and mysticism. 
january, 1969 - George and Paul argue during the filming of the movie Let It Be.George storms out of Abbey Road Studios, but is later coaxed back by Paul. 
june, 1977 - George divorces Patti Boyd.
august 1, 1978 - George and Olivia are the proud parents of a son whom they name Dhani. 
august 8, 1978 - George and Olivia get married.
1979              – George jointly creates Handmade Films production company. This was initially created to fund a Monty Python movie, but also continued to produce a number of other successful films including Withnail and I.
1988              - George joins a new band, “The Travelling Wilburys,” with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison. Their debut album is released to much critical acclaim. 
january, 1994     - George is reunited with Paul and Ringo to work on two new Beatles’ songs, “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love,” and he becomes involved in the Anthology project. 
november 29, 2001 - George dies of cancer in Los Angeles.

Ringo Starr

Richard Starkey was born in a small two-story terraced house in Liverpool, on July 7th, 1940.  His father was a dock worker.Ringo was a happy child but had to spend a lot of time in hospital, for appendicitis at 6, at which time he went into a coma for 2 months, a cold developed into pleurisy when he was 13, causing him to miss a lot of school.He could barely write and read by 15.

He started his own band in 1957 called The Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group.He then joined The Raving Texans in 1959.During this time he got the nickname Ringo, because of the rings he wore, and Starr so that his drum solos could be seen as “Star Time”.Ringo first met the Beatles in Hamburg in October 1960.He joined the Beatles on August 18, 1962, replacing Pete Best.
1955 – Ringo leaves school and works as railway messenger, barman on Mersey Ferry and 
an apprentice joiner. He is nicknamed “Ringo” for wearing many rings.
December, 1957 – Ringo’s father buys him his first set of drums. 
november, 1959 - Ringo joins a band called Rory Storm and The Hurricanes. 
october, 1960 – Ringo leaves for Hamburg, Germany with Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, 
where he meets The Beatles for the first time. 
august 18, 1962 - Ringo replaces Pete Best as the drummer for The Beatles. 
1964 - Ringo is most popular Beatle in America.
february 1965, - Ringo marries Maureen Cox.
april, 1971 - Ringo releases “It Don’t Come Easy”/”Early 1971” the first of a string of hit singles.
1975 - Ringo divorces Maureen Cox.
1981 - Ringo marries Barbara Bach.
june, 1998 - Ringo releases “Vertical Man,” a new album
 featuring many stars, including Paul and George.
january 2008 – Ringo returns to Liverpool to launch the beginning of Capital of Culture.

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