The Beatles formed in 1960, when John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet each other in their late teens in Liverpool, England. Paul and George Harrison joined John's skiffleband. After a year of playing together,

The Beatles

“The Beatles are more popular than Jesus”

The Beginning

The Beatles formed in 1960, when John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet each other in their late teens in Liverpool, England. Paul and George Harrison joined John's skiffleband. After a year of playing together, they added Stuart Sutcliffe to the line up to play the bass. The band played under various names like “Long John and The Beatles,” “Johnny and the Moondogs,” and even “The Silver Beatles.” It was in August of 1962, that the band decided to settle on the the name The Beatles, in tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets. It wasn't until the added Peter Best to the band as the drummer and the band left for Hamburg, Germany, to perform. In 1961, Sutcliffe left the band to continue his career in artist. A year later, The Beatles enlisted Brian Epstein as their manager and they were later signed to EMI Parlophone label.

The Beatles Early Years

By the summer of 1962, Peter Best was replaced by Ringo Star, who was the drummer for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes at the time. In October of that same year, The Beatles released their first single, “Love Me Do,” which hit the top twenty charts in the U.K., reaching as high as #7. By November, the band performed live on People and Places, and released “Please Please Me.” The Beatles released their debut album in March of 1963, and the album peaked at #1 on the British pop charts. From 1936 to 1970, The Beatles released twelve studio albums: Please Please Me (1963), With The Beatles (1963), A Hard Day's Night (1964), Help! (1965), Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), The Beatles (White Album) 1968, Yellow Submarine (1969), Abbey Road (1969) and Let It Be (1970).

Success in the U.S.

Due to conflicts of interests, Capitol Records delayed the release of The Beatles' records in the U.S., but after negotiations with other independent labels in the U.S., they were able to release some of their work. The term Beatlemania was established with the release of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” by the end of 1963. By 1964, The Beatles had already sold more than 2.6 million records in the U.S. alone; the performed live on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. Since the sudden success in the West, The Beatles are credited as the best- selling artists in the U.S. In 1965, McCartney, Starr, Lennon, and Harrison were appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. Over the course of their career, their albums have accomplished 24 double platinum, 39 platinum, 6 diamond, 45 gold albums, and 1 silver album in the U.S. The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame inducted The Beatles in 1988 and ten years later, the band was announced as #1 of the top selling artists.

Drug Use

While recording in New York in 1964, The Beatles were introduced to marijuana by Bob Dylan. Paul McCartney was open about his consumption of cannibus and he protested for the release of persons arrested or imprisoned for the use and possession of the herb. A year later, Lennon and Harrison were given LSD when their dentist spiked their coffee. Eventually Starr and McCartney would try the drug as well. It is said that as their drug use increased, the lyrics of their songs reflects their feelings and political views of about drug use. The song, “Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds,” was said to be a reference to LSD, but it was a song written for Harrison's little girl, Lucy. As well as the song, “Norwegian Wood,” has been speculated to refer to cannibus. In 1967, The Beatles long time manager, Epstein, died of an apparent overdose, but it is rumored that he committed suicide because he thought the band would not renew their contract with him.

Where Are They Now...

After the break up of The Beatles, McCartney, Lennon, Harrison, and Starr all pursued solo careers and each band member released a solo album in 1970. The Beatles would never perform together again. On December 8, 1970, John Lennon was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman. George Harrison finally lost his battle with lung cancer on November 29, 2001. Ringo Starr is still recording and producing music for other artists as well as himself. Paul McCartney has remained in the spot since The Beatles and is the most successful member of the group as a solo artist.

Did You Know...

… The Beatles held down the top spot on the U.K. charts for more than 174 weeks

… Peter Best and Paul McCartney were deported from Hamburg, Germany for arson, allegedly setting a condom on fire in their hotel room.

… The Beatles remain one of the highest mp3 downloaded group of all time

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