The Beatles

The founder of the band was John Lennon, a vocalist and guitarist. The other members were: Paul McCartney (vocal and guitars), George Harrison (guitar) and Pete Best (drums), later replaced by Ringo Starr. The name of the band changed several times, from “Quarrymen” at the beginning through “Johnny and the Moondogs”, later to “Silver Beetles”, until finally John – inspired by the name of Buddy Holly’s group – thought up the name “The Beatles” – which was a wordplay with the word “beat” – rhythm, very important in rock music.

In 1960 they started working in Hamburg, in a night-club, where they formed as a band. They did 3 gigs during 1 night, so they had to take cocaine not to fall asleep. They were often paid in alcohol, which made their shows more crazy. They soon gained a pretty large audience. Their first single was “Please, Please Me”. The Beatles made a stunning success – the song was easy for the ear and their hairstyles and the way they dressed (very criticized in the beginning of the 60’s) became fashion standards. Their second single – “From Me To You” became a hit and their debut album “Please, Please Me” was a success ion Great Britain. Their next single “She Loves You”, with the characteristic “yeah, yeah, yeah” in the chorus was first in the UK hit list, becoming one of the most popular singles in the history of British music industry. “I want to hold your hand” became single no.1 in the USA, which was quite a success for a British band.

In 1963 The Beatles had the world on it’s knees. They starred in two movies (“A hard day(‘s?) night” and “Help!”), which were hits. On the 26th of October they also received Orders Of The British Empire. On the 7th of February they visited the USA for the first time ever, welcomed on the Kennedy Airport by thousands of fans and reporters. Their visit was carefully planned: endless photo sessions, meetings with VIPs, press conferences and interviews. The band was carefully escorted by the police. On the 9th of February they performed live on “The Ed Sullivan Show”, watched by 73 million people in the States. The few concerts they played, attracted thousands. It was indeed a triumph – a British band conquering America, the home of countless rock stars.

In 1968 John fell in love in a half-Japanese artist, Yoko Ono, with whom he had worked before. After that he soon stopped being interested in the band. The Beatles also lost their manager, so they suddenly had to become businessmen. They failed because of their lack of experience. John started completely ignoring the band, which made the other band members hate Yoko, describing her as the reason for their arguments and failures. They recorded a couple of singles and two more long plays, but – unfortunately – it was the end. On the 10th of April, Paul announced that he’s quitting the band and on the 31st of December he went to court, demanding the closing of “The Beatles And Co.”. In the beginning of 1971, as a court decision, The Beatles ceased to exist.