http://www.beatles.com/firstus/

The BeatlesThe Beatles

Ann OsburnU.S. History

Mr. Schlosser

April 2004

“The guitar’s all very well, John, but you’ll never make a living out of it.”-John Lennon’s Aunt Mimi

It is quite ironic how wrong John’s Aunt was, when she said these words. The Beatles grew to become an American icon of Rock & Roll culture. Merchandise involving the Beatles made millions, as teenage girls feel in love with the four boys from Liverpool. Their songs reached number one, single after single. During the Beatles recording career from 1962 to 1970, they would release twenty-two singles in the United Kingdom, and thirty-three in the United States. Even today, The Beatles are one of the most popular and influential groups of all time.

The members of the band, from left to right, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Star, and George Harrison

John Winston LennonBorn 9 October 1940 in Liverpool, Merseyside, EnglandDied 8 December 1980 in New York City, USAMother: Julia (Stanley) Lennon, Father: Fred Lennon, Spouse: Yoko Ono (from 20 March 1969)First wife was Cynthia Powell from 23 August 1962, in 1968 divorced Children: John Charles Julian Lennon, Sean Taro Ono Lennon, Kyoko Cox - stepdaughter

James Paul McCartney

Born 18 June 1942 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England

Mother: Mary Patricia (Mohin) McCartney, Father: James McCartneyCurrent Relationship: Linda (Eastman) McCartney (was his wife from 12 March 1969) died of cancer on 17 April 1998Children: Heather - stepdaughter, Mary, Stella, James

George HarrisonBorn 24 February 1943 in Liverpool, Merseyside, EnglandDied 29 November 2001 of cancerMother: Louise Harrison, Father: Harold Harrison, Spouse: Olivia (Arias) Harrison (from 1978)First wife was Patti Boyd from 21 January 1966 to 1977Children: Dhani Harrison

Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey Jr.)

Born 7 July 1940 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England

Mother: Elsie Gleave, Father: Richard Starkey, Sr, Spouse: Barbara Bach (from 27 April 1981)Fisrt wife was: Maureen Cox from 11 February 1965, in 1975 divorced Children: Zak, Jason, Lee - daugterStarr has one granddaughter.

Brian Epstein was the the Beatles manager. He was responsible for their clean cut image.

George Martin produced the Beatles’ first

records.

Stu Sutcliffe

Born 23 June 1940 in Edinburgh, Scotland.Died 10 April 1962 in Hamburg, Germany from a brain hemmorrhage.

Stu was bass guitarist from late 1959 until the Beatles second Hamburg trip in 1961.

Stu's girlfriend Astrid changed his clothes and gave him a new, distinctive hair style, which all the Beatles later adopted.

Pete Best

Born 24 November 1941 in Madras, India.

Pete was Beatles drummer from August 1960 during next two years.

Pete's mother, Mona Best, ran the Casbah Club, a cellar club in Hayman's Green, where the Beatles had been playing in 1959, 1960.Pete played on "My Bonnie" and the other tracks recorded with Tony Sheridan for Bert Kaempfert in Germany.

The Lives of the Beatles

1957- Paul McCartney joins John Lennon’s first band, The Quarrymen, in Liverpool England.

1958-George Harrison joins the Quarrymen

1960- The Band(guitarists John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, plus bassist Stu Sutcliffe) rename themselves the Silver Beatles. They tour Scotland and appear with temporary drummers in clubs in Hamburg, Germany

1961- Sutcliffe quits the band, and McCarthy replaces him on bass. Brian Epstien hears the Beatles at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, and becomes their manager

The Lives of the Beatles cont….

1963-British Beatlemania breaks out: The first single goes to #1.1964- The Band’s apperance on The Ed Sullivan Show - A Hard Day’s Night is released. The band makes its first world tour to record-setting crowds

1962- Drummer Ringo Starr replaces Pete Best to become the fourth permanent member of the band. Producer Geroge Martin signs them to the Parlophone label. The Beatles sing their first single, “Please Please Me,” is released late in the year.

The Beatles first single, “Please Please Me”

The A Hard Day’s Night Soundtrack

The Beatles at their first radio interview on October 28th, 1962 at Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight, on the Wirral in England. This interview took place after the release of “love me Do” but before they had a ‘number one’ song.

The photo is from The Baltimore Sun Paper announcing their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.

The Beatles at their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in February, 1964. During their appearance, the Beatles sang five songs in the following order: All My Loving, Till There Was You, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, and I Want To Hold Your Hand. On this night, 73 million people watched The Beatles.

The Beatles, on the set of “A Hard Day’s Night. The idea was to produce a cheap black and white film. This movie turned out to be one of the greatest ever filmed. So good in fact that it is used as a model in schools in the areas of style, direction and production.

Meet The Beatles: Was a promotional disc, in hand with an Open-End Interviewon January 1964 to promote what would become “Beatlemania”

The Lives of the Beatles cont….

1965- A second movie, Help!, is released. The Beatles are awarded high honors, MBEs, by Queen Elizabeth. The band makes another lenghty tour of America; the fifty-thousand at New York’s Shea Stadium sets the record for the biggest concert crowd to date in history. A landmark album, Rubber Soul, is released.

A picture, from the Beatles’ second film, Help!

A picture of the Rubber Soul album

The Lives of the Beatles cont….

1966- Controversy follows the Beatles: An accidental insult during their long world tour leads to death threats in the Philippines. The gruesome “butcher” album cover, and John Lennon’s “more popular that Jesus” statement cause an uproar in America.The Revolver album is released. In August, the band plays their last full concert, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, before retiring from touring.

Public outcry of Lennon’s “more popular than Jesus” statement

“Revolver”-Released on August 5, 1966, it was the first album where The Beatles became a consummate studio band. The band had complete freedom with the sound of this album.

The Lives of the Beatles cont….

1967- The landmark album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is released during the Summer of Love. Brian Epstien dies of a drug overdose. The band forms a new organization. Apple, to oversee their business. They study with an Indian guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and release the short film, Magical Mystery Tour

Cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Soundtrack to the short film, Magical Mystery Tour

The Lives of the Beatles cont….

1968- The Beatles travel to India on an ill-fated visit to their guru. “Hey Jude” becomes the biggest Beatles single to date. A full-length animated film, Yellow Submarine, and The Beatles(better know as the White Album) are released. Growing tension in the band becomes severe. The White Album was described as the most

diverse record in pop history.

Yellow Submarine- The Beatles first and only animated film and its soundtrack. Largely done with children in mind

The Lives of the Beatles cont….

1969-Business man Allen Klein and attorney Lee Eastman vie to come the Beatles’ manager, creating a rift between Paul and the others. John and his new love, Yoko Ono, record together and become highly visible political activists and artists. Abbey Road, the band’s final recording together, is released. A hoax launches a “Paul is Dead” rumor.

John Lennon with wife, Yoko Ono

Abbey Road was intended to be the last Beatles album; however, In the course of one year, The Beatle recorded and released about sixty new songs

The “Paul is Dead" incident of 1969. It may have been a rumor or a planned hoax. In the picture, Paul is the only one wearing a black carnation; the other three Beatles' have red.

The Lives of the Beatles cont….

1970- After a long seclusion, Paul publicly announces that he is leaving the Beatles, and releasing a solo LP. Ringo’s first solo album, the Let it Be album(recorded before Abbey Road), and the documentary film Let it Be are also released. Paul sues the others to dissolve the partnership.

Let It Be- Released on May 8, 1970

1980- John Lennon is assassinated in New York City on December 8th

1995- Two songs with vocals by John Lennon and backing added by the surviving Beatles are released as part of The Beatles Anthology, a massive documentary CD and video production

The Beatles fell apart after the tension between the members grew to be too much.

Bibliography

“The Beatles Forever.” Celebrity Parade Magazine-Rock & Roll-25 Years, v. 1, 1979, pg. 31-35.

NA.The Beatles Ultimate Experience. [Online] Available http://www.geocities.com/~beatleboy1/db.menu.html, 4/28/04

NA.I Am the Beatles. [Online] Available http://www.iamthebeatles.com/, 4/28/04

NA. The Beatles’ History. [Online] Available http://beatles.murashev.com/history/, 4/28/04

Adam Woog. The Importance of the Beatles. San Diego, California: Lucent Books, Inc., 1998

Neville Stannard. The Beatles- The Long Winding Road- A history of the Beatles on Record. New York, New York: Virgin Books, 1982