The Formation of the Beatles

By Bobby A. Spider

The Beatles were a musical band that became a worldwide phenomenon during the 1960's. The hysteria they generated became known as "Beatlemania". Formed in Liverpool, the group included John Lennon on rhythm guitar, Paul McCartney on bass guitar, George Harrison on lead guitar, and Ringo Starr on drums. Depending on the song, each member sang in the group.

In March 1957 John Lennon formed a "skiffle group" that he called "The Quarrymen." Paul McCartney saw him perform at a church function, and when John realized that he could tune his own guitar, he asked him to join the group. Paul joined in July, 1957. In March of the next year, Paul's friend George was invited to see the group perform, and he soon joined as the group's lead guitarist. Finding a drummer for the group was to become quite the challenge. After much turmoil, Ringo Starr joined the group in the early 60s.

In the early years the group perfected their craft in the clubs that dominated the nightlife of Hamburg, Germany. Long hours of performing were the norm, and this lead to the development of some very talented musicians. When back in Liverpool, they perfected their chops at the Cavern Club, and their popularity continued to grow.

If there was ever a "Fifth Beatle", as Paul McCartney was to later say, "It was Brian Epstein". Brian started watching the Beatles when they performed at the Cavern Club, and by January 1962, the Beatles signed him as their manager. Brian opened the door to see George Martin, a producer at EMI, and the rest "as they say" is history.

The Beatles first entry into the UK record charts was their song "Love Me Do". Their single, "Please, Please Me" was more popular still. By the time "From Me To You" came along, they were well on their way to dominating the record charts for years to come.

Dominating the United States market was not immediate or a certainty. Entrance into this race was delayed for various reasons, but in December 1963, Capitol Records released "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and the Beatles domination of the US market was on it's way as well.

After dominating the UK and the US, the next stop was the world. In the years to come the Beatles either toured or did concerts in Hong Kong, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, the list goes on ...

As time went on, cracks started to appear in the group. They recorded their final album, "Abbey Road", in the summer of 1969. Recording the song "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" was the last time all four Beatles were together in the recording studio.

On September 20, 1969 John announced his departure to the group, but this was not made public until legal
matters were resolved. Paul filed for a dissolution of the band on December 31 1971, and this finally took effect in 1975. The final "nail in the coffin", as they say, had been set.

Bobby A. Spider writes for the blog: http://www.BeatlesLetItBeNow.com

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