A Few Facts About the Beatles

By Jim Alden

George Harrison and Paul McCartney first met on a bus while the two were schoolboys. They rode the bus together going to and from the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys. As George and Paul talked, they found that they shared an interest in playing guitars and music.

At the time, McCartney was in John Lennon's skiffle band The Quarrymen, and he urged Lennon to allow Harrison to join the band as lead guitarist. Lennon felt that Harrison was too young, but he eventually relented and let him into the band. The Quarrymen would eventually evolve into The Beatles.

Although the Beatles traveled to the United States together in February 1964, it was actually George Harrison's second trip to the country. In September 1963, Harrison went on vacation and visited his sister, Louise, in Benton, Illinois. The home where he stayed on his visit is now the Hard Day's Nite Bed and Breakfast.

The original drummer of The Beatles was Pete Best. He was in the group for two years, beginning August 12, 1960. On August 16, 1962, he was dismissed from the band by manager Brian Epstein. The only reason Epstein gave to Pete was, "The lads don't want you in the group anymore." Best has maintained that he was never given any further explanation of why he was fired. Ringo Starr became the new drummer for The Beatles.

Cilla Black's debut single was "Love of the Loved", a Lennon-McCartney composition mainly written by Paul McCartney. It was one of his earliest compositions. The Beatles recorded the song in 1962 during their audition for Decca Records, but it has never been officially released.

The Beatles' song "With a Little Help from My Friends" was temporarily called "Bad Finger Boogie" in the early stages of the songwriting process. The working title came about because John Lennon had to rely on his middle finger when playing the song's piano part, having earlier injured his forefinger. The band Badfinger would later derive their name from the discarded "Bad Finger Boogie" title. At the time, Badfinger were under contract to record on the Beatles' Apple Records label.

The subject of the Beatles' song "Dear Prudence" is Prudence Farrow, the younger sister of actress Mia Farrow. Prudence was present when the Beatles visited Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh, India in 1968. She primarily stayed in her room in seclusion during long periods of meditation instead of joining the activities with the others. John Lennon wrote the song to invite Prudence to "come out to play" as he thought she might be depressed.

For more on the subject of The Beatles, please visit our site devoted to Beatles quotes where you'll find quotes by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. There's also several quotes from other famous musicians and celebrities about The Beatles. We also have a site dedicated to John Lennon quotes only.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Alden
http://EzineArticles.com/?A-Few-Facts-About-the-Beatles&id=4462876