The Beatles

The Beatles were the most influential band in the history of music. They were formed in 1960 and by 1970 they broke up to pursue separate interests. Their music continues to be a powerful force in popular music today.

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About The Beatles

The Beatles are a British rock band that was active from 1960 to 1970, and are considered one of the most successful and influential bands in the history of modern music. They have sold more albums in the U.S. than any other artist. The Beatles consisted of John Lennon (vocals and guitar), Paul McCartney (vocals and bass), George Harrison (guitar and vocals), and Ringo Starr (drums).

The Beatles formed in 1960 in Liverpool England. After deciding on the name ''The Beatles,'' they started out playing local clubs in England and Germany. In 1962 they started recording with producer George Martin at Abbey Road Studios and soon released ''Love Me Do'' and ''P.S. I Love You'' which both became hits. They released the album, 'Please Please Me' and it became the first of a string of 11 No. 1 albums.

The bands fan base grew in size and energy, coining the term ''Beatlemania'' for the phenomena of thousands of screaming fans descending on the band (4,000 fans gathered when they flew out of the UK to fly to America, 3,000 fans were waiting in NY for them when they landed).

The band was initially deemed too radical and got little air play on U.S. radio, but when they played live on the Ed Sullivan Show, more than 40% of Americans were watching. Their successful world tour led them to a strange and unfortunate situation – the band's fanatical following was screaming so loud that neither the fans nor the band could actually hear the concerts.

The Beatles filmed the movies 'A Hard Day’s Night,' and 'Help!' and soon had an American cartoon series, while they continued to release hit albums like 'Rubber Soul,' 'Revolver' and 'Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band' (Rolling Stone Magazines rates them as #5, #3, and #1 albums of all time). They followed up with 'The White Album,' 'Abbey Road' and their final release, 'Let It Be.'

In 1970 the band broke up and all the members went on to have some solo success: John Lennon released several hit albums but was assassinated in 1980; George Harrison released several moderately successful albums but died of cancer in 2001; Ringo Starr released a few successful albums; and Paul McCartney went on to form the band Wings and later have a hugely successful solo career.

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