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The Beatles
by Sandy Nichols

          It all started in Liverpool, England, with four lads by the names of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Pete Best. (George Harrison and Ringo Starr would eventually replace Sutcliffe and Best) The "Beatles" started as just another teenage British rock group, but they slowly worked their way up to become one of the most influential groups in Rock history.


The original Beatles during their Hamburg Days,
before Ringo Starr and George Harrison joined the group.
Stuart Sutcliffe (center) and drummer Pete Best is not shown in the picture.

          The first big gig for the Beatles was in Hamburg, Germany, which lasted about two years. Then, Brian Epstein, a record store manager, discovered them. At this time the members were not the ones who later became the most famous rock musicians in the world. The drummer was Pete Best, and the bass player, a friend of Johns, was named Stuart Sutcliffe. Stuart later left the band for love, and then died of a brain hemorrhage, and Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best as drummer. The group felt that they needed a new drummer because Best’s skills were not up to par with the rest of the group’s talents.


A shot of the Beatles walking down the street

         After many tryouts, and searches for a deal, the Beatles finally landed a record spot with EMI records under the watchful eye of producer George Martin, and the management of Brian Epstein. Then, they took England by storm.
        When the music of the Beatles first was released in the United States, it didn’t catch on at first. In fact, they did not become popular until their second American released single came out, which was "I Wanna’ Hold Your Hand." With this song they landed a spot on the Ed Sullivan Show, which triggered the onset of "American Beatlemania" in 1964.


One of their two appearences on the Ed Sullivan Show.

        After the exposure of the Beatle’s TV appearance, the group’s popularity rose enormously everywhere in the world. Once they became famous they wanted to help other young artists and performers, so they created their own record company called Apple Records. But like every band, they had many problems. After a long successful six years, things just seemed to start falling apart, and the Beatles finally broke up. This caused great heartache for their fans. John was the first Beatle to leave the band, and was followed shortly by Paul. All four of the mop-top group created their own records and sold many solo albums, but none ever recapureed their original popularity.


Another shot of the Beatles performing.

        The Beatles had a major impact on the world, and how it is today. They brought the love of British rock and roll to the American public and after them many other British groups became famous in the United States. It is sometimes called "The British Invasion." at a hard time. The Beatles were famous during the time of the Vietnam War, and they used their lyrics to express their political, social, and spiritual beliefs. This music brought an entire generation together. They changed the way people dressed, the way people looked, and the way people felt about one another. And in the end, that is what music is all about.


The Beatles when they went their separate ways.

        The members of the Beatles contunue to influence the world today. For example, the tragic death of John Lennon taught people how truly important life is, and how people think differently. The remaining three Beatles still write and perform their music, and are amoung the most respected artist in music. Just listen, and you can still hear their influence today.

Sources:

"The Beatles Timeline" @ http://www.octopus.cnchost.com/Beatles/Timeline.html - 6/8/00

"The Beatles" @ http://www.casagrande.com/~bilig/beatles - 6/9/00

Peter Brown, and Steven Gaines. The Love You Make. NewYork: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1983.

Picture Credits:

Picture #1 - "The Beatles" from: http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/beegee/1132/beatles/photo/forsale.gif

Picture #2 - "Stuart Sutcliffe" from: http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/beegee/1132/beatles/photo/1961guitars.gif

Picture #3 - "The Beatles walking" from: http://www.frotunecity.com/tinpan/beegee/1132/beatles/photo/walking.jpg

Picture #4 - " The Ed Sullivan Show" from: http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/beegee/1132/beatles/photo/edsull2.jpg

Picutre #5 - "The Older Beatles" from: http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/beegee/1132/beatles/photo/on_stage.jpg

Picture #6- "The Beatles going..." from: http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/beegee/1132/beatles/photo/lib01.jpg


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