They were known as one of the most famous bands in the world. Today, they are still celebrated for their beloved music from the generation that grew up them to the generation that their music was passed down to.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr formed their famous band, known as the Beatles, in England in 1960. Described as being rooted in skiffle beat and 1950s rock and roll, the band was huge in pop music's evolution and in the development of the counterculture of the 1960s. The core trio, Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison began playing together in 1958 with the group going through a series of drummers before asking Starr to join them in 1962. They built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg. They released their first hit, "Love Me Do", in their homeland in late 1962. Their intense popularity grew into a fan frenzy dubbed "Beatlemania", and they acquired their nickname "the Fab Four".
This week in 1963, they released "Please Please Me" in the United States. This song and many others were met with much excitement leading to the so-called "British Invasion" of 1964 with the Beatles leading the US pop market and breaking sales records. They continued to produce many albums throughout the 1960s including Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), and The Beatles (1968). This week in 1969, the band started recording probably their most well-known and iconic album Abbey Road (1969).
The Beatles are the best-selling band in history with an estimated 800 million records sold worldwide. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, with all four members being inducted individually between 1994 and 2015. They received seven Grammy Awards, an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for their 1970 documentary film Let It Be.
They have very recently been matched by only one artist. Ariana Grande is the first artist to occupy the top three positions "simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart" since the Beatles in 1964. Grande's hits include: "7 Rings", "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored", and "Thank U, Next".
The Beatles disbanded in 1970 and all four members had much success as solo artists. Later, John Lennon was shot and killed in December 1980 and George Harrison died of lung cancer in November 2001.
They were a breath of fresh air. They were a new, young band with the big ideas of their generation in the 1960s. They promoted peace and love, much to the counterculture's enjoyment. They sparked new ideas and paved the way for the evolution of pop music. They began a new era of rock and roll music. Their music was important then and it has many ideas that are promoted today. Their music resonated with one generation and has built a frenzy in a new generation. Their message, "All You Need is Love," is a phrase that will last forever.
