The Beatles

The four Beatles were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Stars. They were all born in Liverpool. John, Paul and George knew each other at school and played togheter in a guitar-based rock band called: The Quarrymen in 1959. They were in their late teens. Ringo Starr didn t join the group until 1962, after Stuart Sutcliffe, the fifth Beatle, died. John, George and Paul played rhytm, lead and bass guitars. Ringo played the drums.

The Beatles started their career at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. They first appeared there without Ringo on 21st February 1961. On 9th November Brian Epstein, a local record shop owner, saw The Beatles at a lunchtime session. He met them and a month later he bacame theyr manager. Brian Epstein gave The Beatles a new image the famous Beatles suits and Beatles haircut.

In 1963 the group had their first Number 1 hit record in the UK charts with their single, Please Please Me. They gave their first US concert on 11th February 1964. By Apryl 1964 The Beatles were top of the UK singles and album charts and they held the top five places in the US charts.

The next two years were the high point of Beatlemania. Girls screamed and wept when they went to Beatles concerts. Everybody bought their records. By 1966 The Beatles had eight more No. 1 hit singles and five No. 1 albums.

In 1967 The Beatles made their most creative album, Sergeant Pepper s Lonely Hearts Club Band. In the same year they went to India and became followers of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. From then on, nothing was ever quite the same. Gradually, Beatlemania faded and, in 1968, the four Beatles started to go theyr different ways. In 1971 they finally split up.

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