THE BEATLES

MEMBERS

• John Lennon: vocals and rhythm guitar.
• Paul McCartney: vocals and bass guitar.
• George Harrison: Lead guitar
• Ringo Starr: Drums

John Lennon formed a group called the "Quarrymen". He then invited Paul McCartney. George Harrison, who rode on a bus to Liverpool with McCartney was then invited. The band then changed their name to the Beatles and went to thru a couple of drummers before settling with Ringo Starr.

A mixture of many things led to the huge popularity of the Beatles. First, the winter of 1963 was the coldest winter of the century, and many people spent lots of time indoors watching the Beatles on TV. Also at this time, over 50% of the population was under 20, so the Beatles had a massive audience. The Beatles also provided audiences with something happy amidst a somewhat sad time period. (In America, JFK had been recently assassinated).

POPULAR SONGS

• Yellow submarine
• Hey Jude
• Let it Be

The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in the United States.

The British Invasion was a phenomenon that occurred in the mid-1960s when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom,as well as other aspects of British culture, became popular in the United States. Some of these groups included the Beatles, The Who, and the Rolling Stones.

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The Beatles are regarded as one of the most influential pop groups of all time because they started the British Invasion, which opened the door for other bands from England to follow in their footsteps. The Beatles also introduced new instruments to pop music, such as the sitar. With their record setting 600 million records sold, the popularity of the Beatles has also left its mark on society. Almost every band has in some way been influenced by the Beatles and songs by the Beatles remain as some of the most covered and popular songs of all time.