The Beatles

Members and Instruments

• John played guitar, piano, harmonica and sang lead.
• Paul played bass guitar, piano and sang lead.
• George played lead guitar and sang back-up harmony.
• Ringo played drums and sang back-up harmony.
• Both Ringo and George sang a couple of lead songs butPaul and John sang and wrote almost all the songs.

Formation

• They formed in Liverpool in 1960.
• John Lennon, then 16, formed a group with several friends from Quarry Bank school.
• They briefly called themselves the Blackjacks, before changing their name to the Quarrymen.

popularity in uk and songs

• They gained popularity in the United Kingdom after their first hit, "Love Me Do", in late 1962.
• The most popular songs are Ticket to Ride, I Want to Hold Your Hand, A Day in the Life, and Eleanor Rigby.

BRITISH INVASION AND AMERICA

• This was the British Invasion, and the Beatles were its undisputed leaders. In 1963, the Fab Four released their first U.S. single, "Please Please Me."
• They took over the hearts of American people.
• The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show.

INFLUENCE

• In the beginning, what set them apart was their new sound and look. The fact that they were from England at a time when all US pop music was homegrown made them a little exotic.
• The fact was that these guys actually had talent and used their popularity as a platform to experiment with new sounds.
• The girls went crazy for the Fab Four and every teenaged guy tried to capitalize on that look.