Hi. You are about to read a mini-biography that I wrote on the Beatles for a school project in 1997. I thought it would be nice to have some information on tthe Beatles on this site, so I'm bringing you this biography. (Since this was written five years ago, I know this needs to be updated. I will write an updated version as soon as I have some extra time.) Anyway, enjoy what I have so far.
The Beatles were a pop group that took the world by storm. Their music, clothing, and hairstyles changed the world of the young. They made their first single in 1962, their first album in 1963, their last record in 1969, and broke up in 1970.
Even though the Beatles became famous in 1963, they started palying in Liverpool (where they grew up) in the late 50's, when they were called the Quarrymen. The main line-up in 1958 was John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, all playing guitars. Lennon started the Quarrymen in 1957 after being impressed by Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel". He invited McCartney to join in October of that year. Harrison joined in 1958. John's friend from art college, Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Pete Best joined in 1960.
It was also in 1960 that the Quarrymen (now called the Sliver Beatles) toured Scotland. They changed their name again to the Beatles, and toured Hamburg, Germany. It was here that Stuart met his girlfriend, Astrid Kirrrrcherr. Astrid had influence on the Beatles, such as their famous mop-top hairstyles and their collarless suits. The hairstyle was created when Astrid brushed Stuart's hair from the side with bangs in the front. She did this because she didn't like Stuart's teddy-boy hairstyle. When the other Beatles saw Stuart's new hairstyle, they fell over laughing. But a few days later, George tried the new style, and eventually John and Paul. Pete was the only one that declined. Astrid made a collarless suit for Sutart, and she also made one for the other Beatles, but the seams popped when they sat down.
When the Beatles came home from Hamburg, Stuart stayed behind with Astrid. Sadly, he died of a brain hemorrhage in 1962.The same year, Pate Best was kicked out of the group and Ringo Starr replaced him. Also, that year, they signed a recording contract with producer George Martin and made their first record, "Love Me Do".
In 1963, the Beatles had their first number one: "Please Please Me". They toured all over England and also made their first foreign tour in Sweden in October of that year. They played for the royal family at the Prince of Wales Theatre on November 4, 1963. Also, in November 1963, they were becoming popular in America, which they had been trying to do for months.
On February 7, 1964, the Beatles' plane touched down at Kennedy International Airpart. Two days later, they made television history. Seventy-three million people watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Sho, the record for largest viewing audience in America. On February 12, they performed at the Washington Coliseum. That year, they made their first movie, A Hard Day's Night. The Beatles did their first world tour. People showed their love for the \Beatles by buying records, clothing, posters, and other merchandise to do with the Beatles. The fans also showed their love by screaming at concerts, when they landed at airports, and wherever else they went. Boys copied their hairstyles and their clothing. This craze was called "Beatlemania".
In 1965, Queen Elizabeth II included the Beatles on her birthday honors list of that year. She awarded them Most Excellent Member of the British Empire (MBE) awards. In August of that year, their second film, Help! was released. Along with that, they kept touring and put out two albums and four singles that year.
By the end of 1965, the Beatles grew tired of touring because the fans screamed so loud that no one could hear them play. They couldn't even hear themselves play. It was also around this time that the Beatles experimented with their music, with Rubber Soul. The song "Norwegian Wood" was the first pop song to use a sitar, and they lyrics in "In My Life" helped to make the album experimentive.
By 1966, the Beatles decided to quit touring. They didn't stop making music, though. Before their break-up, they made five more albums and eight more singles, one of which became their biggest hit.
In 1967, the Beatles made Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. That may very well be their most famous album. It was also experimentive. Instead of simple songs with catchy phrases, there were obvious overdubs and complex lyrics in theor songs. The Beatles released "Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane", their first single that didn't go to number one since "Love Me Do".
It was around this time that problems started to come up. The Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, died. The Beatles started a record company, Apple, but weren't interrested in running it. A new manager, Allen Klien was appointed, but not everyone liked him.
In 1969 the Beatles made another album, Let it Be. They also made a documentary film showing the making of the album. Both weren't released until 1970. That same year, the Beatles made their last album, Abbey Road, which was their biggest-selling album.
Around this time, the Beatles started going their own ways. They were making their own albuma and only getting together when they had to. Paul did not get along with Allen Klien. Personal problems also helped to break them up. Finally, Paul took legal action to force the other Beatles to berak up. For a long time, fans hoped that the Beatles would get back together. But all those hopes ended on December 8, 1980, when John Lennon was killed in New York.
In 1995, however, the three surviving Beatles fixed up two of Lennon's unfinished songs from the late 70's. They put voice overdubs and instruments on the songs. These songs were called "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love" and appear on Anthology I and II. They also released a third Anthology.
The Beatles were leaders in music during ther 60's. They introduced new ideas to the world. No other group or musician was as well-loved as the Beatles during thier years together.
Questions or comments? E-mail me at b_strawberry_02@hotmail.com
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