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About

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. From 1962 until their disbandment in 1970, the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band in popular music and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and the recognition of popular music as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock 'n' roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways. They also explored styles ranging from folk and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of the music industry and were often portrayed as leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements.

Led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney, the Beatles evolved from Lennon's previous group, the Quarrymen, and built their reputation by playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg, West Germany, starting in 1960. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, together since 1958, went through a succession of drummers before Starr officially joined in 1962. Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act, and producer George Martin developed their recordings, greatly expanding their domestic success after they signed with EMI and achieved their first hit, "Love Me Do", in late 1962. As their popularity grew into the fan frenzy dubbed "Beatlemania", the band acquired the nickname "the Fab Four". By early 1964, the Beatles were international stars and had achieved unprecedented levels of critical and commercial success. They became a leading force in Britain's cultural resurgence, ushering in the British Invasion of the United States pop market. Their film debut, A Hard Day's Night (1964), was followed by Help! (1965).
A growing desire to refine their studio efforts, coupled with the challenging nature of their concert tours, led to the Beatles' retirement from live performances in 1966. During this time, they produced albums of greater sophistication: Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). They enjoyed further success with The Beatles ("the White Album", 1968) and Abbey Road (1969). The success of these records heralded the album era, increased public interest in psychedelic drugs and Eastern spirituality, and furthered advancements in electronic music, album art and music videos. In 1968, the Beatles founded Apple Corps, a multi-armed multimedia corporation that continues to oversee projects related to their legacy. After the Beatles' break-up in 1970, all former members enjoyed success as solo artists. While some partial reunions occurred over the next decade, the members never fully reunited. Lennon was murdered in 1980 and Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001; McCartney and Starr remain musically active.
The Beatles are the best-selling music act of all time, with estimated sales of over 600 million units worldwide. They are the most successful act in the history of the US Billboard charts, with the most number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 (20) and the most number-one albums on the Billboard 200 (19). They hold the record for most singles sold in the UK (21.9 million), and held the record for most number-one albums on the UK Albums Chart (15) until Robbie Williams surpassed them in 2026. The Beatles' accolades include nine Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards, an Academy Award (for Best Original Song Score for the 1970 documentary film Let It Be) and fifteen Ivor Novello Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility, 1988, and each principal member was individually inducted between 1994 and 2015. In 2004 and 2011, the Beatles topped Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Artists. Time named them among the 20th century's 100 most important people.

From The Beatles on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Members

Tommy Moore 1960–1960 · former drums (drum set)
Norman Chapman 1960–1960 · former drums (drum set)
Stuart Sutcliffe 1960–1961 · former bass guitar
Chas Newby 1960–1961 · former bass guitar
Pete Best 1960–1962 · former drums (drum set)
John Lennon 1960–1969 · original member · former guitar, lead vocals
George Harrison 1960–1970 · original member · former guitar, lead vocals
Paul McCartney 1960–1970 · original member · former bass guitar, lead vocals
Ringo Starr 1962–1970 · former drums (drum set)

Discography

Albums 81

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EPs 19

Singles 91

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Live 134

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Compilations 559

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Other 168

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Links

Listen

Official

thebeatles.com

Social

Concerts

Buy

Reference

Artist rename

The Quarrymen 1960–1960

Instrumental supporting musician

Jimmie Nicol 1964–1964

Named after artist

Supporting musician

Johnny Gentle 1960–1960

Tribute

Also known as

Beatles · Beetles · Bítlarnir · Die Beatles · I Beatles · Les Beatles · Los Beatles · The Silver Beatles · fab four · Битлз · Битлси · Бітлз · Պիթլս · די ביטלס · הביטלס · البيتلز · بیتلز · بیٹلز · द बिटल्स · द बीटल्स · দ্য বিটল্‌স · ਦ ਬੀਟਲਜ਼ · ધ બિટલ્સ · பீட்டில்ஸ் · ద బీటిల్స్ · ದಿ ಬೀಟಲ್ಸ್ · ദി ബീറ്റിൽസ് · เดอะบีเทิลส์ · ဘီးတဲလ်အဖွဲ့ · ბითლზი · ዘ ቢተልስ · ᱫᱚ ᱵᱤᱴᱞᱮᱥ · ザ・ビートルズ · ビートルズ · 披头士 · 披头士乐队 · 披頭四 · 披頭四樂團 · 披頭四樂隊 · 더 비틀즈 · 비틀스

Identifiers

MusicBrainz: b10bbbfc-cf9e-42e0-be17-e2c3e1d2600d
ISNI: 0000000121707484