As a five-piece line-up of Lennon,
McCartney and Harrison on guitar and vocals, with Stuart Sutcliffe
(bass) and Pete Best (drums), the band built their reputation
playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period
from 1960. Sutcliffe left the group in 1961, and Best was replaced
by Starr the following year. Moulded into a professional act by
manager Brian Epstein, their musical potential was enhanced by the
creativity of producer George Martin. They gained popularity in the
United Kingdom after their first single, "Love Me Do",
became a modest hit in late 1962, and they acquired the nickname
the "Fab Four" as Beatlemania grew in Britain over the
following year. By early 1964 they had become international stars,
leading the "British Invasion" of the United States pop
market. The band toured extensively around the world until August
1966, when they performed their final commercial concert. From 1966
they produced what many critics consider to be some of their finest
material, including the innovative and widely influential albums
Revolver (1966), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967),
The Beatles (1968) and Abbey Road (1969). After their break-up in
1970, the ex-Beatles each found success in individual musical
careers. Lennon was murdered in 1980, and Harrison died of cancer
in 2001. McCartney and Starr remain active.
The Beatles are the best-selling band in history, with estimated
sales of over one billion units.[2] They have had more number-one
albums on the UK charts and have held the top spot longer than any
other musical act. According to the RIAA, as of 2012 they have sold
177 million units in the US, more than any other artist, and in
2008 they topped Billboard magazine's list of the all-time most
successful Hot 100 artists. As of 2012, they hold the record for
most number-one hits on the Hot 100 chart with 20. They have
received 7 Grammy Awards from the American National Academy of
Recording Arts and Sciences, an Academy Award for Best Original
Song Score and 15 Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of
Songwriters, Composers and Authors. They were collectively included
in Time magazine's compilation of the 20th century's 100
most influential people.
As a five-piece line-up of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison on
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Jun 19, 2012 2:34pm
LuNNiiZZie · 1 decade ago
I <3 The Beatles too!! :DD
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