The Beatles Musicalbiography Home>Musical Bands>The Beatles The Beatles at Abbey Road The Beatles- Rock and Pop music band (founded 1960, broke up 1970). The Beatles were a British rock music band formed in 1960, and a major component of what became known as the "British Invasion" of the United States by rock bands from Britain in the 1960s. Along with the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks, the Animals, and others, the Beatles became extremely popular with young Americans when they first appeared in the early 1960s. The Beatles recorded their first songs in 1962 and 1963, and in early 1964, the Beatles set off on their first concert tour of the United States. The "Four Lads From Liverpool" were greeted with a certain degree of hysteria by teenaged (female) fans, and this hysteria was called by the term, "Beatlemania." From that point on, the Beatles were the biggest celebrities in popular and rock music, and throughout the remainder of the 1960s, the Beatles took the forefront as trendsetters in America and in their homeland in terms of music, fashion, hair styles, and what today would be called "music videos." The "Fab Four," as the Beatles were often referred to, included guitarist John Lennon, bassist Paul McCartney, lead guitarist George Harrison, and drummer Ringo Starr. All four Beatles sang, though Lennon and McCartney sang lead on most songs, both Harrison and Starr usually sang lead on at least one song each per album. With each new album, the Beatles renewed their status as musical trendsetters, moving from American-influenced rock in the styles of Chuck Berry, the Everly Brothers, Little Richard, and other musicians of the 1950s, to embrace more exotic sounds, most notably musical rhythms and instruments from India. The Beatles' move from rhythm and blues style music to overtly drug-influenced psychedelic rock, was imitated by many other bands, including other massively popular acts like the Rolling Stones and the Who. The Beatles are also credited as one of the original bands to record an early heavy metal song, the fast-paced rocker, "Helter Skelter." The Beatles' creativity and willingness to experiment with different musical styles kept them at the forefront of the music scene, but internally, the personality differences between the four of them slowly tore the band apart. The latter years of the 1960s found the Beatles becoming increasingly argumentative with each other, both over personality issues, and musical philosophies. The Beatles Perform "Let It Be" By 1970, the Beatles, as a band, were finished. Each Beatle went his separate ways, and all later recorded highly acclaimed and commercially successful solo albums. As a business entity, the Beatles continued, with various projects through the years being approved by the musicians or (later) by their widows. In 2006, the unique The Beatles: Love-Cirque du Soleil show opened at the Mirage in Las Vegas. The latest of these projects is the "Beatles: Rock Band" video game offered by Xbox. The interactive musical game was released on September 9, 2009, to (typically Beatle-like) popular, financial, and critical acclaim.  The Beatles After the breakup, each Beatle formed or joined other bands. The Beatles Successor Bands include: Plastic Ono Band (Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, and, at various times, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and George Harrison, and others: 1969-early 1970s) Wings (McCartney and his wife, Linda McCartney: 1971-1981) The Fireman (McCartney and Youth: 1993-Present) The Traveling Wilburys (Harrison, with Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne: 1988-1990) Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band (Ringo, obviously: 1989-Present)   The Beatles   The Beatles play their hit song, 'All My Loving' live on the 'Thank your Lucky Stars' Television Show in 1964   Links and Resources on the Beatles: The Beatles--Official website The Beatles: Remasters of the universe with sizzling sales --USA Today, Sept. 10, 2009 Fab Four’s ‘Rock Band’ will induce new Beatlemania--Herald.com, Sept. 8, 2009 Abbey Road Leads The Beatles Reissues By Popularity -- Undercover Music News   Beatles leap into digital age --New Staits Times, Sept. 6, 2009 "Rock Band" unveils 19 songs for new Beatles game--Reuters, August 18, 2009

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