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Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool, England on Jnauary 10, 1945 to Jim and Mary McCartney. When Paul was fourteen years old, his mother died, and he asked his father to buy him a guitar. Paul was influenced heavily by skiffle music, as well as the American rock and rollers named Elvis Presley and Little Richard. Paul later joined a skiffle band called the Quarry Men, which was started by his friend John Lennon. The Quarry Men eventually evolved into the popular group known asThe Beatles.
A note about Skiffle Music: An entertainer named Lonnie Donegan started the Skiffle Movement while he was still playing in a band. Donegan provided entertainment during the intermissions by playing a washboard and a bass guitar on stage. His type of music became known as Skiffle Music. Some of his songs included Cumberland Gap and Gambling Man.
After having a successful career with The Beatles, Paul McCartney married a photographer named Linda Eastman in 1969, and he left the group the following year. In their personal life, The McCartneys raised four children named James, Mary, Stella, and Heather. In their professional life together, Paul and Linda enlisted two other musicians, and they formed the band called Wings. Paul's life "after The Beatles" was known for such hits as "Ebony and Ivory", a hit he sang with Stevie Wonder, and "The Girl Is Mine", another smash hit he recorded with Michael Jackson.
Paul and Linda McCartney were said to have been deeply devoted to one another, and, after almost three decades of marriage, Linda passed away in 1998, at the age of fifty-six, after losing her
battle with breast cancer.
George Harrison was born on February 25, 1943. His father was a bus driver, and his mother was a housewife. He had two brothers and a sister. George let his hair grow long at an early age as a sign of his independence. George was influenced by Skiffle Music too, and he and his brother Peter formed their own Skiffle band.
George knew Paul McCartney from school, and the pair soon found that they shared a love of music and guitars. Paul introduced George to the Quarry Men, but he was too young to join the band. But, George hung out with the group, and he eventually became a member when the group evolved into The Beatles. While the group was filming "A Hard Day's Night," George met a model by the name of Patty Boyd, and they married in 1966.
John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England to Julia and Freddie Lennon. John's father worked on a ship and was gone for long spells, so John was raised by his mother and an aunt. His mother taught John how to play the banjo, and he went on to learn the guitar too. John was also influenced the Skiffle Music, and he started several Skiffle groups. Finally, in 1960, he ended up in a group with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best, and they were called The Beatles. The group auditioned in 1962 for Decca Records, but were turned down. The Beatles tried again at EMI Records where they were signed on by George Martin. Martin had one stipulation, though, and that was that Pete Best be replaced with a young drummer named Ringo Starr. During this time in John's personal life, his girlfriend Cynthia Powell became pregnant, so they married in 1963. Cynthia had a son whom they named Julian.
Professionally, for John and the others, The Beatles biggest break came when they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. They went on to record a string of hits, and eventually became one of the most popular music groups ever known. In 1966, The Beatles quit touring, but they still wrote and recorded many more songs.
In 1968, John's personal life took a turn when he and Cynthia divorced. John and performer Yoko Ono married the next year. In 1975, Sean Taro Ono Lennon, the only child they would have together, was born to John and Yoko. By this time, The Beatles had disbanded, and John and Yoko were busy collaborating on their own music. Unfortunately, John's musical career ended when he was murdered in 1980.
Richard Starkey was born in Liverpool, England on July 7, 1940. His parents divorced when he was just three years old, and he was raised up by his mother Elsie and stepfather Harry Graves. Richard was influenced by the popular Skiffle Music, and he started his own group before he finally joined The Raving Texans. Be he loved to wear fancy rings, Richard got the nickname "Ringo." The last name "Starr" was added so his drum solos could be billed as "Starr Time."
Ringo joined The Beatles in 1962, and his popularity soared along with the rest of the band's members. Ringo married Maureen Cox in 1965, and they had three children named Zak, Jason, and Lee.
The Beatles, who were affectionately known by their millions of fans as the "Fab Four," recorded many hits including, "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Can't Buy Me Love", "A Hard Day's Night", "Help!", "Yesterday", "Yellow Submarine", "Penny Lane", "All You Need Is Love", "Let It Be", "The Long and Winding Road", and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Hearts Club Band", just to name a few.
Even today, The Beatles' songs can still be heard on the radio and bought on tapes and compact discs.
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