The Beatles

1
The Beatles
2
Liverpool

• Not responsible for the origin of beat music, but
  the groups from Liverpool were the first British
  acts to achieve popularity in the United States
• The music of Liverpool groups is often referred
  to as the Mersy Sound
• Named after the Mersey River which flows through
  the city

3
Beatles Biography

• Started in 1956 as a skiffle group by John Lennon
  and his friends from the local Quarry Bank High
  School
• They were called the Quarrymen
• McCartney was introduced to Lennon at a town
  party
• Lennon was at the Liverpool Art College when he
  met Stu Sutcliffe who joined the band as a
  bassist
• McCartney had gotten George Harrison in the band

4
Influences

• Rock n Roll
• Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley,
  Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, The Everly Brothers,
  The Coasters
• Rhythm and Blues
• Ray Charles
• British Music Hall
• Same as American Tin Pan Alley, Broadway Shows,
  and Vaudeville

5
Names

• The other Quarrymen members quit leaving 3
  guitars and a bass
• They traveled around playing various gigs as
• Johnny and the Moondogs
• The Beetles
• The Silver Beetles
• The Beatles

6
Personnel changes

• Hired Pete Best in 1959 because his mother ran a
  teen club and they could play there regularly and
  he had his own drum set
• Sutcliffe quit the band and McCartney took over
  as the bass player
• Pete Best was fired as the drummer because the
  other Beatles were jealous of his looks and the
  many female fans that he attracted
• Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best

7
First Recordings

• Recorded as the back up band for another English
  singer, Tony Sheridan
• My Bonnie
• They called themselves The Beat Brothers
• Because of this recording, record store owner
  Brian Epstein sought them out and became their
  manager

8
Brian Epstein as Manager

• Refashioned the image of the Beatles
• While in Hamburg, in a very rough section of the
  city, they had to look tough in order to survive
• They dressed in leather coats, black jeans, and
  t-shirts with a pompadour hair-do
• This look was called Teddy Boy in England
• Also called greaser in the US
• Epstein had them dress in respectable matching
  suits with ties and get a hair cut
• They curbed their stage antics as well

9
First Recording Contract

• Brian Epstein traveled all over England with a
  demo tape of the Beatles in an attempt to get a
  recording contract for his new act
• George Martin at Parlophone Records agreed to
  sign the act
• Martin was a classically trained musician and a
  producer of novelty comedy records

10
Keys to success

• The performing skills and sound of each
  individual Beatle and their contribution to the
  whole
• The songwriting skills of Lennon and McCartney
• The management skills of Brian Epstein
• The record production skills of George Martin