CEBU, Philippines – Like all who are highly interested in the magical arts of music, I, too, am heavily influenced by the ever-so-famous rock n’ roll band called The Beatles. Of course you know who they are, but let me give a brief background rundown.
It all started in Liverpool, England. Four lads by the name of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Pete Best (George Harrison and Ringo Starr would later replace Sutcliffe and Best). They started as a usual teenage rock group, but little they did know that they would become one of the most influential bands in history, who would capture the hearts and minds of individuals like me.
The first big gig for the Beatles was in Hamburg, Germany, which lasted about two years. Then, Brian Epstein, a record store manager, discovered them. At this time the members were not the ones who later became the most famous rock musicians in the world.
The drummer was Pete Best, and the bass player, Stuart Sutcliffe. Stuart later left the band for someone he had loved, and then died of a brain hemorrhage, and Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best as drummer. The group felt that they needed a new drummer because Best’s skills were not up to par with the rest of the group’s talents.
After many tryouts, and searches for a deal, the Beatles finally landed a record spot with EMI records under the watchful eye of producer George Martin, and the management of Brian Epstein. Then, they took England by storm.
When the music of the Beatles first was released in the United States, it didn’t catch on at first. In fact, they did not become popular until their second American released single came out, which was “I Wanna’ Hold Your Hand.” With this song they landed a spot on the Ed Sullivan Show, which triggered the onset of “American Beatlemania” in 1964.
The exposure of the Beatle’s TV appearance, the group’s popularity rose enormously everywhere in the world. Once they became famous they wanted to help other young artists and performers, so they created their own record company called Apple Records.
But like every band, they had many problems. After a long successful six years, things just seemed to start falling apart, and the Beatles finally broke up. This caused great heartache for their fans. John was the first Beatle to leave the band, and was followed shortly by Paul. All four of the mop-top group created their own records and sold many solo albums, but none ever recaptured their original popularity.
The Beatles had a major impact on the world, and how it is today. They brought the love of British rock and roll to the world and after them many other British groups became famous. It is sometimes called “The British Invasion.”
They used their lyrics to express their political, social, and spiritual beliefs. Their music brought an entire generation together. They changed the way people dressed, the way people looked, and the way people felt about one another. In the end, that is what music does. And surely through The Beatles’ music, it did what it had to do to you and me.