Biography of The Beatles

The most successful and significant rock group in history, The Beatles were formed in Liverpool, England, in the late '50s by John Lennon (b.Oct 9, 1940 - d.Dec 8, 1980), Paul McCartney (b.June 18, 1942), and George Harrison (b.Feb 25, 1943). Ringo Starr (b.July 7, 1940) joined the group in 1962 in time for their first formal recordings. The Beatles ingested every popular music style of their day -- the raucous rock & roll of Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, the more sophisticated pop/rock of Buddy Holly, the soul of Motown and the Phil Spector-produced girl groups, the pop/R&B of The Isley Brothers and Larry Williams, the country-rock style of Carl Perkins, the pop-schmaltz of Broadway show tunes -- and synthesized them into a style of their own. And that was only the beginning. By a year or so into their recording career, The Beatles had begun to throw off their influences and forge new directions in popular music.They were also, at the outset, the teenage heartthrobs of their day. "Beatlemania" struck Great Britain in 1963 and the rest of the world in 1964 and, in a sense, never let up throughout the rest of the '60s. Though the teen-phenomenon aspect of their career became less intense in 1966 (by which time, inevitably, new teen dreams had cropped up), The Beatles made a successful transition to an older audience without sacrificing longtime fans. In part this was because they were so successful that they redefined the terms of success in the music business, and in part it was because they managed to be on top of, if not ahead of, popular trends. Unlike even the most successful musical artists, who tend to achieve a number of hits in a given style and then base their reputations and their careers on that, The Beatles changed rapidly and went from success to success. Their early records were short, bouncy tunes of love, filled with harmony and exuberance. But by late 1964, melancholy and doubt had begun to surface, along with an increased musical sophistication and the use of different instrumentation. By 1965, their style had expanded to include the timeless ballad "Yesterday," performed with a string quartet, and the band that released the single "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever" in 1967 was almost unidentifiable, in appearance as well as music, as the lovable moptops of 1964. The only thing the two had in common was that the music was still amazingly good.Though the Beatles defined yet another genre of music -- "art-rock" -- with their work of 1967, they returned to a simpler style in their final years of existence, albeit one that gave greater space to the individual talents of the band members. The formula sound of The Beatles was long gone by 1968, replaced by four different, imaginative musicians still moving in new directions. Unfortunately, the evident musical differences were mirrored in personal and business differences, and The Beatles broke up in 1970.The music, however, remains, and just as The Beatles absorbed the styles they heard while growing up, so a generation of musicians has grown up absorbing The Beatles, and their influence is palpable in virtually every rock record made since. ~ William Ruhlmann

Biography of The Beatles

The most successful and significant rock group in history, The Beatles were formed in Liverpool, England, in the late '50s by John Lennon (b.Oct 9, 1940 - d.Dec 8, 1980), Paul McCartney (b.June 18, 1942), and George Harrison (b.Feb 25, 1943). Ringo Starr (b.July 7, 1940) joined the group in 1962 in time for their first formal recordings. The Beatles ingested every popular music style of their day -- the raucous rock & roll of Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, the more sophisticated pop/rock of Buddy Holly, the soul of Motown and the Phil Spector-produced girl groups, the pop/R&B of The Isley Brothers and Larry Williams, the country-rock style of Carl Perkins, the pop-schmaltz of Broadway show tunes -- and synthesized them into a style of their own. And that was only the beginning. By a year or so into their recording career, The Beatles had begun to throw off their influences and forge new directions in popular music.They were also, at the outset, the teenage heartthrobs of their day. "Beatlemania" struck Great Britain in 1963 and the rest of the world in 1964 and, in a sense, never let up throughout the rest of the '60s. Though the teen-phenomenon aspect of their career became less intense in 1966 (by which time, inevitably, new teen dreams had cropped up), The Beatles made a successful transition to an older audience without sacrificing longtime fans. In part this was because they were so successful that they redefined the terms of success in the music business, and in part it was because they managed to be on top of, if not ahead of, popular trends. Unlike even the most successful musical artists, who tend to achieve a number of hits in a given style and then base their reputations and their careers on that, The Beatles changed rapidly and went from success to success. Their early records were short, bouncy tunes of love, filled with harmony and exuberance. But by late 1964, melancholy and doubt had begun to surface, along with an increased musical sophistication and the use of different instrumentation. By 1965, their style had expanded to include the timeless ballad "Yesterday," performed with a string quartet, and the band that released the single "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever" in 1967 was almost unidentifiable, in appearance as well as music, as the lovable moptops of 1964. The only thing the two had in common was that the music was still amazingly good.Though the Beatles defined yet another genre of music -- "art-rock" -- with their work of 1967, they returned to a simpler style in their final years of existence, albeit one that gave greater space to the individual talents of the band members. The formula sound of The Beatles was long gone by 1968, replaced by four different, imaginative musicians still moving in new directions. Unfortunately, the evident musical differences were mirrored in personal and business differences, and The Beatles broke up in 1970.The music, however, remains, and just as The Beatles absorbed the styles they heard while growing up, so a generation of musicians has grown up absorbing The Beatles, and their influence is palpable in virtually every rock record made since. ~ William Ruhlmann

Biography of Tony Sheridan

With his 1961 recording of "My Bonnie," Tony Sheridan forever secured rock & roll immortality; while the song was certainly a respectable hit during its heyday, its place in music history is instead assured as the first studio session to feature the Beatles. Anthony Sheridan McGinnity was born in Norwich, England on May 21, 1940; he formed his first band, the Saints, at the age of 15 before relocating to London a few years later. In 1959, he joined Vince Taylor and the Playboys, one of the most popular of the many British groups which rose to fame on the decadent Hamburg, Germany club scene; over time, the band evolved into a new unit called the Beat Brothers, originally featuring Sheridan on vocals and guitar backed by guitarists Ken Packwood and Rick Richards, bassist Colin Melander, keyboardist Ian Hines and drummer Jimmy Doyle. The Beat Brothers' lineup was notoriously nebulous, and among the various musicians which briefly passed through their ranks were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best; it was this early incarnation of the Beatles which backed Sheridan in mid-1961 on at least three tracks -- "My Bonnie," "The Saints" and "Why (Can't You Love Me Again)." (Much of the information about the sessions remain murky, based on memory and conjecture; the true circumstances will likely never be definitively determined, although it is also widely agreed that the same date generated "Ain't She Sweet," sung by Lennon, as well as the instrumental "Cry for a Shadow.") "My Bonnie" sold some 100,000 copies and reached the West German Top Five; it was creditied to Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers as a result of label fears that "Beatles" bore too much similarity to the German word "peedles" -- slang for the male organ. In April 1962, the Beatles also joined Sheridan for a performance at the Hamburg Star Club; two more tracks, "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Swanee River," are believed to have been recorded at that time. (Again, conclusive proof is lacking.) By this time, Sheridan was fronting a new group called the Tony Sheridan Quartet; at one point, their ranks included drummer (and future Beatle) Ringo Starr. By 1964, Sheridan had joined the Bobb Patrick Big Six, but by now the Hamburg beat craze was dying; at that juncture he journeyed to Vietnam to play U.S. army bases. When he returned to Hamburg in 1968, he remained a cult hero, and played a number of triumphant live dates before gradually retiring from show business. Years later Sheridan converted to the Sannyasin religion, rechristening himself Swami Probhu Sharan and settling in Germany -- a footnote in rock history, to be sure, but an important and enduring one. ~ Jason Ankeny

Biography of Tony Sheridan

With his 1961 recording of "My Bonnie," Tony Sheridan forever secured rock & roll immortality; while the song was certainly a respectable hit during its heyday, its place in music history is instead assured as the first studio session to feature the Beatles. Anthony Sheridan McGinnity was born in Norwich, England on May 21, 1940; he formed his first band, the Saints, at the age of 15 before relocating to London a few years later. In 1959, he joined Vince Taylor and the Playboys, one of the most popular of the many British groups which rose to fame on the decadent Hamburg, Germany club scene; over time, the band evolved into a new unit called the Beat Brothers, originally featuring Sheridan on vocals and guitar backed by guitarists Ken Packwood and Rick Richards, bassist Colin Melander, keyboardist Ian Hines and drummer Jimmy Doyle. The Beat Brothers' lineup was notoriously nebulous, and among the various musicians which briefly passed through their ranks were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best; it was this early incarnation of the Beatles which backed Sheridan in mid-1961 on at least three tracks -- "My Bonnie," "The Saints" and "Why (Can't You Love Me Again)." (Much of the information about the sessions remain murky, based on memory and conjecture; the true circumstances will likely never be definitively determined, although it is also widely agreed that the same date generated "Ain't She Sweet," sung by Lennon, as well as the instrumental "Cry for a Shadow.") "My Bonnie" sold some 100,000 copies and reached the West German Top Five; it was creditied to Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers as a result of label fears that "Beatles" bore too much similarity to the German word "peedles" -- slang for the male organ. In April 1962, the Beatles also joined Sheridan for a performance at the Hamburg Star Club; two more tracks, "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Swanee River," are believed to have been recorded at that time. (Again, conclusive proof is lacking.) By this time, Sheridan was fronting a new group called the Tony Sheridan Quartet; at one point, their ranks included drummer (and future Beatle) Ringo Starr. By 1964, Sheridan had joined the Bobb Patrick Big Six, but by now the Hamburg beat craze was dying; at that juncture he journeyed to Vietnam to play U.S. army bases. When he returned to Hamburg in 1968, he remained a cult hero, and played a number of triumphant live dates before gradually retiring from show business. Years later Sheridan converted to the Sannyasin religion, rechristening himself Swami Probhu Sharan and settling in Germany -- a footnote in rock history, to be sure, but an important and enduring one. ~ Jason Ankeny