The Beatles Timeline 1957-1964

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At 17 John Lennon formed his first band with class mates from the Quarry Bank Grammar school. They were known as Black Jacks for a short time before they changed their name to Quarry Men. The music was a mixture of skiffe, folk, jazz and blues which was popular at the time. Their first performance was on the back of a lorry in Roseberry Street and were paid nothing.

In 1957 the band met Paul McCartney who was a self taught left handed guitar player. The band was playing a performance at the church hall and after the set Paul auditioned and he was immediately invited to join the band. McCartney debuted with the band at the Clubmore Hall, Broadway, Liverpool.

The music became more rock and roll in 1958 which prompted the bands banjo player to leave. Paul then introduced his former classmate and friend George Harrison who joined the band the following year.

The Quarry Men broke up in 1959 but Lennon and McCartney carried on working together writing songs. Harrison had joined a group called the Less Steward Quartet but when it broke up he joined the reunited Quarry Men to fulfil some commitments. ...
... After that final gig Lennon McCartney and Harrison continued and called themselves Jonny and the Moondogs before changing their name to The Beatals in early 1960, but in May of that year they change their name again to The Silver Beatles and support Johnny Gentle on a tour of Scotland. Later that year they settle on the name The Beatles which sticks.

In February of 1961 the boys perform at the Cavern Club for the first time band have many more gigs in and around Liverpool. In August of 62 Pete best is replaced with Ringo Starr and John Lennon marries his girlfriend Cynthia Powell. In September of the same year they record Love Me Do which then went on to be released in October. The song only peaked at number 17 in the singles charts.

January 1962 saw the boys realised their second single Please Please Me and make a national TV debut on ITV's Thank Your Lucky Stars. The next month the record their first album and then in March the single Please Please Me slowly climbs to be their first number 1. In May the boys tour with Roy Orbison and their third single From Me To You stays in the charts for 7 weeks. This led to the BBC giving them their own show Pop Goes The Beatles.

In August of 1963 they play their final gig at the Cavern which was the same month of the Great Train robbery. In September their single She Loves You tops the charts for four weeks. In October they appeared on Sunday Night At The London Palladium and they are besieged by hundreds of adoring fans. This was a taste of things to come because by November Beatlemania was in full swing and their single She Loves You goes back to number 1 for another two weeks. December saw their single I Wanna Hold Your Hand stays at the top of the charts for five weeks.

Beatlemania hit the US when the band made their first visit there in December 1963. They performed at the Ed Sullivan show and it was watched by a staggering 73 million. The boys make their debut at New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall. The boys had made it stateside – but this was just the beginning.

After the boys visited USA for the first time and Beatlemania was in full swing the boys returned to the UK in March of 1964. They made their first move called A Hard Day's Night and recorded a Album with the same name. John Lennon had his first book published His Own Write.

April saw their single Can't Buy Me Love top the UK and US charts. They also broke records by having 5 singles in the US chart as well as 11 other positions in the top 100, a feat never accomplished by any other artist since. In July the single A Hard Day's Night tops the charts for three weeks around the same time of the premier of their movie. August sees the boys play their first American tour. In October and November of the same year the boys go on tour in the UK. In December I Feel Fine tops the charts for five weeks.

Continued....Read article The Beatles Timeline 1965-1970
For more information on the Beatles Tour of London or other London Tours check out Brit Movie Tours.