Music Flashback: The Beatles

When I was a kid growing up, every school year from Kindergarten to my first year of High School, took place in the 1970′s.

Even though they had broken up in 1970, when I was just five years old, the airwaves of 1970′s radio were dominated by probably the greatest band in music history…

The Beatles

The Beatles started in Liverpool, England in 1960 and were initially a five-piece band consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Pete Best.

Sutcliffe left the group in 1961, while 1962 saw Best leave the group, being replaced by drummer Ringo Starr.

The newly dubbed “Fab Four” scored their first commercial hit in 1962 with the song “Love me Do“.

The Fab Four were, of course..

John Lennon
Paul McCartney
George Harrison
Ringo Starr

A Feb. 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in New York City really launched the group into the musical stratosphere here in the US. The show was watched by an estimated 74 million viewers -over 40% of the US Population at the time.

Think of a lot of the most popular bands and artists in music history…..

Elvis Presley was active for 22 years.
Michael Jackson was on the charts for 38 years.
Madonna has been active for 28 years.
Elton John has been hitting the charts for 42 years.
Led Zeppelin was active for 12 years.
Pink Floyd was active for 29 years.
AC/DC has been together 38 years.
The Rolling Stones have been together for 49 years.
U2 has been active for 31 years.
Aerosmith: 38 years
Bon Jovi: 28 years
Chicago: 42 years
Bruce Springsteen: 38 years

and so on…..

The Beatles accomplished their amazing status of the greatest band of All-Time in just 8 years from 1962-1970. After just 8 short years, the boys had broken up and gone their separate ways.

But, boy what they accomplished in that 8 years!…

In that period from 1962-1970, The Beatles had 16 Studio Albums released here in the US.

The Beatles have charted an amazing 50 singles into the Top-40 of the Billboard Charts here in the US.

Twenty of those singles went to #1 on the Billboard Charts. No one else in history has had so many #1 hits.

The group won 7 Grammy Awards.

The Group won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1971 for “Let it Be“.

The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

They have sold more albums in the US than any other artist in Music History.

They have had more #1 Albums than any act in Music History.

Their many hits included:

Love me do
She loves you
I want to hold your hand
I saw her standing there
Please Please me
Twist and Shout
Can’t buy me Love
Do you want to know a secret?
Thank you girl
Hard Day’s Night
I feel fine
Eight days a week
Ticket to ride
Help!
Yesterday
We can work it out
Day Tripper
Nowhere Man
Paperback Writer
Yellow Submarine
Eleanor Rigby
Lady Madonna
Hey Jude
Revolution
Get Back
Something
Come together
Let it be
The Long and Winding Road
Got to get you into my life
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

and many, many more…..

August of 1969 was the last time that all four Beatles would be in the same studio together. Tensions between the band members, specifically McCartney and Lennon, had been building for years. The following month, John Lennon announced he was leaving the band.

The Album “Abbey Road” was released just days after Lennon announced he was leaving.

With the breakup of the band, all four members released solo albums in 1970.

Ringo Starr has since gone on to a successful career as a musician, songwriter, and actor.

George Harrison enjoyed a successful solo career as a singer, songwriter, producer, and actor. As a solo artist, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. George Harrison passed away in 2001 at the age of 58 after a long battle with lung cancer.

John Lennon went on to a successful solo career as a singer, songwriter, artist, and political, social, and environmental activist. He sold over 14 million albums as a solo artist. As a solo artist, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. John Lennon was murdered outside his New York apartment on the 8th of December, 1980. He was just 40 years old.

Sir Paul McCartney is still one of the most popular musical performers in the world. Now 69 years old, he is responsible for thirty-one #1 hits as a performer over the course of his Post-Beatles career. He is the most successful and prolific songwriter in the history of the music industry, having written or co-written 91 Top-10 singles, with thirty-three of those singles reaching #1 on the charts. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1999.