Timeline of the Beatles 1957-1964
At the age of 17, John Lennon formed his first band with classmates from Quarry Bank Grammar School. They were known as the Black Jacks for a short time before changing their name to the Quarry Men. The music was a mix of skiffe, folk, jazz, and blues that was popular at the time. Their first performance was in the back of a truck on Roseberry Street and they weren’t paid anything.
In 1957 the band met Paul McCartney, a self-taught left-handed guitarist. The band was playing in the church hall and after the set, Paul auditioned and was immediately invited to join the band. McCartney made his debut with the band at Clubmore Hall, Broadway, Liverpool.
The music became more rock and roll in 1958, causing the band’s banjo to leave. Paul then introduced his old classmate and friend George Harrison, who joined the band the following year.
The Quarry Men broke up in 1959, but Lennon and McCartney continued to work together writing songs. Harrison had joined a group called the Less Steward Quartet, but when it disbanded, he joined the reunited Quarry Men for some engagements. After that last concert, Lennon McCartney and Harrison went on to call themselves Jonny and the Moondogs before changing their name to The Beatals in early 1960, but in May of that year they changed their name back to The Silver Beatles and supported to Johnny Gentle on a tour of Scotland. Later that year they settle on the name The Beatles, which sticks.
In February 1961 the boys perform at the Cavern Club for the first time and the band has many more gigs in and around Liverpool. In August 1962, Pete Best is replaced by Ringo Starr and John Lennon marries his girlfriend Cynthia Powell. In September of the same year they record Love Me Do, which was later released in October. The song only peaked at number 17 on the singles charts.
In January 1962, the boys released their second single, Please Please Me, and made their national television debut on ITV’s Thank Your Lucky Stars. The following month they 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 on the charts. ready for 7 weeks. This prompted the BBC to give them their own program Pop Goes The Beatles.
In August 1963 they gave their last concert at the Cavern, the same month as the Great Train robbery. In September, her single She Loves You tops the charts for four weeks. In October they appeared on Sunday Night At The London Palladium and are mobbed by hundreds of fans. This was a taste of things to come because in November, Beatlemania was in full swing and her single She Loves You returns to No. 1 for another two weeks. In December, her single I Wanna Hold Your Hand stayed at the top of the charts for five weeks.
Beatlemania came to the US when the band made their first visit there in December 1963. They performed on The Ed Sullivan Show and it was seen by a staggering 73 million. The boys make their debut at New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall. The boys had made it to America, but this was just the beginning.
After the boys first visited the US and Beatlemania was in full swing, the boys returned to the UK in March 1964. They made their first move called A Hard Day’s Night and recorded an album of the same name. John Lennon published his first book His Own Write.
In April, her single Can’t Buy Me Love topped the UK and US charts. They also broke records by having 5 singles on the US chart, as well as another 11 top 100 positions, a feat never achieved by any other artist since then. In July, the single A Hard Day’s Night tops the charts for three weeks around the same time as the release of his movie. August sees the boys play their first American tour. In October and November of the same year, the guys go on a tour of the UK. In December, I Feel Fine tops the charts for five weeks.
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