Bleates

The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock[->0] band formed in Liverpool[->1] in 1960. They became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed act in the history of popular music. The group's best-known lineup consisted of John Lennon[->2], Paul McCartney[->3], George Harrison[->4], and Ringo Starr[->5]. Rooted in skiffle[->6] and 1950s rock and roll[->7], the Beatles laterutilized several genres[->8], ranging from pop[->9] ballads[->10] to psychedelic rock[->11], often incorporating classical[->12] and other elements in innovative ways. In the early 1960s, their enormous popularity first emerged as "Beatlemania[->13]", but as their songwriting grew in sophistication, they came to be perceived by many fans and cultural observers as an embodiment of the ideals shared bythe era's sociocultural revolutions[->14].
The band built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg[->15] over a three-year period from 1960.
They gained popularity in the United Kingdom after their first modest hit, "Love Me Do", in late 1962. They acquired the nickname the "Fab Four" as Beatlemania grew in Britain over the following year, and by early 1964 they had becomeinternational stars, leading the "British Invasion[->16]" of the United States pop market. From 1965 on, the Beatles produced what many critics consider their finest material, including the innovative and widely influential albums Rubber Soul[->17] (1965), Revolver[->18] (1966), Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band[->19] (1967), The Beatles[->20] (1968), and Abbey Road[->21] (1969). After theirbreak-up[->22] in 1970, they each enjoyed successful musical careers. Lennon was shot and killed[->23] in December 1980, and Harrison died of lung cancer[->24] in November 2001. McCartney and Starr remain musically active.
They have had more number-one albums on the British charts and sold more singles in the UK than any other act.
The break-up of the Beatles[->25], one of the most popular and influentialmusical groups in history, has become almost as much of a legend as the band itself or the music they created while together.The Beatles were active from their formation in 1960 to the disintegration of the group in 1970. The break-up itself was a cumulative process throughout 1969


Influences
Their earliest influences include Elvis Presley[->26], Carl Perkins[->27], Little Richard[->28] and ChuckBerry[->29].During the Beatles' co-residency with Little Richard at the Star-Club[->30] in Hamburg, from April to May 1962, he advised them on the proper technique for performing his songs.Of Presley, Lennon said, "Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn't been Elvis, there would not have been the Beatles."
Other early influences include Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran[->31], RoyOrbison and the Everly Brothers.They continued to absorb influences long after their initial success, often finding new musical and lyrical avenues by listening to their contemporaries, including Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa[->32], the Lovin' Spoonful[->33], the Byrds[->34] and the Beach Boys[->35], whose 1966 album Pet Sounds[->36] amazed and inspired McCartney. Martin stated, "Without Pet Sounds, Sgt.Pepper wouldn't have happened ...Pepper was an attempt to equal Pet Sounds".Ravi Shankar, with whom Harrison studied for six weeks in India in late 1966, had a significant effect on his musical development during the band's later years.

Awards and achievements

In 1965, Queen Elizabeth II[->37] appointed Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr Members of the Order of the British Empire(MBE)[->38].[106] The film Let It Be[->39] (1970) won the 1971 Academy Award for Best Original Song Score[->40].The recipients of 7 Grammy Awards and 15 Ivor Novello Awards[->41],the Beatles have been awarded 6 Diamond albums[->42], as well as 24 Multi-Platinum albums[->43], 39 Platinum albums[->44] and 45 Gold albums[->45] in the United States.In the UK, the Beatles have 4 Multi-Platinum albums[->46], 4...