The Beatles

Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960 who became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed act in the history of popular music.[1] Theirbest-known lineup consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney,George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, they later utilised several genres, rangingfrom popballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. In the early 1960s, their enormous popularity first emerged as "Beatlemania", 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 by the era's sociocultural revolutions.
The Beatles built their reputation playing clubs inLiverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960. Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act and producer George Martin enhanced their musical potential. They gained popularity inthe United Kingdom after their first single, "Love Me Do", became a modest hit in late 1962. They acquired the nickname the "Fab Four" as Beatlemania grew in Britain over the following year, and byearly 1964 they had become international stars, leading the "British Invasion" into the United States pop market. From 1965 on, they produced what many critics consider their finest material, includingthe innovative and widely influential albums Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966),Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), The Beatles (1968), and Abbey Road (1969). After their break-up in 1970, theex-Beatles each enjoyed successful musical careers. Lennon died in 1980 after having been shot by a deranged fan, and Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001. McCartney and Starr remain active.
TheBeatles have had more number-one albums on the British charts and sold more singles in the UK than any other act. According to the RIAA, as of 2012 they have sold 177 million units in the US, more...