The Beatles

[Jim Colyer]

John Lennon was the heart and soul of The Beatles. He was the one who wanted to be Elvis. When it was over, he said the only good thing about The Beatles was being bigger than Elvis. John Lennon met Paul McCartney in their hometown of Liverpool, England in 1957. They had something in common. Both were mesmerized by American rock & roll. John covered Chuck Berry. Paul sang Little Richard. A bond formed. They wrote together. George Harrison joined them on lead guitar. George was a student of Carl Perkins and rockabilly. Ringo Starr came last on drums. The Beatles' personalities were such that they fit together to make a whole. John was the brooding intellectual, always questioning himself and others. His wit was razorlike. Paul was politically correct. He was the cute one who wanted to please. George was spiritual and introverted. Ringo was a comedian who got along with everyone. In the beginning, The Beatles dressed alike and looked alike. It was hard to tell them apart. They were regulars at a club in Liverpool called the Cavern. The Cavern is where they were approached by Brian Epstein. Brian became their manager. He got them to London and to George Martin. Martin became their producer. If there was a 5th Beatle, he was it. The Beatles released Love Me Do in October, 1962. Beatlemania ensued. Songs like From Me To You, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, I Saw Her Standing There & Please Please Me drove girls berserk at concerts. The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show as Elvis had done. It was pandemonium. People went wild. The Beatles were chased by fans and the press everywhere they went. Records were released on 5 different labels. Albums were solid. Every song was good, You Can't Do That and I Should Have Known Better. The Beatles made a movie called A Hard Day's Night which portrayed something of what Beatlemania was.

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