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The Beatles were one of the most influential music groups of the rock era. Initially they affected the post-war baby boom generation of Britain and the U.S. during the 1960s, and later the rest of the world. Certainly they were the most successful group, with global sales exceeding 1.3 billion albums.
While they were originally famous for light-weight pop music (and the extreme hysterical reaction they received from young women), their later works achieved a combination of popular and critical acclaim perhaps unequaled in the 20th century. Eventually, they became more than recording artists, branching out into film and — particularly in the case of John Lennon — political activism. They achieved an iconic status beyond mere celebrity, with far reaching effects difficult to exaggerate.
The members of the group were John Lennon, (James) Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey), all from Liverpool, Merseyside, EnglandEngland is the largest, the most populous, and the most densely populated of the four " Home Nations" which make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). Occupying the south-eastern portion of the island of Great Britain, England.
Like many of their contemporaries, the early performances of the Beatles were influenced primarily by the British skiffle boom, American R&BRhythm and blues (or R & B is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. It replaced the term race music, which was deemed offensive. To some extent, the kind of music it is attached to has changed to artists such as Chuck BerryCharles Edward Berry (born October 18, 1926), better known as Chuck Berry is an American guitarist, singer and composer. Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri and was the first member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ( 1986). He received Kennedy Center H, Elvis PresleyElvis Aron Presley ( January 8, 1935 August 16, 1977), known as The King of Rock and Roll, or as just "The King", was an American singer who had an immeasurable effect on world culture. He started his career under the name the Hillbilly Cat and was later, and Carl PerkinsThe article is about Carl Perkins the musician. For the politician see Carl D. Carl Lee Perkins ( April 9, 1932 January 19, 1998) was an American pioneer of rockabilly music, a mix of rhythm and blues and country music that evolved at Sun Records in Memph and the orthodox pop of Tin Pan AlleyTin Pan Alley was the name given to the collection of New York City centered music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States of America in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. The start of Tin Pan Alley i: such as the Everly Brothers and Goffin and King . By the time of their first single releases, these stylistic influences had coalesced into a high-energy pop band (typified by " Twist and Shout" and " Please Please Me"). As they progressed, their style became more experimental and intellectual, influenced by Bob Dylan, and the changes in pop-music in general. Their popularity, very high in the UK after their return from Hamburg, Germany (where they played long hours, added muscle to their delivery, and honed their sound) was aided by their attractive looks, distinctive personalities, and natural charisma; they came across particularly well on television, as evidenced by their thunderous reception when they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and others.
Beatlemania began in the UK and exploded following the appearance of the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States, on February 9, 1964. The pop-music band became a worldwide phenomenon with worshipful fans, hysterical adulation, and denunciations by culture commentators and others such as Frank Sinatra. Some of this was confusion over the sources of their music (a similar confusion was evinced in 1956 over Elvis Presley by commentators who were unaware of the tradition of blues, R&B and gospel out of which Presley emerged), and some of it was simply an incredulous reaction to the length of their hair. At any rate, it was regarded by the band members with both awe and resentment.