Paul McCartney McCartney has released an extensive catalogue of songs as a solo artist and has composed classical and electronic music. He has taken part in projects to promote international charities related to such subjects as animal rights, seal hunting, landmines, vegetarianism, poverty, and music education. He has married three times and is the parent of five children. A Guide to the Strange, Little-Known, Hard-to-Find Beatles Christmas Recordings Little in my life has enriched me more than the Beatles or Christmas—in different (and yet dovetailing) ways. And there is one enriching aspect of the Beatles’ catalog that is so rare, that it falls between the worlds of official product and bootleg. This wasn’t a commercial record, it wasn’t a bootleg, it was its own thing, like the holiday season itself. I’m talking about the band’s annual Christmas message to the members of their fan club. The recordings—which are usually in the five- or six-minute range—were first sent out in 1963 on what were called flexi discs, to the people who had a big hand in getting the Beatles where the Beatles then presently were.
John Lennon Lennon's signature John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a founder member of rock group the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music. With Paul McCartney, he formed a songwriting partnership that is one of the most celebrated of the 20th century. Lennon revealed a rebellious nature and acerbic wit in his music, writing, drawings, on film and in interviews. George Harrison George Harrison,[nb 1] MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Although John Lennon and Paul McCartney were the band's primary songwriters, most of their albums included at least one Harrison composition, including "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something", which became the Beatles' second-most-covered song. Harrison's first marriage, to Pattie Boyd, ended in divorce in 1977.
The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band that formed in Liverpool, in 1960. With John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they became widely regarded as the greatest and most influential act of the rock era.[1] Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later experimented with several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic and hard rock, often incorporating classical 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 as an embodiment of the ideals shared by the era's sociocultural revolutions. History 1957–62: formation, Hamburg, and UK popularity
Stuart Sutcliffe Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe (23 June 1940 – 10 April 1962) was a British artist and musician best known as the original bassist for the Beatles. Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as an artist, having previously attended the Liverpool College of Art. Sutcliffe and John Lennon are credited with inventing the name, "Beatals", as they both liked Buddy Holly's band, the Crickets. The band used this name for a while until Lennon decided to change the name to "the Beatles", from the word Beat. As a member of the group when it was a five-piece band, Sutcliffe is one of several people sometimes referred to as the "Fifth Beatle". When the Beatles played in Hamburg, he met photographer Astrid Kirchherr, to whom he was later engaged.
Pete Best Randolph Peter "Pete" Best (born 24 November 1941) is a British musician, principally known as the original regular drummer in the Beatles. He was born in the city of Madras, then part of British India. After Best's mother, Mona Best (1924–1988), moved to Liverpool in 1945, she opened The Casbah Coffee Club in the cellar of the Bests' large house in Liverpool. It became very popular with British youths, having a membership of over 1,000. The Beatles (at the time known as the Quarrymen) played some of their first concerts at the club. Janis Joplin Joplin was well known for her performing abilities, and her fans referred to her stage presence as "electric". At the height of her career, she was known as "The Queen of Psychedelic Soul," and became known as Pearl among her friends. She was also a painter, dancer and music arranger. Rolling Stone ranked Joplin number 46 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004,[1] and number 28 on its 2008 list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Early life: 1943–1961[edit]
Roger Daltrey Roger Daltrey, CBE (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician, songwriter and actor, who is best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist. In 2008 he was ranked as number 61 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. Daltrey has also been an actor and film producer, with roles in films, theatre and television. Early life[edit] Roger Harry Daltrey was born in the Hammersmith area of London, one of three children born to parents Irene and Harry Daltrey. Keith Moon Moon grew up in Wembley, northwest London, and took up the drums during the early 1960s. After playing with a local band, the Beachcombers, he joined the Who in 1964 before they recorded their first single. Moon remained with the band during their rise to fame, and was quickly recognised for his distinctive drumming style. He occasionally collaborated with other musicians and later appeared in films, but considered playing in the Who his primary occupation and remained a member of the band until his death. In addition to his talent as a drummer, however, Moon developed a reputation for smashing his kit onstage and destroying hotel rooms on tour. He was fascinated by blowing up toilets with cherry bombs or dynamite, and by destroying television sets.
Kenney Jones Biography[edit] Small Faces to the Faces[edit] In 2007, the Small Faces were honoured by Westminster Council with a commemorative plaque placed at what was Don Arden's offices in Carnaby Street, the band's "spiritual home". Jones himself unveiled the plaque. In a BBC interview Jones said: "To honour the Small Faces after all these years is a terrific achievement.
Doug Sandom Doug Sandom (often misspelled Doug Sanden; born 26 February 1930) is a British drummer who was the original drummer for the English rock band The Who. During the infancy of the band's career, while they were playing as The Detours (around mid-1962), Sandom, a bricklayer, joined as drummer. However, while the other members of the group were in their late teens, Sandom was already in his early thirties, and the difference in age eventually made him something of an outcast in the group. His wife also objected to him staying out at all hours of the night.[1] In February 1964, it was discovered that another band was also called The Detours.
John Entwistle John Alec Entwistle (9 October 1944 – 27 June 2002) was a British musician, songwriter, singer, film and music producer, who was best known as the bass guitarist for British rock band The Who. He was the only member of the band to have formal musical training. His aggressive lead sound influenced many rock bass players.[1][2] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Who in 1990. Marillion Marillion /mʌˈrɪlˌjən/ are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, in 1979. They are known as the most successful band to emerge from the United Kingdom's 1980s neo-progressive rock scene,[1] having sold 15 million albums worldwide.[2] Line-up and sound changes[edit] History[edit]