Beatles Info
Formed – 1956
Members – John Lennon (1957 – 1970), Paul McCartney 1957 – 1970 , George Harrison (1960 – 1970), Stuart Sutcliffe (1960 – 61), Pete Best (1960 – 62), Ringo Starr (1962 – 1970)
From – Liverpool, England
First Hit -1962 – ‘Love Me Do’
First Number 1 – 1963 ‘From Me To You’
Split – 1970
Beatles Timeline
1956 (September)
John Lennon formed a skiffle band called the ‘Quarrymen’. He was influenced by Elvis Presley’s success and wanted to become as famous as Elvis.
1957 (June)
The Quarrymen entered a TV Star Search competition.
1957 (6th July)
John Lennon met Paul McCartney at a church fete where his band was playing a set of music. He invited McCartney to join his band.
1957 (August)
The Quarrymen first played at the Cavern Club in Liverpool.
1957 (October)
Paul McCartney first played with the Quarrymen.
1958 (6th February)
Paul McCartney introduced 14 year old George Harrison to John Lennon. However, John felt that he was too young to join the group.
1958 (March)
Having persistently requested to join the group, George Harrison joined the band as lead guitarist.
1958 (12th July)
The Quarrymen recorded ‘In Spite of all the Danger, That’ll be the Day’.
1960 (January)
John’s friend, Stuart Sutcliffe, joined the band playing bass guitar.
1960 (January)
The ‘Quarrymen’ changed their name to ‘Beatals’. The name was chosen to honour Buddy Holly and the Crickets.
1960 (May)
The ‘Beatals’ changed their name to the ‘Silver Beetles’.
1960 (early July)
The ‘Silver Beetles’ changed their name to ‘Silver Beatles’.
1960 (August)
Pete Best, a drummer, was asked to join the band.
1960 (15th August)
The ‘Silver Beetles’ changed their name to ‘The Beatles’.
1960 (17th August)
The Beatles began a 46 night spot at the Indra Club, Hamburg.
1960 (1st October)
The group began a 58 night spot at the Kaiserkeller, Hamburg.
1960 (21st November)
George Harrison was deported from Germany after authorities discovered he was under 18 years.
1960 (30th November)
Paul McCartney and Pete Best were deported from Germany after being arrested on suspicion of arson.
1961 (February)
Stuart Sutcliffe left the group to focus on art, Paul McCartney took over as bass guitarist.
1961 (1st April)
The Beatles began a three month spot at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg.
1961 (October)
The Beatles were backing musicians for Tony Sheridan’s ‘My Bonnie’ and ‘The Saints’.
1961 (9th November)
Brian Epstein watched ‘The Beatles’ performing at the Cavern Club.
1962 (January)
The Beatles auditioned for Decca Records but were unsuccessful.
1962 (24th January)
The group signed a 5-year management contract with Brian Epstein.
1962 (10th April)
Former Beatle, Stuart Sutcliffe, died of a brain haemorrhage.
1962 (13th April)
The Beatles began a 48 night spot at the Star-Club, Hamburg.
1962 (6th June)
George Martin of Parlophone, EMI offered the Beatles a recording contract on condition that they replace drummer Pete Best.
1962 (August)
John Lennon married Cynthia Powell at Mount Pleasant Register Office, Liverpool. Cynthia had to keep a low profile because they did not want fans to know that John was married.
1962 (18th August)
Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr), drummer with the band Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, replaced Pete Best as drummer of the group.
1962 (1st October)
The Beatles signed a new management contract with Brian Epstein, needed because of Ringo Starr replacing Pete Best. Under the contract Epstein received 25% of the group’s earnings.
1962 (5th October)
‘The Beatles’ released their first single ‘Love Me Do’. The single reached number 17 in the British charts.
1962 (1st November)
The Beatles began a 14 night spot at the Star-Club, Hamburg.
1962 (26th November)
The group recorded the single ‘Please Please Me’.
1962 (18th December)
The Beatles began a 13 night spot at the Star-Club, Hamburg.
1963 (11th January)
The single ‘Please Please Me’ was released in the UK. It reached number 2 in the charts.
1963 (11th February)
The Beatles recorded the album ‘Please Please Me’.
1963 (22nd March)
The album ‘Please Please Me’ was released in the UK. It reached No 1 in the album charts.
1963 (11th January)
The single ‘From Me to You’ was released in the UK. It reached number 1 in the charts.
1963 (18th May)
The Beatles went on tour supporting Roy Orbison.
1963 (27th May)
The single ‘Please Please Me’ written by Lennon and McCartney was released in the US. It did not do well.
1963 (July)
The album ‘Please Please Me’ was released in the US under the title ‘Introducing The Beatles’. It was a flop.
1963 (12th July)
The EP ‘Twist and Shout’ was released in the UK. It reached number 1 in the charts.
1963 (23rd August)
The single ‘She Loves You’ written by Lennon and McCartney was released in the UK. It was the fastest selling single at the time quickly reaching no 1 and remains the group’s best selling single.
1963 (16th September)
The single ‘She Loves You’ written by Lennon and McCartney was released in the US. It had little impact.
1963 (October)
The Beatles popularity continued to spread across Europe and the term Beatlemania was coined.
1963 (13th October)
The group performed on the UK TV Show ‘Sunday Night at the London Palladium’.
1963 (17th October)
The Beatles recorded ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’.
1963 (24th October)
The group made a 7 day tour of Sweden.
1963 (4th November)
The Beatles performed in front of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon at the Royal Command Performance.
1963 (22nd November)
The album ‘With the Beatles’ was released in the UK. It reached No 1 in album charts.
1963 (29th November)
The Beatles released ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ written by Lennon and McCartney in the UK. It reached No 1 in the charts and was the second album ever to sell a million copies (the first was the South Pacific soundtrack in 1958).
1963 (26th December)
The Beatles released ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ in the US. It was their first hit in America reaching no 1.
1964 (16th January)
The group began a series of concerts at L’Olympia, Paris.
1964 (20th January)
The Beatles released the album ‘Meet the Beatles’ in the US. It reached No 1 in the charts.
1964 (29th January)
The Beatles recorded ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’.
1964 (7th February)
The Beatles released ‘All My Loving’ in the UK.
1964 (7th February)
The group left London Heathrow to fly to New York. Around 4,000 screaming fans were at Heathrow to see them off and around 3,000 American fans welcomed them to JFK airport.
1964 (9th February)
The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in the United States. They performed 5 songs to an audience of more than 73 million people.
1964 (11th February)
The group performed at the Washington Coliseum.
1964 (12th February)
The Beatles performed at Carnegie Hall in New York.
1964 (March/April)
The group were involved in filming for ‘A Hard Day’s Night’.
1964 (2nd March)
The single ‘Twist and Shout’ was released in the US.
1964 (16th March)
The single ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ was released in the US.
1964 (20th March)
The single ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ was released in the UK.
1964 (23rd March)
John published a collection of poems and nonsensical writings entitled ‘In His Own Write’.
1964 (4th June)
The Beatles began a Tour tour which included dates in Denmark, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.
1964 (19th June)
The Beatles released ‘Long Tall Sally’ in the UK. It reached number 1 in the charts.
1964 (26th June)
The group released the soundtrack to the film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ in the US. It went to No 1 in the album charts.
1964 (10th July)
The Beatles film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ premiered in London, UK.
1964 (10th July)
The Beatles released the soundtrack to the film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ in the UK. It went to No 1 in the album charts.
1964 (11th August)
The Beatles film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ was released in the US.
1964 (19th August)
The group began a tour of America. They controversially refused to play to at any venue where blacks and whites were segregated.
1964 (28th August)
The Beatles met Bob Dylan who introduced them to marijuana.
1964 (October)
The Beatles recorded their album ‘Beatles for Sale’.
1964 (25th October)
The group received five Ivor Novello awards.
1964 (23rd November)
The single ‘I Feel Fine’ was released in the US.
1964 (27th November)
The single ‘I Feel Fine’ was released in the UK.
1964 (4th December)
The album ‘Beatles for Sale’ was released in the UK and went straight to No 1 in the charts.
1965 (23rd February)
The group began filming their second movie ‘Help!’.
1965 (27th March)
John and George experienced LSD for the first time after their coffee was spiked with the drug by George’s dentist.
1965 (9th April)
The single ‘Ticket To Ride’ was released.
1965 (12th June)
John, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison were awarded the MBE.
1965 (14th June)
Paul McCartney recorded ‘Yesterday’. It was the first recording by a single member of the group.
1965 (24th June)
John published a second collection of poems and nonsensical writings entitled ‘A Spaniard in the Works’.
1965 (19th July)
The single ‘Help’ written mainly by John Lennon was released in the US.
1965 (23rd July)
The single ‘Help’ written mainly by John Lennon was released in the UK. It reached number 1 in the charts.
1965 (29th July)
The film ‘Help’ premiered in London.
1965 (6th August)
The soundtrack to the film ‘Help’ was released in the UK. It reached number 1 in the charts.
1965 (11th August)
The film ‘Help’ was released in the US. It reached number 1 in the charts.
1965 (13th August)
The soundtrack to the film ‘Help’ was released in the US. It reached number 1 in the charts.
1965 (15th August)
The Beatles performed at the Shea Stadium in New York in front of an audience of 55,600. They were concerned that their music was not being heard over the screaming of fans.
1965 (13th September)
The single ‘Yesterday’ was released in the US.
1965 (29th September)
The single ‘Yesterday’ was released in the UK.
1965 (3rd December)
The Beatles released the album ‘Rubber Soul’ in the UK. It went straight to No 1 in the charts.
1965 (3rd December)
The single ‘Day Tripper’ was released.
1965 (6th December)
The Beatles released the album ‘Rubber Soul’ in the US. It went straight to No 1 in the charts.
1965 (late)
John met Yoko Ono either at an art exhibition or when she requested some music from John.
1966 (4th March)
John controversially commented that ‘we’re more popular than Jesus now’. This caused demonstrations against the group in religious areas of America.
1966 (6th April)
The group began recording the album ‘Revolver’.
1966 (30th May)
The single Paperback Writer written by Lennon and McCartney was released in the US. It went straight to number 1 in the charts.
1966 (10th June)
The single Paperback Writer written by Lennon and McCartney was released in the UK. It went straight to number 1 in the charts.
1966 (20th June)
The compilation album ‘Yesterday and Today’ was released in the US by Capitol Records. The album initially caused controversy because the cover featured the Beatles in butchers aprons surrounded by mutilated dolls and raw meat. Capitol records hastily replaced the covers.
1966 (July)
The group toured Japan and the Philippines. They were accused of snubbing the presedential family in the Philippines.
1966 (5th August)
The Beatles’ single ‘Eleanor Rigby/Yellow Submarine’ was released.
1966 (5th August)
The album ‘Revolver’ was released in the UK. It went straight to No 1.
1966 (8th August)
The album ‘Revolver’ was released in the US. It reached number 1 in the charts.
1966 (11th August)
The Beatles returned to America for another tour.
1966 (29th August)
The group performed their last live concert at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.
1966 (November)
John met Yoko Ono at the Indica Gallery.
1966 (late November)
The group began work on ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’.
1967 (13th February)
The Beatles released ‘Strawberry Fields Forever”/”Penny Lane” a double A side single in the UK and the US. It reached number 2 in the UK and number 8 in the US.
1967 (May)
Paul met photographer, Linda Eastman.
1967 (26th May)
The Beatles released the album ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ in the UK. It went straight to number 1 in the charts.
1967 (2nd June)
The Beatles released the album ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ in the US. It reached number 1 in the charts.
1967 (25th June)
The group performed ‘All You Need is Love’ on ‘Our World’ the World’s first global TV link. It was viewed by an audience of 350 million.
1967 (7th July)
The Beatles released the single ‘All You Need is Love’ written by John Lennon in the UK.
1967 (17th July)
The Beatles released the single ‘All You Need is Love’ written by John Lennon in the US.
1967 (27th August)
The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein died of an accidental overdose of sleeping tablets. The group were told of his death while attending a seminar on Transcendental Meditation by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
1967 (24th November)
The group released the single ‘Hello, Goodbye’ in the UK.
1967 (27th November)
The group released the single ‘Hello, Goodbye’ in the UK.
1967 (26th December)
The group released the film ‘Magical Mystery Tour’. The film itself did not do well but the movie soundtrack did well.
1968 (February)
The Beatles founded Apple Corps, a corporation that included Apple Records and other companies.
1968 (February)
John, Paul, George and Ringo went to India for two months to study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
1968 (15th March)
The group released the single ‘Lady Madonna’ in the UK.
1968 (18th March)
The group released the single ‘Lady Madonna’ in the US.
1968 (17th July)
The movie ‘Yellow Submarine’ premiered in London.
1968 (26th August)
The Beatles released the single ‘Hey Jude’ in the US.
1968 (30th August)
The Beatles released the single ‘Hey Jude’ in the UK.
1968 (22nd November)
The ‘White Album’ also known as ‘The Beatles’ was released in the UK. It reached number 1 in the charts.
1968 (25th November)
The ‘White Album’ also known as ‘The Beatles’ was released in the US.
1969 (13th January)
The album ‘Yellow Submarine’ was released in the US. It reached No 2 in the charts, second to ‘The White Album’.
1969 (17th January)
The album ‘Yellow Submarine’ was released in the UK.
1969 (30th January)
The group performed an impromptu rooftop concert from the roof of Apple Corps Ltd in London. It was the last time they performed together.
1969 (12th March)
Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman.
1969 (20th March)
John married Yoko Ono in Gibraltar. They spent their honeymoon in bed at the presidential suite of the Amsterdam Hilton as a peace protest.
1969 (11th April)
The Beatles released the single ‘Get Back’ in the UK.
1969 (5th May)
The Beatles released the single ‘Get Back’ in the US.
1969 (8th May)
Allen Klein was appointed manager of the band despite the objections of Paul McCartney who wanted his father and brother-in-law to have the job.
1969 (2nd July)
The group began recording the album Abbey Road.
1969 (20th September)
John left the group but the news was kept secret.
1969 (26th September)
The Beatles released the album ‘Abbey Road’ in the UK. It was the Beatles last studio album and reached No 1 in the charts.
1969 (1st October)
The group released the album ‘Abbey Road’ in the US.
1969 (6th October)
The single ‘Something/Come Together’ was released.
1970 (11th January)
Paul McCartney announced that he had left the group.
1970 (6th March)
The Beatles released their final single ‘Let It Be’ in the UK.
1970 (11th March)
The Beatles released their final single ‘Let It Be’ in the US.
1970 (10th April)
Paul McCartney announced that the Beatles had split.
1970 (8th May)
The album ‘Let It Be’ was released.
1970 (31st December)
Paul McCartney filed for a legal dissolution of the Beatles’ partnership.
1973 (2nd April)
The Red Album also titled 1962 – 1966, a compilation of hits from those years was released. It reached number 3 in the UK and number 1 in the US.
1973 (2nd April)
The Blue Album also titled 1967 – 1970, a compilation of hits from those years was released.
1974 (29th December)
The Beatles partnership was officially dissolved.
1976 (7th June)
The compilation album ‘Rock n Roll Music’ was released in the US.
1976 (11th June)
The compilation album ‘Rock n Roll Music’ was released in the UK.
1977 (8th April)
The compilation album ‘Rock n Roll Music’ was released in the US.
1977 (4th May)
The album ‘Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany, 1962’ a compilation of live music from performances at the club in December 1962 was released.
1977 (21st October)
The compilation album ‘Love Songs’ was released in the US.
1977 (19th November)
The compilation album ‘Love Songs’ was released in the UK.
1978 (2nd November)
‘The Beatles Collection’ a Box set of Beatles albums was released in the US. It was limited to 3000 copies.
1978 (2nd December)
‘Rarities’ a Box set of lesser known Beatles songs was released in the UK.
1978 (12th December)
‘The Beatles Collection’ a Box set of Beatles albums was released in the UK. There was no limit on the number of copies.
1980 (14th October)
‘The Beatles Ballads’ a compilation of ballad songs was released.
1980 (3rd November)
‘The Beatles Box’ a set of eight albums was released.
1980 (8th December)
John Lennon was assassinated by Mark Chapman.
1981 (7th December)
‘The EP Collection’ a box set of EPs was released.
1982 (22nd March)
‘Reel Music’ a compilation of music from Beatles’ films was released.
1982 (1st October)
‘The Beatles Collection’ a set of all 14 Beatles albums remastered was released.
1982 (3rd October)
‘The Beatles Mono Collection’ a box set of all Beatles albums that were originally issued as mono LPs in the UK.
1982 (11th October)
’20 Greatest Hits’ a compilation of songs that reached number 1 in the UK was released in the US.
1982 (18th October)
’20 Greatest Hits’ a compilation of songs that reached number 1 in the UK was released in the US.
1988 (7th March)
‘Past Masters’ a two disc compilation of songs was released.
1988 (15th November)
‘The Beatles Box Set’ a collection of 16 albums containing the entire works of the Beatles from 1962 – 1970 was released.
1994 (30th November)
‘Live at the BBC’ a compilation of songs broadcast by BBC radio from 1963 – 1965 was released.
1995 (20th November)
‘Anthology 1’ a compilation of music was released.
1996 (18th March)
‘Anthology 2’ a compilation of music was released.
1996 (28th October)
‘Anthology 3’ a compilation of music was released.
1999 (13th September)
‘Yellow Submarine Songtrack’ a remix of the original film soundtrack was released to coincide with the re-release of the film.
2000 (13th November)
‘1’ a compilation of songs that reached number one in the UK and the US was released on the 30th anniversary of the band’s split.
2003 (17th November)
‘Let It Be ..Naked’ an alternative version of the 1970 album ‘Let It Be’ was released.
2004 (15th November)
‘The Capitol Albums Vol 1’ a compilation of releases by Capitol Records in 1964 was released.
2006 (11th April)
‘The Capitol Albums Vol 2’ a compilation of releases by Capitol Records in 1965 was released.
2006 (20th November)
‘Love’ a compilation of remixed music for the Cirque du Soleil show, Love was released.
2009 (9th September)
‘The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings)’ a box set of all remastered recordings by the Beatles was released.
2009 (9th September)
‘The Beatles in Mono’ a remastered release of ‘The Beatles Mono Collection’ (1982) was released on CD.
2012 (24th July)
‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ a compilation of songs by the Beatles was released on iTunes.
2013 (11th November)
‘On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2’ a live/compilation of 40 previously unreleased tracks from BBC Radio broadcasts was released.
2013 (17th December)
‘The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963’ a compilation of 59 unreleased recordings was released on iTunes.
2014 (21st January)
‘The US Albums’ a box set compilation of remastered American albums released between 1964 and 1970 was released in the US.
2014 (25th June)
‘The Japan Box’ a box set of the five albums released in Japan between 1964 and 1965 was released.
2015 (6th November)
‘1+’ a remixed version of the album 1 (2000) was released.
2016 (9th September)
‘Live at the Holywood Bowl’ a remixed and remastered version of the 1977 album was released.
2017 (26th May)
‘The Beatles Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club’ was re-released to commemorate the album’s 50th anniversary.
2019 (September)
The album ‘Abbey Road’ was re-released to commemorate the album’s 50th anniversary. It reached number 1 in the UK.
Published Jul 15, 2018 @ 7:59 pm – Updated – [last-modified]
Harvard Reference for this page:
Heather Y Wheeler. (2018 – 2020). The Beatles 1956 – 1970. https://www.thetimelinegeek.com/the-beatles-1956-1970 Last accessed [date]