The Funny

Ringo Starr joined the band in 1962, being the last member to be incorporated. Unlike the other Beatles, he played on other bands before joining them.  His parents, Elsie and Richard Starkey, split up when he was three years old. His mother remarried and was his stepfather, Harry Graves, who introduced him into the world of music. As a child, Ringo was a sickly boy, he was sick very often and missed a lot of school due to that. After a long hospitalization, he never got back to school. 

 


He joined several bands, before joining the Beatles, after the band’s manager asked them to get rid of former drummer Pete Best. With the Beatles, Ringo Starr met success and fame. In the movies, he was usually portrayed as a funny and comical character and his presence was crucial for the development of the story. He didn’t write too many songs, but in every album he sang at least one song. Anyway, the rest of the band’s attitude towards him made him quit the band a few times, being the most famous the time when he left in the middle of the recording sessions of “The Beatles”. 

Unlike the other Beatles he didn’t use to write songs for their albums, but in the later albums, some songs written by Starr were included in the track list, for example, “Octopus’s Garden”. As a drummer, he is listed as one of the best drummers in rock history and quoted as an influence for many modern drummers. 

After the break-up Starr collaborated with Harrison and other musicians, in what was called the “all star band”.  He also did some solo work, and he still performs in public as a solo artist.

The Quiet

The first time George Harrison heard Elvis’ “Heartbreak Hotel” had an epiphany. After that, his whole life was about music. He was a very good student, and even though his family was quite poor, he managed to enter to the best high school in Liverpool. When he discovered music he lost interest in school. His mother, Louise, gave him some money to buy a used guitar, allowing him to follow his passion. He learned to play the guitar, and was invited by McCartney to join the Quarrymen. At first, Lennon was reluctant to Harrison’s joining the band, because he was too young, but Harrison impressed him with his ability to play the guitar, and he accepted him in the band.

 

During his Beatles years, Harrison went through major changes in his life. At first, he was shy and reserved, and preferred being in the second line, playing his beloved guitar, but as he grew older he became interested in writing his own music, with his personal style. Motivated by his interest on eastern cultures, he learned to play the sitar and played it in the introduction of “Norwegian Wood (This Bird has flown)”. His love for eastern culture made him the leader of the Beatles’ spiritual trip to India in 1968, from which they returned disappointed and with lots of ideas for their next two albums. Harrison contributed with several songs, such as “Something”, and “While my guitar gently weeps”.

After the break up, George Harrison had a successful career, recording albums with his all star band (with Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and other famous musicians).  Later, he retired and dedicated his time to his hobbies, before dying in 2001 from lung cancer in Los Angeles, California.

The Genius

Calling Paul McCartney a genius is not an exaggeration, after all, he is still one of the most important musicians in history and even today his songs are played and known all over the globe. His extraordinary musical abilities had made him one of the most important referents for today’s musicians and the musical industry in general.

He was born in Liverpool, to Mary and James McCartney. His mother was a midwife, and his early memories of her, were from seeing her riding her bike to where she was needed. She died when he was fourteen years old. This loss connected him to Lennon, whose mother died later. His father was a trumpeter and pianist, and he tried to involve his sons in music; he gave Paul a trumpet that he later exchanged for a guitar. 

He met John Lennon and George Harrison as a boy; he was the one who proposed Harrison as a guitar player for Lennon’s band. After the departure of Stuart Sutcliffe, the band’s bassist, McCartney took over his part and learned to play the bass guitar.

 

He wrote and composed lots of songs. His most famous are “Yesterday” and “I’ve just seen a Face”, that are more traditional than most Lennon’s songs. That’s why McCartney is usually regarded as the more traditional Beatle, but he also had his experiences with drugs and experimented with different styles.  Just as an example, the song “Helter Skelter”, written and composed by McCartney, is widely known as the first hard rock songs.

 After the break-up, McCartney achieved  a very successful solo career as well as with his second band, “Wings". He still performs in public as a solo artist.

The Rebel

John Lennon had always had a passion for music. It was his escape from the problems in his family. His father was an absent parent and his mother, Julia, handed the care of her son to her sister after splitting up with Lennon’s father.  Julia used to visit her son regularly and was she the one that introduced him into music; she also gave him his first guitar in 1956. The same year, Lennon formed his first band, the Quarrymen, with Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe. When Lennon was seventeen, his mother died (he reflected his loss in his 1968’s song, “Julia”), before he entered Arts college. The death of his mother reflected in his behavior at the college, and his was repeatedly threatened with expulsion. He was finally expelled before graduating. 

In the Beatles, Lennon was usually portrayed as the “rebel”. He was the one who made the most polemic statements (“More popular than Jesus”) and the one that was more involved in political issues. But he was also an amazing composer and writer, with and without the help of Paul McCartney, and his songs are among the best in the history of music.

As a solo artist, Lennon enjoyed an amazing career. After a few solo albums, he decided to quit music for a time, in order to have more time with his family. In 1980, after releasing his last album he was killed by a deranged fan outside the Dakota Building, where he used to live.