10 of the Most Important Moments in The Beatles’ History
There were many important moments in The Beatles‘ history. Without one of them, the Fab Four’s course would’ve changed drastically. For this list, we kept out the moments when the band earned their hits and released their albums. Instead, we stuck to the moments that truly shaped and defined the group. Here are 10 of the most critical moments in Beatledom.
10. John Lennon and Paul McCartney met in 1957
The official starting point of The Beatles happened on July 6, 1957. Ivan Vaughan introduced his friends Paul McCartney and John Lennon to each other at a village fete (garden party) at St. Peter’s, Woolton’s Parish Church in Liverpool. John’s band, The Quarry Men, performed at the event, and they impressed Paul. Once they met, Paul played for John and impressed him. A week later, John had another bandmate ask Paul to join the band. He took a week to decide. This is one of the most important moments in The Beatles’ history. Without it, there would be no Beatles.
9. The Beatles recorded their first song in 1958
When Paul joined The Quarry Men, he suggested they get his friend George Harrison to play guitar. So, the band became John, Paul, George, drummer Colin Hanton, and Paul’s school friend, piano player John “Duff” Lowe. The band decided to record something and found a little recording studio. They covered Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day” and their self-penned “In Spite of All the Danger.” The single recording has become one of the most valuable records in history. It was a pivotal moment for the band.
8. Brian Epstein saw the band perform at The Cavern Club in 1961
The Beatles’ future manager, Brian Epstein, saw them perform for the first time at The Cavern Club in 1961. He’d seen their names in the Mersey Beat magazine. However, he wasn’t truly intrigued until a customer came into his record store asking for “My Bonnie,” The Beatles’ German single they’d recorded with Tony Sheridan. He realized that the band was the same one who had a residency at The Cavern Club and went down with his assistant Alistair Taylor to see the band. He wanted to manage them immediately.
7. Ringo Starr joins the band
The official Beatles lineup was completed when Ringo Starr joined the band in the summer of 1962. Ringo had traveled down a similar path as his future bandmates. He went to Hamburg, Germany, to play with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes at the same clubs as The Beatles. Then, Ringo finally replaced The Beatles’ drummer Pete Best.
6. The Beatles performed on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ in 1964
One of the most famous moments in The Beatles’ history happened on Feb. 9, 1964. They performed to 70 million Americans and a screaming crowd of 700 fans on The Ed Sullivan Show. For a while, The Beatles held that record number of viewers. Their performance on the show was like a national event.
5. The Beatles performed at Shea Stadium in 1965
On August 15, 1965, The Beatles had another famous performance, this time at Shea Stadium. It was the first time a rock ‘n’ roll group performed at a sports arena. The stadium runners weren’t prepared for the sheer force behind the audience’s screams. Their small sound systems barely broadcast the band. Still, the performance made history.
4. The Beatles played their last concert in 1966
The Beatles played their last concert at Candle Stick Park in 1966. It was a horrible concert because of the mobs of screaming fans. It made The Beatles say enough. They were sick of touring throughout Beatlemania. It was dangerous. Their decision to stop touring was a pivotal moment in The Beatles’ history. Suddenly, they had time to experiment in the recording studio.
3. The Beatles heard Maharishi Mahesh Yogi speak in London in 1967
In 1967, George’s wife, Pattie Boyd, saw an advertisement for lessons on Transcendental Mediation from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. She signed up with George, who invited his bandmates. The Beatles heard the guru speak in London, which changed their lives. Paul said Maharishi helped recenter the band, and he had an even more important role in their lives later on.
2. Brian Epstein died in 1967
The Beatles’ manager died unexpectedly in 1967 while the band was at one of Maharishi’s retreats in Bangor, Wales. It was a shocking time for them. John once said that going somewhere without Epstein was like going out of the house without your trousers on. The band lost their guiding and loving father figure. Maharishi gave them important advice on how to mourn him. The following year, they learned more from the guru at his ashram in Rishikesh, India.
1. The Beatles perform during their famous rooftop concert in 1969
The Beatles were breaking up during the recording of Let It Be. Still, they wanted documentarians to record their process for a film but weren’t sure what else to do. Paul wanted the album to close with a grand performance somewhere exotic. None of his bandmates wanted that. So, the group decided to go up to the rooftop of their Apple Headquarters to perform on the streets of London. The police shut it down, but not before they could play some tunes. It’s one of the most memorable moments in The Beatles’ history.
The Beatles had millions of essential moments in their 10 years together. They packed in so much and were so popular that their sheer force of them had to implode some time. Thankfully, it all made a lasting impression.
