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THE BEATLES are a British rock music band, which revolutionized popular music around the world in the 1960s by leading a movement in rock music known as the British Invasion. From 1964 through 1969, the Beatles achieved unprecedented popularity with 30 songs reaching the Billboard magazine top-ten popular music charts.
Formed in 1959, the Beatles were composed of four musicians born in Liverpool, England: guitarist George Harrison, guitarist John Lennon, bassist Paul McCartney, and drummer Peter Best. In 1962 drummer Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey) replaced Best.
Influenced by American rock-and-roll artists of the late 1950s, such as Little Richard and Buddy Holly, the Beatles styled their songs in the sophisticated manner of Tin Pan Alley, an American tradition of popular-music songwriting that peaked in the 1920s and 1930s. From the simple, fresh style of their early songs, such as "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1963) and "A Hard Day's Night" (1964), the Beatles progressed to innovative, experimental works--culminating in the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). Considered the first concept album (songs unified by a common theme), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was also admired for its haunting harmony and lyrics, unconventional musical phrases and rhythms, and the integrated use of electronic music and the Indian sitar. Other Beatles' albums include With the Beatles (1963), Beatles for Sale (1964), Abbey Road (1969), and Let it Be (1970).
In 1970 the Beatles split up and each member pursued another musical career, either as a solo artist or as bandleader. Despite individual successes, members were often approached with requests to reunite, fueling wide speculation until John Lennon's murder in 1980. The Beatles won the Grammy Trustees Award in 1972 and the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1995 the first volume of a three-album retrospective of the Beatles, Anthology, was released, accompanied by a television miniseries of the same name. The Anthology album, which includes the previously unrecorded song "Free as a Bird," (written by Lennon and recorded by the surviving band members during 1994 and 1995), became one of the fastest-selling albums in the history of popular music. The second album of the series, Anthology 2, was released in 1996, followed by the Anthology 3.
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