Rhythm guitarist John Lennon became known for his political activism, as well as his love for guitar-centered rock and roll. He penned such songs as "Help!", "In My Life", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "I Am the Walrus" and "Across the Universe".

Bassist Paul McCartney, frequently praised for his exceptional melodic gifts, penned the most frequently recorded song in history, the ballad "Yesterday." Some of his other notable compositions for the group include "Eleanor Rigby", "Hey Jude", and "Let It Be."

Lead guitarist George Harrison emerged during the band's later period as a distinctive and talented songwriter apart from Lennon and McCartney, penning such well-regarded songs as "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Something", and "Here Comes the Sun." He is also known for introducing some exotic elements into the group's sound, including Indian instruments such as the sitar. (Photo by Richard Avedon, 1968)

Drummer Ringo Starr did not compose many songs for The Beatles but customarily sang one song on each album. He composed the songs "Octopus's Garden", and "Don't Pass Me By", as well as contributing along with Lennon and McCartney to "What Goes On", and "Flying". Most famously he performed lead vocals on McCartney's "Yellow Submarine" and "With a Little Help from My Friends."

The eye-popping psychedelic portraits of The Beatles created by Richard Avedon in 1967.

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Beatles, The

The Beatles were a pop and rock music group from Liverpool, England, who continue to be held in the very highest regard for their artistic achievements, their huge commercial success, and their groundbreaking role in the history of popular music. more...

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Consisting of John Lennon (1940-1980), Paul McCartney (born 1942), George Harrison (1943-2001) and Ringo Starr (born 1940), the group's innovative music, films, and style helped define the 1960s.

The Beatles created many sales records and charted more than fifty top 40 hit singles. They were the first British band to achieve major ongoing success in the United States, scoring no fewer than twenty-seven #1 hits in the USA & UK alone, becoming the biggest musical act of the twentieth century. EMI estimated in 1985 that the band had sold over one billion records worldwide. Their ballad "Yesterday" may be the most-covered song in the history of recorded music (about 3,000 versions of it exist).

Their earliest compositions were mainly rock ‘n’ roll or R&B-rooted pop songs with the occasional ballad. But they grew increasingly eclectic as composers, arrangers, and performers over the years. They composed songs and arranged them in a wide array of musical styles – occasionally fusing genres. The constant factor in the vast majority of their songs was their focus on melody. Despite the wide array of musical styles utilised, Beatles recordings were readily identifiable because of their distinctive vocals. In addition to their core pop and rock styles, The Beatles' canon included songs flavoured with folk, country, rockabilly, blues, soul, doo-wop and many other musical genres. They were also pioneers of new musical directions such as psychedelia ("Strawberry Fields Forever") and hard rock ("Helter Skelter," "Revolution"). Their use of chamber and baroque orchestrations (scored by producer George Martin) on recordings such as "Yesterday", "Eleanor Rigby", "In My Life" and "For No One" was another first in contemporary popular music.