Beatles News

While former Beatles bassist Paul McCartney and drummer Ringo Starr have enjoyed lengthy careers well into the mid-2020s, six decades after they got their start together as half of the Fab Four, their bandmates have not been so lucky. John Lennon died by gun attack in 1980. George Harrison died of cancer in 2001. Their deaths were pivotal moments in global musical history, without a doubt.

But even more than that, their deaths marked significant and tragic milestones in the lives of their former friends and colleagues. That emotion remains years later, as proven by Ringo Starr’s tearful testimony about George Harrison’s last words to him in the 2011 documentary, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, by Martin Scorsese.
Ringo Starr Recalls George Harrison’s Final Words

If one were to embark on the strange and macabre practice of comparing deaths, John Lennon’s was easily far swifter than George Harrison’s. Better? Impossible to say. But quicker? Yes. Lennon died after Mark David Chapman shot him multiple times mere steps from the musician’s front door of his apartment building, the Dakota, in New York City. He was pronounced dead by the time he got to the hospital details

The Beatles first formed way back in 1960 in Liverpool. At the time, I doubt they knew just how big the band would become in just a few short years. Today, the Fab Four are known as some of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. And it will be centuries more before their legacy is truly forgotten.

It’s hard to say what the formula was for their success. They were talented and composed of excellent songwriters, sure. But those elements alone don’t lead to enormous international success. Perhaps it was a mix of factors, including smart management and production moves, coupled with the musical and cultural climate of the 1960s.

Though, it would take a few years for the band to truly blow up the way they did. Their beginnings were humble. Beatlemania wouldn’t be in full swing until around 1963. But before then, The Beatles were introduced to the world through their musical releases. And they also made minor waves with their very first television debut in 1962.
The Beatles Made Their TV Debut Back in October of 1962 on ‘People And Places’

The Beatles’ TV debut took place on October 17, 1962. The Fab Four appeared on a program called People And Places. Thei details

The Beatles penned hit after hit, all of which demonstrated their mastery of the songwriting form. But while they racked up classic songs for themselves beyond counting, they still found the time to write songs for other musicians.

Not everyone was aware that the song they were hearing on the radio had been written by John, Paul, George, or Ringo, especially if the song had been credited to a pseudonym. Here are some examples of songs that were recorded by other artists but dreamed up by the world’s favorite Liverpudlians.

1. "I Wanna Be Your Man" by The Rolling Stones

1963
Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, this song became one of The Rolling Stones' early hits. In fact, it was such a good tune that Lennon and McCartney borrowed it back so they could record their own version of it on their 1963 sophomore album, “With the Beatles.”

2. "Come and Get It" by Badfinger

1969
Written and produced by Paul McCartney, this song became a top 10 hit for Badfinger, a band signed to the Beatles’ Apple label. The band had several big hits of their own, so they didn’t necessarily need Macca to write material for them. But hey, when you’re signed to t details

Elvis Presley’s worn Omega wristwatch, gifted to him by Johnny Cash, sold for $103,700 this week.

Goldin, a leading sports and pop culture memorabilia auction house, sold the engraved timepiece as part of its inaugural music memorabilia auction, which closed Wednesday night. Other high-selling items included a D.A. Millings & Son custom suit worn by John Lennon in 1963 ($102,480), a signed copy of Led Zeppelin’s album “Presence” ($19,520) and George Harrison’s sunglasses ($47,590). Goldin also set a new sale record for a type 1 photo — or photo developed from an original negative within two years of when the picture was taken— of rapper Tupac Shakur, which sold for $10,370, according to the auction house.

Though sports and trading card auctions are Goldin’s “bread and butter,” the company is venturing more into pop culture, said head of revenue Dave Amerman. This transition is documented in Goldin’s Netflix show, “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch,” which premiered in 2023 and was just renewed for a third season.

“We realized that we get so many music items and we build them into our pop culture sales, we just wa details

Listen! Do you want to know a secret? Screen tests for Sam Mendes' four separate Beatles biopics are officially underway.

Joseph Quinn, who will play George Harrison in the upcoming films, confirmed the development when speaking to his costar Barry Keoghan, who will star as Ringo Starr, during a game of “Sitting Down or Standing Up” with Ebon Moss-Bachrach on BBC Radio 1’s Breakfast show on Friday. As its name implies, the recurring segment sees A-listers attempt to predict whether or not their famous friends are sitting down or standing up before giving them a call and asking them live on air.

“Are you standing up or are you sat down?” Quinn asked, prompting Keoghan to nervously reply, “I’m sat down. What’s happening? Are you pregnant? What’s happening?”

“I’m on Radio 1 and we’re playing a game where I have to call you and we’re guessing,” Quinn began, to which Keoghan interrupted, “Oh! What’s happening, everyone in England, U.K.? What’s up?”

Host Greg James jumped in to explain that they’d decided to give Keoghan a ring-o to see how he was doing. “Is Joe pregnant? Can I details

Ringo Starr marked his 85th birthday on July 7 at a star-studded gathering in Beverly Hills, California. The event, which took place in Beverly Gardens Park, was the latest edition of the famed Beatles drummer’s annual “Peace and Love” birthday celebration.

Starr has just posted a recap video of the event on his social media pages. The four-minute-plus clip captures glimpses of some of the 

The guest performers included Jackson Browne, Molly Tuttle, Lucius singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, and Sam Phillips. The backing band featured longtime All Starr Band drummer Gregg Bissonette, veteran country/bluegrass multi-instrumentalist John Jorgensen, violinist David Mansfield, bassist Colin Linden, and guitarist Dennis Crouch. Tuttle, Wolfe, Laessig, Mansfield, Linden, and Crouch all contributed to Starr’s country-influenced 2025 album, Look Up.

The video starts with footage of a performance, appropriately enough, of the Beatles classic “Birthday.” Browne, Tuttle, the Lucius members, and Phillips all contributed vocals to the song. The rendition features a slight lyrical adjustment to acknowledge the birthday boy.

The clip also captures Starr arriving to the details

John Lennon was well aware of his limitations as a guitarist. When asked how he rated himself during a December 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, he didn't hesitate or waffle.

“Well, it depends on what kind of guitarist,” he replied. “I’m okay. I’m not technically good, but I can make it fucking howl and move.

“I was rhythm guitarist. It’s an important job. I can make a band drive.”

There’s no denying Lennon’s rhythm guitar talents. From his chord voicings to his impeccable timing and sense of dynamics, he combined the skills, knowledge and drive that made him one of rock’s greatest rhythm guitarists.

One of his standout moments comes early in the Beatles’ catalog, on 1963’s “All My Loving,” where he pushes the verses along with steady triplet strumming. He does it while flawlessly navigating chord changes every measure on his 1958 Rickenbacker 325 Capri electric, making for a remarkable show of stamina and precision.

In his 1980 Playboy interview, Lennon called the song “a damn good piece of work,” before adding, “but I play a pretty mean guitar in back.”

For all his details

Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono's relationship was notoriously strained even before The Beatles split up, but it was what she later said about the legendary musician that hurt him the most

The legendary Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono, widow of fellow Beatle John Lennon, had a tumultuous relationship that persisted long after the iconic band went their separate ways.‌ The friction between them started when Lennon began inviting Ono into the studio, granting her an up-close view of The Beatles' creative sessions during the recording of their final albums. McCartney, in particular, was peeved by her presence, feeling his bond and musical collaboration with Lennon diminished as Ono became more involved.

‌After Lennon's tragic passing in 1980, McCartney often found himself the target of Ono's sharp words in media interviews, where she made some rather bold accusations and didn't shy away from expressing harsh criticisms about the Jet singer.

In the Peter Jackson-directed docuseries, The Beatles: Get Back, viewers witness a candid McCartney expressing his genuine sentiments regarding the impact of Lennon and Ono's partnership on the band.  Paul McCartney revealed Yoko Ono's harsh words about him details

In the early days of The Beatles, the Fab Four often modeled their work and their look after Elvis Presley. They covered several of his songs early on and didn’t hide their appreciation for him. However, after The Beatles broke up and Presley’s act had changed, John Lennon once expressed his dislike for The King.

Over a couple of decades, Lennon had seemingly changed his mind about Elvis Presley. Much of it came down to Presley’s theatrical movements, his over-the-top stage acts, and even the music itself. Lennon explained the lack of love to Rolling Stone in 1971.

“This is interesting: in the early days in England, all the groups were like Elvis and a backing group, and The Beatles deliberately didn’t move like Elvis,” said Lennon. Although The Beatles admired Presley, they apparently didn’t like his dance moves. “That was our policy because we found it stupid and bulls–t.”  John Lennon Once Explained Why He Fell Out of Love With Elvis Presley

The Beatles’ stoic stage act worked for them. At least, for a time. When The Rolling Stones burst onto the scene, Elvis-like movements became the big new thing. “Then Mick Jagge details

Everybody, well, mainly everybody, seemingly knows the name George Harrison. He is one of the most famous guitar players of all time, and a former member of the most famous band of all time, The Beatles. Harrison was an innovator, a trailblazer, and a musician who extensively experimented with a plethora of different sounds. One decade of music that isn’t known for this type of musical experimentation—The 1980s.

By the time the 1980s rolled around, Harrison was well underway in his solo career. Specifically, Harrison had released acclaimed albums, All Things Must Pass, Living in the Material World, Dark Horse, as well as three others. Harrison was cranking out music, but in the 80s, he cut that number in half, as he only released three solo albums during the decade. Matter of fact, Harrison took a five-year hiatus between the albums Gone Troppo and Cloud Nine.

There is no definitive reason as to why Harrison’s musical production slowed down, and we aren’t here to assume. However, in a 1980s interview with Guitar Player Magazine, Harrison divulged his displeasure with the business antics and redundant musical tropes of the decade.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Peter Burditt details

Sometimes when you go to the record store and flip through an artist’s section, you’ll find some odd albums that aren’t typically included in their discography. Whether it’s an alternative version of a record or a compilation (official or otherwise), there is often a larger story at play in a musician’s catalog than a simple list of their studio albums. The Beatles’ catalog is one that is far more extensive than it may appear.

The Beatles have many alternative versions of their records, albums that excluded songs that weren’t accepted in specific markets, and several compilations. Their discography is usually boiled down to 17 studio albums (in the U.S.), but there is a wealth of material awaiting any fans who are willing to dig deeper.

If you dig long enough, you might come across the Beatles’ rarest (and weirdest) album, Yesterday… And Today. Learn more about this hidden Beatles record below.  Yesterday… And Today was released in 1966. The record is a hodgepodge of songs that are more famously featured on other projects. “Nowhere Man,” “Yesterday,” “Drive My Car,” and “Day Tripper” are all fe details

Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney is heading out on the “Got Back” tour this year, but before the trek even kicks-off, fans are calling-out the star over exorbitant ticket prices.

Tickets for the run went on sale via Ticketmaster on Tuesday, July 15. During the presale, fans reported headaches while waiting in the virtual queue — which included over 200,000 people — with wait times exceeding 90 minutes. Fans began to compare the sale to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour debacle, dubbed the “Beatlemania version.”

When fans did finally make it through the online queue, they reported egregious ticket prices. “Platinum” fan presale tickets were up-for-grabs for a whopping $1,258. Others found tickets in the nosebleeds for $622.

It’s wild. I hear Americans are in more debt than ever and nobody has any money. Then I sign up for the Paul McCartney presale, log into Ticketmaster, and see this.

There are 210K people in front of me buying $300+ tickets. M

Source: ticketnews.com/Olivia Perreault

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Ringo Starr achieved international fame as the drummer of The Beatles - but not many fans may know how his nickname, which he still uses professionally today, was born

Fans of The Beatles are only just realizing how Ringo Starr got his name - and it's an interesting story.‌

The musician, whose birth name is Richard Starkey, achieved international fame as the iconic band's drummer. Now 85 and touring with his All-Starr Band, which has scheduled shows in various US cities including Las Vegas and Chicago, he is still widely referred to as Ringo Starr.  ‌

But not many fans may know that his nickname was actually linked to his passion for wearing jewelry. This meant that instead of being called Ritchie, he started being referred to as Rings, which quickly transformed into the more Western-sounding name, Ringo.

And his surname, Starkey, became shortened to Starr as it fit better with Ringo. Another reason for this was that his solo shows could then be billed as Starr Time. A fan wrote on Reddit, "I was just watching the Lindsay Ellis thing on the Beatles' breakup and there's a scene where (I think) George greets Ringo as "Rich" and I was like, who the f--k is Rich? And only the details

 Director Sam Mendes thought he was all set with the script for his massive biopic The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event, until he got a bunch of “corrections” from Ringo Starr, 85, who — along with Paul McCartney, 83 — are the only two surviving members of the Fab Four.

The demanding drummer reportedly spent two days pelting the director of the James Bond flicks Skyfall and Spectre with “extensive notes” insisting on script changes.

Most of the “Yellow Submarine” stickman’s gripes had to do with him and first wife Maureen Starkey Tigrett, mom of their three kids, including drummer Zak Starkey. “He had a writer — very good writer, great reputation — and he wrote it great, but it had nothing to do with Maureen and I,” Ringo insists to The New York Times. “That’s not how we were. I’d say, ‘We would never do that.’ ”

The epic stars Barry Keoghan as Ringo, Paul Mescal as Paul, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and is due out in 2028.

Ringo says he accepts that bossman Mendes “will do what he’s doing” and in the end, &ldqu details

John Lennon was profoundly shaped by one person whose influence and sudden loss would alter the course of his life.

John Lennon was at the start of his music journey when a devastating tragedy struck, leaving a lasting impact on the young man he was and the music legend he would become. The future Beatles founder was profoundly shaped by one person whose influence and sudden loss would alter the course of his life and help define his path to global superstardom.

On this day, July 15, 1958, John's mother, JuliaLennon, was struck and killed by an off-duty police officer named Eric Clague. Lennon was just 17 at the time of the tragedy, and his mother was 44.

John was born on Oct. 9, 1940, to Julia and Alfred Lennon. He was their only child together.

When he was four, the future musician was taken in by his aunt, Mimi Smith, and uncle, George Smith, to provide the young boy with a stable home life. John would live with the couple throughout his childhood and adolescence.

Although John resided with Mimi, he maintained a strong and affectionate bond with his mother, Julia. She nurtured his early love of music, buying him his first guitar and teaching him basic chords on the banjo and ukulele. details