beatles

seminal rock and pop group formed in Liverpool, England; named as such 1960 (after a succession of other names), supposedly by then-bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, from beetles (on model of Buddy Holly’s band The Crickets) with a pun on the musical sense of beat. Their global popularity dates to 1963.

A rock ‘n’ roll singing group from Liverpool, England, that was phenomenally popular in the middle and late 1960s. The intense devotion of the group’s fans, especially the hysterical screaming that the Beatles provoked in large crowds of teenagers, was called Beatlemania. The four Beatles were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Among their many popular songs, most of which were written by Lennon and McCartney, were “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Hey, Jude.”