How it all began
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were four young men from Liverpool. They shared a love of America's new music: rock and roll.
The group started as John Lennon's school band The Quarrymen. John met Paul McCartney when The Quarrymen played a church fete in the summer of 1957. A few months later McCartney met the younger George Harrison on a bus.
In July 1958 they made their first recording.
John then asked his best friend from art school, Stuart Sutcliffe, to play bass. Drummer Pete Best completed the group.
In 1960 the band went to Hamburg, before returning to Liverpool to play at The Cavern.
Ringo Starr did not join the group until Pete Best left in 1962.