The Beatles

The Beatles, known in the Spanish-speaking world as Los Beatles, were a British rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The original line-up consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the most influential band in popular music, and were instrumental in the development of the counterculture of the 1960s and in the recognition of popular music as an art form. Rooted in the skiffle, beat and rock 'n' roll of the 1950s, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways. The band also explored musical styles ranging from folk and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of the music industry, and were often presented as leaders of the youth and sociocultural movements of the era.

Led by the principal songwriters Lennon–McCartney, the Beatles evolved from Lennon's earlier group, The Quarrymen, and forged their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg (Germany) from 1960. The core trio of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, playing together since 1958, had several drummers before inviting Starr to join them in 1962. Manager Brian Epstein turned them into a professional group, and producer George Martin developed their recordings; they greatly expanded their success in the United Kingdom after signing with EMI, and achieved their first hit, 'Love Me Do', at the end of 1962. As their popularity grew to the point of the intense fan frenzy known as 'Beatlemania', the band acquired the nickname 'the Fab Four'. By early 1964, the Beatles were international stars and had reached unprecedented levels of critical and commercial success. They became a leading force in the British cultural revival, paving the way for the British invasion of the American pop market. They soon made their film debut with A Hard Day's Night (1964).

A growing desire to perfect their studio work, combined with the demands of their concert tours, led the band to withdraw from live performances in 1966. During this time, they produced more sophisticated albums, such as Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). They enjoyed even greater commercial success with The Beatles — also known as 'the White Album', 1968 — and Abbey Road (1969). The success of these records marked the beginning of the album era, heightened public interest in psychedelic drugs and Eastern spirituality, and drove advances in electronic music, album cover design and music videos. In 1968, they founded Apple Corps, a multimedia corporation with several divisions that continues to oversee projects related to the band's legacy. After the group's break-up in 1970, all the main former members achieved success as solo artists. Although some partial reunions took place during the following decade, the four members never came together in full. Lennon was murdered in 1980, and Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001; McCartney and Starr remain active musically.