Six decades ago, The Beatles started something that became music history.
Until that point, the band’s manager, Brian Epstein, had struggled to get the band signed, but that changed when the band was invited to record its first single, "Love Me Do," which was released on Oct. 5, 1962, and was backed on the B-side by the track "P.S. I Love You." It landed on the charts and catapulted the band to fame.
But, like many stories of success, there were years of hard work, grit, and determination.
The band's roots can be traced to the mid-1950s. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were teens when they started jamming together in McCartney's living room, according to DW News.
It was around that time that they formed their first band, with George Harrison, called The Quarrymen. They would change the band's name to Johnny and the Moondogs for a music competition, and while they did not win, they met bassist Stuart Sutcliffe. Rounding off the band at the time was Pete Best on the drums.
The group, which officially became The Beatles in August 1960, performed a series of shows in their hometown of Liverpool, England, before landing a residency in St. Pauli in the north German city of Hamburg, where rock 'n' roll was all the rage.
It did not take long for the band to establish a following, but as DW noted, the band members did not have permits and they were underage and should not have been performing in clubs in the first place. It was inevitable that they would find themselves sent back to Liverpool, sans Sutcliffe, who remained in Germany after getting engaged to his girlfriend, who he met in Hamburg.
The Beatles returned to Germany to perform on several occasions, and even recorded their first singles as a backing band, accompanying singer Tony Sheridan, to produce among others "My Bonnie." Unbeknownst to them, this would be a turning point in their career.
Back in Liverpool in the early 1960s, Epstein, who owned a record store at the time, got wind of the band after dozens of customers requested "My Bonnie." He ordered 25 copies, which quickly sold out. Curious, Epstein decided to attend one of the band's shows. A lasting impression was made. That night he offered to become the band's manager, and they started working together right away.
Epstein went on to bombard major record labels with letters and recordings of the band, but for years nothing came from it. Then, one day EMI Records asked to see The Beatles in London for an audition.
At the end of July 1962, shortly after Best was replaced by Ringo Starr on drums, the long-awaited record deal came with the EMI subsidiary, Parlophone. On Sept. 11, the band hit the studio to record "Love Me Do." And while the song was initially only moderately successful, the follow-up single, "Please Please Me," reached No. 1 in the U.K. charts, paving the way for the success of "Love Me Do" in the U.S., where it became a No. 1 hit.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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