Yesterday – A Brief History of The Beatles

Yesterday – a Brief Chronology of The Beatles.

1934	19 September	Brian Samuel Epstein is born in a private nursing home in Rodney Street, Liverpool.
1938	3 December	On 3 December 1938, Julia Stanley and Alfred Lennon – John’s parents – were married at Mount Pleasant Registry Office (as their son would be in 1962).
	12 December	Quarrymen drummer Colin Hanton is born in Bootle.
1940	23 June	Stuart Ferguson Victor Sutcliffe is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
	7 July	Richard Starkey is born in the front bedroom of 9 Madryn Street, in the Dingle.
	9 October	John Winston Lennon is born at Oxford Street Maternity Hospital, Liverpool.
	31 October	Quarrymen guitarist Eric Griffiths is born in North Wales.
1941	18 June	Temporary Beatle Chas Newby is born in Blackpool
	4 August	John’s best friend Pete Shotton is born.
	7 November	Quarrymen banjo player Rodney Verso Davis is born in Sefton General Hospital, Liverpool.
	24 November	Randolph Peter Best is born in Madras, India.
1942	6 January	Quarrymen tea-chest bass player Len Garry is born in Liverpool.
	18 June	James Paul McCartney is born at Walton Hospital, Liverpool. Quarrymen member Ivan Vaughan is born in Liverpool. Chas Newby’s birthday too – he was one year old on this day!
1943	24 February	George Harrison is born at 12 Arnold Grove, Wavertree, Liverpool, just before midnight, but his birth certificate shows 25 February and his birthday is celebrated on the 25.
1945	19 June	Julia Lennon gives birth to a girl. Victoria Elizabeth Lennon at a Salvation Army Nursing Home. She is then adopted.
	December	At Christmas time in 1945, the Best family moved from India to Liverpool, and first set up home in a flat in Cases Street in Liverpool.
1946	9 May	John is enrolled in Dovedale School, as he is now living with his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George.
1947	7 July	Richard Starkey is rushed by ambulance to the Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital. He had developed peritonitis after his appendix burst, and after two operations, he slipped into a coma. He nearly died on the night of 7 July, just before his birthday.
1950	10 September	Brian joins the family business on 10 September 1950, with no school qualifications.
1955	June	George Smith, Mimi’s husband, John’s uncle dies suddenly.
1956		John forms the Quarrymen early in the summer 1956, with schoolmates from Quarry Bank School. Initially there was John on guitar and vocals; Bill Smith on tea-chest bass – soon replaced by Ivan Vaughan, then Nigel Walley, and Eric Griffiths on guitar; Rod Davis on banjo; Colin Hanton on drums; Pete Shotton on washboard, and then Len Garry joins in September.
1957	16 January	The Cavern, a former fruit and vegetable Warehouse, is opened as a Jazz Club by Alan Sytner.
	9 June	The first recorded engagement for the Quarrymen was at a Carroll Levis talent show at the Empire Theatre.
	22 June	The Quarrymen play on the back of a lorry at a street party in Rosebery Street on Saturday 22 June 1957, arranged through Colin Hanton’s friend Charles Roberts.
	July	George Harrison’s “Rebels” make their debut in Speke.
	2 July	John and Nigel Walley attempt to join the Merchant Navy
	6 July	It is at St. Peters Church fete that Ivan Vaughan brings his school friend Paul McCartney to meet his primary school friend and neighbour John Lennon.
	7 August	The Quarrymen first appear at the Cavern – after Paul and John had met, though Paul didn’t play here.
	18 October	Paul McCartney makes his debut with The Quarrymen at the New Clubmoor Hall.
	September	John starts at the Art College in Liverpool. (It was here of course that he would meet Cynthia and Stuart Sutcliffe.)
1958	6 February	George Harrison meets the Quarrymen at Wilson Hall.
	12 July	The Quarrymen make a demo record in the studio of Percy Phillips at 38 Kensington, Liverpool.
	15 July	John’s mother, Julia Lennon, is knocked down and killed by an off-duty policeman.
	20 December	The Quarrymen – John, Paul and George – play their final booking of 1958 at Childwall Abbey for George’s brother Harry ‘s wedding reception.
1959	24 January	The Quarrymen play in Woolton. This was the last known booking for them, and they effectively disbanded after this.
	January	George Harrison joins the Les Stewart Quartet so that he can play “live”.
	July	The Les Stewart Quartet turn down the Casbah residency, and Ken Brown and George Harrison leave the group.
	29 August	The Casbah Club opens to the new resident band The Quarrymen, reformed by George Harrison and Ken Brown, with John and Paul rejoining.
	October	After about ten weeks, Ken Brown leaves the Quarrymen over an argument about money, and the Quarrymen – John, Paul and George – walk out of the Casbah.
	October	The Empire Theatre is the setting for the Carroll Levis talent show. John, Paul and George enter as Johnny and the Moondogs, and come third.
1960	January	Stuart Sutcliffe is persuaded to buy a bass guitar by John and Paul at the Casbah and he joins them.
	March	They briefly change their name to The Beatals
	May	They then become the Silver Beetles, and add Tommy Moore as drummer.
	5 May	Allan Williams becomes the Silver Beetles’ manager.
	10 May	At the Wyvern Club, John, Paul, Stuart, George and a late Tommy Moore audition for the Larry Parnes’ star, Liverpool’s Billy Fury.
	20 May	The Silver Beatles leave for their tour of Scotland with Johnny Gentle.
	June	Norman Chapman becomes the Silver Beatles’ drummer for a month, after Tommy Moore leaves, but he too leaves after about 6 weeks as he gets called up for National Service.
	24 June	Royston Ellis plays Liverpool University before introducing the Silver Beatles to their first experience of drugs.
	12 August	Pete plays an “audition” of sorts at the Wyvern Club, and is quickly voted in to join them on their trip to Hamburg. On the way to Hamburg, they drop the “Silver” and become “The Beatles”.
	15 October	John, Paul, George and Ringo record together in Hamburg.
	21 November	George Harrison is forced to return home after breaking curfew in Hamburg for being under-age.
	29 November	Paul McCartney and Pete Best are deported from Hamburg.
	December	John Lennon returns from Hamburg
	December	After returning from Hamburg, Paul is employed for a short time winding electrical coils at Massey & Coggins in Liverpool.
	17 December	The Beatles got back together for a concert at The Casbah, with Chas Newby replacing Stuart on Bass. Their first since Hamburg
	27 December	Litherland Town Hall saw the beginning of a phenomenon – Beatlemania.
	31 December	National Service is abolished in Britain
1961	9 February	Their lunchtime debut at the Cavern. Their first evening appearance was on Tuesday 21^st March.
	15 March	Stuart returns to Hamburg to be with Astrid again.
	21 March	The Beatles play their first evening gig at the Cavern Club on the same bill as the Bluegenes.
	22 June	Tony Sheridan and the “Beat Brothers” – John, Paul, George and Pete – record “My Bonnie” for Bert Kaempfert over two days
	6 July	Mersey Beat newspaper is launched with John’s “being a short diversion on Beatles”, conceived and edited by Bill Harry.
	3 August	Brian begins his new weekly feature in Mersey Beat – but still says he didn’t know about The Beatles two months later!
	28 October	Raymond Jones walks into the NEMS store in Whitechapel and asks for a record called “My Bonnie” by a group called The Beatles.
	9 November	Brian Epstein goes down to the Cavern to see The Beatles one lunchtime.
	3 December	The office of N.E.M.S. – The Beatles discuss Brian becoming their manager.
	6 December	Brian offers to become their manager and they accept.
	9 December	The infamous gig at Aldershot where only 18 people turn up
	10 December	The Beatles sign the contract with Brian at the Casbah – Brian doesn’t sign.
	13 December	Mike Smith comes to the Cavern to see The Beatles perform, and sets up the New Years day audition.
1962	1 January	The Beatles audition at Decca.
	24 January	The Beatles sign a slightly amended contract with Brian Epstein at NEMS.
	1 February	“The Grand Opening of The Beatle Club” advertised Brian Epstein, as this was their first gig under his management, at Macdona Hall in West Kirby.
	10 February	Decca turn The Beatles down.The Beatles play at St. Paul’s Birkenhead, and are filmed – the earliest film of them.
	12 February	The Beatles audition for their first radio broadcast for “Teenager’s Turn” in Manchester
	7 March	The Beatles return to BBC Manchester to record for “Teenagers Turn”. It was broadcast the next day at 5.00pm
	10 April	Stuart died in Hamburg, aged only 21.
	9 May	Epstein “secures” the deal with Parlophone, part of EMI.
	4 June	The Beatles “sign” to EMI.
	6 June	The EMI “audition” takes place.
	24 June	The Beatles close the Casbah Club.
	July	George Martin confirms the details of the recording contract.
	16 August	Pete Best is dismissed from The Beatles.
	18 August	Ringo joins The Beatles, and his debut is at Hulme Hall in the Wirral’s Port Sunlight.
	22 August	Granada TV films The Beatles at the Cavern and there are protests against Pete’s dismissal.
	23 August	John and Cynthia are married at Mount Pleasant Registry Office.
	4 September	Love Me Do is recorded at Abbey Road with Ringo during a 3-hour session. Ron Richards decides he needs to bring in Andy White.
	11 September	The Beatles record Love Me Do, PS I Love You and Please Please Me with Andy White on drums.
	5 October	Love Me Do is released with Ringo’s version.
	27 October	At Hulme Hall, Monty Lister records an interview with The Beatles for his local Hospital Radio show
1963	11 January	Their second single, “Please Please Me” is released.
	11 February	Their debut LP “Please Please Me” is recorded in one day – compare that to the months spent on Sgt. Pepper! The album is released on 22 March.
	22 February	Northern Songs is formed to manage the song writing for John and Paul
	22 March	The LP Please Please Me is released in the UK and stays at the top of the charts for 30 weeks. The sleeve notes are written by Tony Barrow.
	8 April	Julian Lennon is born at Sefton General Hospital in Liverpool.
	12 April	“From Me to You” is released and becomes their first UK number 1 hit.
	28 April	John and Brian head off to Spain for a short break.
	18 June	147 Dinas Lane in Huyton was Paul’s Auntie Jin’s house. A drunk John Lennon beats up Cavern DJ Bob Wooler at Paul’s 21 birthday party.
	20 June	Ringo becomes a fully-fledged Beatle with an equal share of Beatles Ltd., which is set up to handle the profits, which will split the proceeds 4 ways.
	3 August	The Beatles make their last appearance at The Cavern after nearly 300 appearances in two and a half years. Brian Epstein promised they would return, but they never did.
1964	9 February	The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show at the start of their first US tour, in front of 73 million viewers.
	2 March	The Beatles begin filming A Hard Day’s Night.
	9 July	Jimmy Nicol, the drummer who sat in for Ringo during the start of their Australian tour was in Liverpool to promote his new single. Nicol received £500 and a gold watch from them, with the inscription, “To Jimmy, with much appreciation and gratitude from The Beatles and Brian Epstein, June 1964.”
	10 July	In Liverpool for the northern premier of A Hard Day’s Night, they appeared on the balcony of the Town Hall in front of about 100,000 fans after a civic reception.
1965	11 February	Ringo marries Maureen Cox
	23 February	Filming starts in the Bahamas on their new movie, “Help”
	12 June	News of their MBEs is revealed in the press.
	15 August	The Beatles famous show at Shea Stadium in front of 55,600 fans.
	5 December	The Beatles appear at the Liverpool Empire Theatre, for their last ever appearance in Liverpool.
1966	28 February	The Cavern closes. Fans barricade themselves inside as a protest. 5000 fans sign a petition, which is sent to the Prime Minster Harold Wilson.
	18 April	Joe Davey buys the Cavern
	23 July	Harold Wilson and Ken Dodd reopen the Cavern.
	29 July	The London Standard article, where John refers to The Beatles to being more popular than Jesus, is reprinted in the US magazine, Datebook. Public protests begin in Alabama and across the US on 31st July.
	29 August	The Beatles final concert at Candlestick Park, San Francisco in front of 25,000 fans. It is after this concert that George declares, “That’s it, I’m no longer a Beatle!”
	18 September	John flies to Spain to continue filming “How I Won The War”. Whilst here, he writes Strawberry Fields Forever.
	27 September	Brian Epstein goes into the Priory clinic for “rest and medical checks.”
	9 November	John meets Yoko at the Indica Art Gallery in London
1967	17 February	Strawberry Fields Forever/ Penny Lane was released in Britain as a single.
	1 June	At long last, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is released in Great Britain
	25 June	“Our World” is broadcast live around the World, with The Beatles performing “All You Need is Love”.
	27 August	Brian Epstein is found dead in London.
1968	10 March	NEMS business is transferred to the new company “Apple”
	22 August	Ringo quits the band. The others record Back in the USSR with Paul on drums. Cynthia sues John for Divorce.
	3 September	Ringo rejoins.
1969	10 January	George says he is quitting, but changes his mind later that day.
	30 January	The famous rooftop show on top of the Apple Corp offices.
	12 March	Paul marries Linda.
	20 March	John and Yoko marry in Gibraltar.
	21 March	Jackie Lomax releases “Sour Milk Sea” written by George, with backing by George, Paul and Ringo.
	20 August	The last time all four Beatles record together, at Abbey Road.
	20 September	John announces to an Apple board meeting that he wants “a divorce” from The Beatles stating “I’m leaving. John agrees to keep it quiet for now.
	26 September	“Abbey Road” is released.
1970	10 April	The day Paul’s declaration that The Beatles have split up appears in the newspapers and TV screens: “Paul is Quitting The Beatles”. It’s all over. The End.