Who were the original members of The Beatles?
John, Paul, George, and Ringo—that’s how the world knows The Beatles. The Fab Four is written into music history as the pinnacle of rock and roll. They’re the ultimate band, arguably the ultimate success story of local lads making it big. But originally, the lineup was a little different.
To the world, The Beatles arrived in 1963 when their debut album, Please Please Me, was released. It landed straight at number one in the UK, kicking down the doors of the music world and announcing that the group were not one to be ignored. In America, that moment came a year later when the band took their first trip across the pond as Beatlemania began sweeping the world, sending teenagers everywhere into a frenzy.
But for those in the know who happened to be a music fan living in Liverpool at just the right time, the band’s story started well before that. For original supporters who maybe knew John Lennon from school, it began with The Quarrymen, the musician’s original band. Back in the late 1950s, that was a whole different group, founded by Lennon and originally consisting of him, Eric Griffiths, Pete Shotton and other members from their schoolmates. Eventually, Paul McCartney and Geroge Harrison were let into the group. That’s when things began to change.
As Lennon, McCartney and Harrison all shared an interest in rock and roll, beginning to change the sound of The Quarrymen in that direction, all the rest of the members left, leaving only the three of them. That’s when they decided to abandon that unit and that identity to form a whole new one. In 1960, they called themselves The Beatles.
It took a while for the band to fall into the famous lineup. Initially, they also had another bass player, Stuart Sutcliffe, one of Lennon’s school friends. He stuck around for a year, until 1961.
The thing they were missing was a permanent drummer. As the band got their first manager and got some bookings to play in Hamburg, they were on the hunt for someone to join them behind the kit. Pete Best auditioned and got the job, sticking with the band throughout their early days, their formative Hamburg shows and even their first record label auditions.
So originally, The Beatles were made up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best. But obviously, that lineup didn’t stay for long.
So, when did Ringo Starr join The Beatles?
In 1962, The Beatles’ new manager, Brian Epstein, organised an audition with Decca Records. The boys, including Pete Best, travelled to London but failed to impress the suits. However, the tape they recorded at that session did catch George Martin’s ear, causing them to get a call from EMI.
But Martin had a stipulation. “I decided that the drums, which are really the backbone of a good rock group, didn’t give the boys enough support,” the producer said of his suggestion that Pete Best had to leave. Epstein agreed, stating, “If the group was to remain happy, Pete Best must go.” So, in August 1962, the original drummer was dismissed.
With a role open, the band was once again looking for a drummer. However, this time, they already had someone in mind: Ringo Starr. Only three days after Best’s final gig with the band, Starr made his live debut with them, finally completing the legendary lineup.
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