Today, most people only know The Beatles from Beatles Rock Band. Would you believe that they were once one of the best things that happened to music? The Beatles, formed in 1962, were from Liverpool, England. The band consisted of four band mates, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison. The band was formed during the 1960s when the Vietnam War was taking place; therefore, it was a big time for activism. The Beatles music was really focused on rebelling youth, which made it very easy for the band to quickly hit the charts. By 1963, they already had their first number one hit, “Please, Please Me.” Urbana High School teacher, Michael Pollock says, “The song had very good harmony. I grew up listening to them.”
As the lyrics and motivation for the songs changed from young romance to culture changes, The Beatles’ popularity expanded. “Their music sort of caused some of the change in culture,” says Pollock.
The Beatles had a big run until their manager, Brian Epstein passed away. Once that happened, the band fell apart and made the official split in 1970. The once great band faded into a small memory.
So, you could be surprised when some of the students interviewed had actually heard of the band. Freshman, Tayler Shobe, said, “I really like them. It’s a good mix of blues, jazz, and rock and roll.”
Sophomore, Benjamin Rossifer said, “I’m not a fanatic. They started a lot of the ‘technicals’ of rock and roll.” As you can see The Beatles aren’t as forgotten as assumed.

