How John Lennon Made the Beatles More Popular than Jesus

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The story of the most legendary group in the history of popular music began in 1960, in Liverpool, England. The Beatles, were an English rock band, whose most well-known lineup, consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, is considered by many as the most innovative, emulated, and successful music group of the twentieth century. John Lennon was largely responsible for the development of the band, since he, together with Paul McCartney, wrote most of the music for the Beatles. Lennon is largely responsible for the Beatles being considered the first rock performers who were truly considered groundbreaking artists in their own time, and years after the band broke up, with his lyrics, “Beatlemania”, and the controversy that he caused the band. John Winston Lennon was born in Liverpool, England on Oct. 9, 1940. His father abandoned the family when John was a baby, and his mother, Julia (after whom Lennon titled a song on the ‘Double White Album’ in 1968) could never bring herself to settle down to parenthood, leaving her son to be raised by her sister, Mimi Smith, and her husband. Growing up in a working class family provided John with a typical upbringing and exposure to current music. As a teenager, while studying at art school in Liverpool, Lennon decided to follow his passion for music, and started the group, The Quarrymen. In 1957, Lennon met Paul McCartney, who became a member later that year, when the group first played at The Cavern, a local jazz club. In early 1958, McCartney introduced Lennon to another guitarist, George Harrison, who was accepted as a member of the group without hesitation. The Quarrymen continued as before, with Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison joined by other young ... ... middle of paper ... ...The Beatles. Avonmouth: Parragon Book Service, 1994. Print. Gopnik, Adam. "A Point of View: Why Are the Beatles so Popular 50 Years On?" BBC News. BBC, 15 June 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Hogan, Randolph. "He Love They Take and Make: Beatles Beatles Bibliography." The New York Times 5 Apr. 1981: 9. ProQuest. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Lennon, John, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. "Beatles Chicago Press Conference #1 - 8/11/1966 - Beatles Interviews Database." Interview. Beatles Interviews Database. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. "Lennon of Beatles Sorry for Making Remark on Jesus." The New York Times 12 Aug. 1966: 38. ProQuest. Web. Turner, Steve. The Beatles: A Hard Day's Write. New York: MJF, 1994. Print. Urish, Ben, and Kenneth G. Bielen. The Words and Music of John Lennon. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007. Print. The Praeger Singer-Songwriter Collection.

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