The Beatles

Considered one of the most important bands of all time, The Beatles defined the swinging sixties and the rise of British bands on the international stage at the time. The band have sold over a billion records and continue to influence music today. Formed in Liverpool in 1960 and originally called The Silver Beetles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Stuart Sutcliff and George Harrison were the original members, with Ringo Starr replacing Stuart as the drummer in 1962. Managed by Brian Epstein, their musical roots lay in rock and roll music but by the late 1960s, increasingly interested in more alternative culture, they began experimenting with a range of musical influences. Their subsequent albums referenced psychedelic rock and classical music and used Indian instruments and new methods of recording sound. Let it Be, would be the band's last album they produced before splitting up and becoming solo artists. The Beatles '1' album, released in 2000, became the fastest selling album of all time.