The Beatles are more than simply a successful commercial band. They were the most creative band of their era and their creativity influenced multiple generations of musicians and songwriters to this day. Lennon and McCartney also write scores of avant-garde tracks, from Strawberry Fields Forever, to I Am The Walrus, to Tomorrow Never Knows, the Beatles opened up the possibilities of what music could be and paved the way for acts like Pink Floyd and David Bowie to change the definition of what popular music could be.

The Quarrymen, of course, were led by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Over time the band would add George Harrison and Ringo Starr and shoot to stardom. However, they could never truly escape playing at the Cavern Club. When packed the club would become a stinky, loud environment in which the walls actually began to collect moisture. The crowds were boisterous and always willing to encourage the band to play more and more of the American blues and rockabilly songs that they had begun to perfect. In later years, Paul tried to recapture some of these concert feels with his shows.

Once Epstein gained managing rights of The Beatles, he spent much time flying back and forth to London to try to secure a recording deal for the group. Many record companies didn’t understand Epstein’s enthusiasm for the group and refused to sign any sort of deal. After being almost rejected by every British record company, the group was finally signed to EMI. The main reason for the signing and deal was due to Epstein’s conviction and belief in the group. The Beatles didn’t even have to play for the company to be signed. Once the group was signed, Epstein made sure to clean up their live performance, eliminating smoking, drinking and swearing from the stage. He synchronized and coordinated the outfits of the members to have a cohesion.

The Beatles we have come to know and love would not have existed without the management of Epstein. Dubbed the “fifth member of the group,” Epstein’s journey with the band ended abruptly at the young age of 32. His death was due to an accidental drug overdose in his home in 1967.

In Hamburg, The Beatles played at strip clubs and seedy music clubs. The crowds were often boisterous and unwilling to support groups that could not fit the bill. Therefore, the Beatles became a unit and began to play tighter more developed music to keep the crowds at bay. Onstage the group even began to show the personalities that would make them even more famous as they joked and played around between songs. In terms of band make-up, it was in Hamburg that the weakness of Sutcliffe as a bass player was firmly established. When the Beatles left in 1962, Sutcliffe would stay behind leaving the band forever.