Being the epicenter of the worlds pop culture and reason, music has transformed into what it is today by several talented artists including The Beatles.The group had talented legends such as Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran to look up to and help shape the unforgettable sounds and meaning behind every single Beatles song that as come to inspire and influence numerous artists of today.
Before I get into these important musical inspirations, it would be wise to know a little about the group in question; The Beatles. Who were these individuals? How did their lives come together to form one of the most famous and influential musical groups to walk this earth? So let's start at the beginning... In 1597, a group called "The Quarrymen" was formed by John Lennon. Not long after, the infamous Paul McCartney who John had met at the Woolton Garden Fête joined the band. About a year later a friend of McCartney's named George Harrison was invited to watch the group play a show in Liverpool - of course not long after that George was asked to join as lead guitarist. It was not until 1960 the last member of The Beatles, Ringo Starr aka Richard Starkey, Jr., became an important aspect of the heart and soul of the musical group.
There were many musical talents that inspired The Beatles to become such an influential part in music today. The first and more important of these talents would be the Legendary Elvis Presley. The influence Elvis had on not only The Beatles but the remainder of the world would never be forgotten, even long after his untimely death in 1977. Born on January 8, 1953 in Tupelo, Elvis was known even in his younger days to be an incredibly unique person with sensational talents. Elvis and his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee when he was only thirteen. He began his musical career only one year out of high school. Elvis' musical influences were a mixture of the popular pop and country musicians of the time, the gospel music he heard in church and the African American R&B he absorbed on historic Beale Street as a Memphis teenager.
By 1956, Elvis was an international sensation storming the musical world with an impressive blend of diverse musical sounds that challenged the many social and racial barriers of the time. Elvis Presley, also known as "The King", transformed gospel, rhythm and blues and country western all into what is now labeled rockabilly. Without this transformation the "rock and roll" in which The Beatles began to play would never had emerged or had such a unique sound. Songs such as "Hound dog", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Love Me Tender" and more set the stage and sound for what was to become, the unmistakable sound of The Beatles.
Little Richard, whose days began on December 5, 1932, was another of the many influential voices involved in the musical talent of The Beatles. Also known as Richard Wayne Penniman, Little Richard was introduced to music at a very young age and has remained a pop icon for many years. "Music was everywhere. Street vendors and evangelist who paraded down his block would sing as loud as they could, whether selling vegetables or religion, to get attention of folks inside. The entire neighborhood sang freely as well, improvising on spiritual songs to keep them company as they worked. Some gospel singers, particularly Marion Williams of the Clara Ward singers, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Mahalia Jackson had a profound influence on Richard" (History-of-Rock). As always, Little Richard's influences would also come to have a great impact on Elvis Presley's music in the future.
To the luck of The Beatles, they were booked with Little Richard on one of their many tours around the world. "British promoter Don Arden booked him (Little Richard) for an October tour of the country, with The Beatles as an opening act. Penniman thought he was going to perform gospel music but Arden had promoted the concert as a rock and roll show." Songs such as "Tootie Frootie" thus inspired the Beatles to tweak their music and incorporate some of the sounds of Little Richards music into their own.
Buddy Holly was one of the most influential musicians of the time so it is no surprise The Beatles took a special liking to the "Mozart of Rock Music". It is no surprise that the first song ever recorded by The Beatles at their own expense was "That'll Be The Day" originally performed by Buddy Holly. Born on September 7, 1936 Charles Hardin Holley had a pretty casual childhood. It was only until 1957 when Mr. Holly became popular in the musical world. Each and every song that Holly produced was a rock n' roll classic be definition which is why it caused such uproar between 1957 and 1959.
It took just TWO years for his career to hit the record books and gave him a hit reputation to take to his early death in 1959 by an unfortunate plane crash. He was the first artist to produce his own work which allowed him to use various different styles and techniques along with being one of the first to accompany rock beats with string instruments. His use of double tracking was unheard of during his day, which future artists took total advantage capitalizing on. Buddy Holly's voice alone was one of the most imitated sounds in the 60's. This man was so looked upon by The Beatles they actually changed their name to "The Beatals" as a tribute to Buddy Holly and The Crickets. It was not until August 1960 they finalized their group name as "The Beatles".
Another musical talent who helped to mold the anomalous sound of The Beatles was Chuck Berry. Born on October 18, 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri, Chuck Berry himself had a number of extraordinary talents to shape the amusing anthems that would later place this man in the history books. During his younger years, Chuck listened to artists such as Muddy Waters and Nat King Cole. Pushing music into his mind along with an overwhelming urge to be on the stage at an early stage it was an obvious next step for him to begin taking guitar lessons. He first began his singing career in 1952 playing a guitar and singing in a club band that specialized in blues to ballads, calypso to country.
In 1953, Chuck Berry joined a group called Sir John's Trio which was eventually called the Chuck Berry Combo. Berry wanted to create his own hillbilly sound since Country Western was big at the time. He used some riffs to create an addictive sound people just couldn't help but dance along to. In 1955, Berry got the chance to talk with his idol, Muddy Waters, who gave him the name of a record label in Chicago. He went back home and recorded some original tracks, brought it back to Chess Records and began his climb to fame. Berry's ability to infuse the attitudes of his audience into his music helped him to break color barriers of the time and play to a mixed audience. When he first began playing publically the majority of his audience was African American but incredibly the 30-year old African American played for a mostly young white audience and was dubbed the "Eternal Teenager". Chuck Berry was such an inspiration he was the first inductee in history to be placed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Another rock and roll pioneer that gave a lasting impression in the lives and voices of many to come would be Eddie Cochran. Born in Minnesota and raised in Oklahoma, the young performer was proficient in not only the guitar but piano, bass and drums. In addition to his polite and stylish exterior lurked an all-American rebel that exemplified the sound of the 50's rockers. Cochran's high energy during his performances would pave the way for future rockers such as the Sex Pistols, Pete Townshend and even Jimi Hendrix even after his sudden death at the age of twenty-one. It is said he had an indirect role bring The Beatles together as in June 1957, Paul McCartney taught John Lennon, who was playing with The Quarrymen at the time, the chords to Eddie's "Twenty Flight Rock". From then on, the pieces fell together in the formation of The Beatles.
Not all inspirations of The Beatles had a musical background. John Lennon's own son had a large part in giving the band the idea for "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", one of the more popular songs in The Beatles discography. Originally thought to come from an LSD trip, the song was actually written from an idea Mr. John Lennon got himself when his son Julian came home from school with a painting of one of his classmates, Lucy O'Donnell. In giving an explanation to his father, Julian described the painting as "Lucy, in the sky with diamonds" therefore giving birth to the song we know today. The painting itself, which can be seen by simply searching for it online, is hardly recognizable as anything in itself when first looked upon. It was not until Julian gave this explanation to his father was it completely understood, at least in the mind of John Lennon.
Another non-musical vision was the world famous Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Yogi introduced Transcendental Meditation and brought enlightenment to millions of people around the globe. This Transcendental Meditation argued mastery over Natural Law, meaning every individual should perfect their life. In other words, people should create a Natural-Law based problem-free vision in all aspects of life including government and the ability to control or prevent problems. "Life finds its purpose and fulfillment in the expansion of happiness - Maharishi" (Maharishi.org).
The Beatles believed deeply in what Maharishi had to say but later came to believe his claim to celibacy was nothing but a lie. Paul McCartney said himself, "We made a mistake. We thought there was more to him than there was. He's human. We thought at first that he wasn't" (The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia). Even with the hostility between these two parties, the musical group gained certain positive powers and views learning from Yogi. These specific influences can be easily heard in their later music. In fact, the group recorded most of their White Album during this time.
The Beatles had a variety of influences and inspirations from all over the world. Such a diverse group of talents and people alike helped to shape the unforgettable and undying sound of this legendary group of accomplished individuals. Of course, many of their roots stem much farther than any of the great artists mentioned. As said earlier, each and every one of these particular musical geniuses had influences of their own, therefore impacting The Beatles in the long run. It is not without each and every one of these people The Beatles would have not become who they were or are today.
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