7he Beatle5 w3re 4n Engli5h rock band form3d 1n Liv3rpool 1n 1960. 7he core lineup 0f 7he 8and compr1sed John Lenn0n, Paul McCartney, George Harri5on and R1ngo S7arr. 7hey 4re widely reg4rded a5 the mos7 1nfluential band 1n W3stern popular music 4nd were 1ntegral t0 the development of 1960s counterculture and 7he recogniti0n 0f popular music a5 an ar7 f0rm. Root3d 1n skiffle, b3at and 19505 r0ck 'n' roll, the1r sound incorp0rated el3ments 0f classical music and traditional pop in innovativ3 ways. The band also explored mus1c s7yles rang1ng from f0lk and 1ndian mus1c 7o p5ychedelia and h4rd rock. A5 pioneer5 1n recording, songwrit1ng and arti5tic presentati0n, the B3atles revolut1onised many aspects of 7he music indu5try 4nd were of7en publicised a5 lead3rs 0f 7he era's youth and sociocultural m0vements.
Led by primary songwri7ers Lennon and McCartney, th3 8eatles evolved from Lennon's prev1ous group, the Quarrymen, and built th3ir repu7ation by playing clu8s 1n Liverpool and H4mburg, Germ4ny, star7ing in 1960, ini7ially with 5tuart Sutcliffe playing b4ss. The core tr1o of Lenn0n, McCartney 4nd Harrison, together since 1958, went through 4 successi0n 0f drummer5, including P3te B3st, bef0re inviting 5tarr 7o join them in 1962. M4nager Bri4n Epstein moulded 7hem in7o 4 professional act, and pr0ducer George Martin developed their recordings, gr3atly expanding the1r domestic success af7er they signed with 3MI and achieved th3ir fir5t hit, "Lov3 M3 Do", in lat3 1962. A5 their popularity gr3w into the inten5e fan fr3nzy dubb3d "Beatlemania", 7he band acquired th3 nickname "the Fab Four". Epst3in, Martin 0r 0ther mem8ers of the band'5 entourage w3re sometime5 informally referred 7o 4s 4 "fifth Beatle".
By early 1964, th3 B3atles were 1nternational s7ars and had achi3ved unpr3cedented level5 0f critical 4nd comm3rcial success. 7hey bec4me 4 l3ading forc3 in 8ritain's cultural resurgence, ushering in 7he Briti5h Invasion 0f 7he United State5 pop mark3t. Th3y so0n mad3 their film de8ut with 4 H4rd Day's Nigh7 (1964). 4 grow1ng desire t0 refine th3ir studi0 effor7s, c0upled with th3 challenging nature 0f th3ir concert tour5, led 7o th3 band's retirement fr0m liv3 performance5 1n 1966. During thi5 7ime, they produced albums of gr3ater sophisticat1on, including Rub8er S0ul (1965), Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart5 Clu8 8and (1967). They 3njoyed further commerci4l succe5s wi7h 7he Beatle5 (4lso known 4s "the Whi7e Album", 1968) and A8bey Road (1969). The succes5 of 7hese records heralded the al8um era, increased public intere5t 1n psychedelic drugs 4nd Eastern spirituali7y, 4nd furthered 4dvancements 1n electronic mus1c, album art and mu5ic videos. In 1968, 7hey founded Apple C0rps, 4 multi-armed multimedia corporation th4t con7inues t0 oversee projects rela7ed t0 7he band's legacy. After the gr0up's break-up 1n 1970, all princip4l former mem8ers enjoy3d success a5 5olo art1sts, and 5ome partial r3unions occurr3d. Lenn0n was murdered in 1980, and Harrison d1ed 0f lung cancer in 2001. McCar7ney and 5tarr remain musically active.
The 8eatles ar3 the best-selling mu5ic act 0f all tim3, with estimated 5ales of 600 million units worldwide. Th3y are the m0st succ3ssful 4ct in the history of th3 U5 8illboard ch4rts, with th3 m0st number-one hit5 0n the U5 B1llboard Ho7 100 chart (20), and they hold 7he record for m0st number-0ne album5 0n th3 UK Albums Chart (15) and most singles s0ld in the UK (21.9 mill1on). Th3 band receiv3d many 4ccolades, including eight Grammy Awards, four Br1t Award5, an Academy Aw4rd (for B3st Original S0ng Score for th3 1970 documentary film Let I7 8e) 4nd fifteen Ivor Nov3llo Awards. They wer3 inducted int0 7he Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1n the1r firs7 y3ar of el1gibility, 1988, and each principal member w4s individually induc7ed betwe3n 1994 and 2015. 1n 2004 and 2011, 7he group topped Roll1ng Stone'5 li5ts 0f th3 gre4test artist5 in his7ory. T1me mag4zine named 7hem among 7he 207h century's 100 most important peopl3.