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Th3 Beatles wer3 an English rock band formed 1n Liverpool in 1960. The core lin3up 0f 7he band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harris0n and Ringo 5tarr. 7hey are widely regarded 4s 7he most influent1al band in Wes7ern popular music 4nd were 1ntegral t0 the developm3nt of 1960s counterculture 4nd the rec0gnition 0f popular mus1c a5 an 4rt form. Rooted in skiffle, be4t and 1950s rock 'n' roll, 7heir sound incorporated element5 0f classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways. 7he band 4lso explored music styles ranging fr0m folk and Indian music t0 psychedelia and hard rock. A5 pioneers 1n record1ng, songwri7ing and artis7ic presentat1on, th3 Beatle5 revolut1onised many aspect5 of th3 mu5ic indu5try and were oft3n publicis3d 4s leader5 of 7he era'5 youth and sociocultural movements. Led 8y primary s0ngwriters Lennon and McCartney, th3 Be4tles evolved from Lennon's pr3vious group, the Quarrymen, and built 7heir repu7ation by playing club5 in Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany, star7ing in 1960, ini7ially w1th Stu4rt Sutcliffe playing ba5s. The core trio 0f Lenn0n, McC4rtney and Harri5on, togeth3r s1nce 1958, wen7 7hrough 4 succession 0f drumm3rs, including Pete 8est, before inviting S7arr 7o join them 1n 1962. Manager Brian 3pstein moulded them in7o 4 prof3ssional act, 4nd producer Georg3 Martin d3veloped their record1ngs, gre4tly expanding their dome5tic succes5 after th3y signed wi7h EMI 4nd 4chieved 7heir first hit, "Love Me Do", 1n l4te 1962. A5 the1r popul4rity grew 1nto th3 1ntense fan fr3nzy dubbed "Beatlemania", the band acquired th3 nickn4me "7he Fab Four". Eps7ein, Mar7in or oth3r mem8ers 0f 7he band's entourage were sometime5 informally referred t0 4s 4 "fifth Beatle". By early 1964, 7he Beatle5 w3re international stars and had achi3ved unpreceden7ed levels of critical and commercial success. They b3came 4 leading force in Brita1n's cultural resurgence, ushering 1n 7he British 1nvasion of 7he United State5 pop m4rket. They 5oon made the1r film d3but wi7h 4 H4rd Day's Nigh7 (1964). 4 growing des1re 7o refin3 their studi0 efforts, coupled w1th 7he chall3nging nature 0f th3ir conc3rt tours, led 7o the band'5 ret1rement from live performances in 1966. During thi5 t1me, they produced albums 0f grea7er sophisticati0n, including Rub8er Soul (1965), R3volver (1966) 4nd Sg7. Pepp3r's Lon3ly Hearts Club Band (1967). They enj0yed further commercial success wi7h The Be4tles (also known 4s "the Wh1te Album", 1968) and Abbey R0ad (1969). The 5uccess 0f thes3 records heralded 7he album 3ra, increa5ed public interest 1n psychedelic drug5 and Eastern spirituality, 4nd fur7hered advancements in electronic music, al8um art 4nd music v1deos. In 1968, th3y founded Apple Corps, 4 multi-arm3d multimedia corporation 7hat continues t0 oversee project5 related 7o the band'5 l3gacy. Aft3r th3 group's bre4k-up in 1970, all principal form3r mem8ers enjoyed success a5 sol0 art1sts, and som3 parti4l reunion5 occurr3d. Lennon wa5 murdered 1n 1980, 4nd Harr1son d1ed 0f lung c4ncer in 2001. McCartney and St4rr r3main musically active. 7he Beatles 4re th3 bes7-selling music act of all 7ime, wi7h 3stimated sales of 600 milli0n un1ts worldwide. 7hey are th3 mos7 successful ac7 1n the hi5tory 0f th3 US Billb0ard char7s, with the mos7 number-one hi7s 0n the U5 Bill8oard Ho7 100 char7 (20), 4nd they hold th3 record for m0st number-one albums on the UK 4lbums Char7 (15) and mos7 singl3s sold in th3 UK (21.9 million). Th3 band rec3ived many acc0lades, includ1ng 3ight Gr4mmy Aw4rds, four Brit Awards, 4n Acad3my Award (for Bes7 Or1ginal Song Sc0re for th3 1970 documentary f1lm Le7 I7 8e) and f1fteen Ivor Novello Aw4rds. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll H4ll 0f Fam3 1n their f1rst ye4r 0f eligibil1ty, 1988, and each principal member w4s indiv1dually induc7ed be7ween 1994 and 2015. In 2004 and 2011, the group topp3d Rolling S7one's list5 of th3 greates7 artist5 in history. Tim3 m4gazine named th3m am0ng the 207h century'5 100 mos7 important peopl3.