The early music of the Beatles was paradoxically not their music they began as a cover band, so they had many influences. They ultimately called themselves the Beatles and spelled it that way to pay tribute to the beat poets, when originally they spelled it as the “Beetles” because other bands in the area were naming their bands in similar fashion. The ways in which the four ultimately got together are very interesting to make a long story short, Paul and John met originally and created the beginning of the Beatles, forming a skiffle band, which were English bands that played American folk music with a higher tempo they called themselves “The Quarrymen.” George came next, and then Ringo replaced their current drummer later on because the prior drummer wasn’t up to par. John had a difficult, middle-class life in a broken family whereas Paul was raised in an upright, wealthier side of town that being said, they both went to good, demanding schools. They all grew up in post-war Liverpool, but in different areas. It is important to note that the early music of the Beatles was not comprised of the four that eventually became the famously influential band. Eventually, they wrote the songs that they wanted to hear, but they began with covering the songs they wanted to hear their evolution as artists proved that not waiting to know who you are before you get started is crucial.

They started covering many songs of artists of different genres (Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Smokey Robinson, The Supremes, The Isley Brothers, Bob Dylan, Bill Haley, Carl Perkins, etc.) that they felt deep inside. The Beatles certainly didn’t wait until they knew who they were to get started, just like any artist who is usually inspired to do what they do based on the feeling they get in their soul after witnessing the beauty of whatever craft it may be, and different artists are always inspired by particular artists who come before them that they relate to and feel deeply. Four of these are particularly noteworthy in terms of the Beatles musical influences: “Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started, write the book you want to read, do good work and share it with people, and be nice-the world is a small town (on back of book).” The early music of the Beatles was all cover songs before they became arguably the best band in the history of the world, they became possibly the greatest cover band in the world. In Kleon’s “Steal Like an Artist,” he goes into detail about ten steps on how to unlock your creativity. This is how everyone learns anything in whatever field they’re in. There is a book called “How To Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon that describes the essence of every musician all artists learn from other artists.

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