Birth of The Beatles: The road to records

On Aug. 17, 1960 — 65 years ago Sunday — the Beatles of Liverpool, England, played the first of several shows at the Indra Club, a seedy nightspot in the red light district of Hamburg, West Germany.

It’s fair to say the band would go on to much greater fame over the next few years.

1957

MARCH

Sixteen-year-old John Lennon forms a skiffle group with his friend, Pete Shotton. They call themselves the Black Jacks but later change their name to the Quarrymen.

JULY 6

The Quarrymen play in the garden of a Liverpool church. A mutual friend introduces Lennon to Paul McCartney, age 15. Two weeks later, Lennon invites McCartney to join the Quarrymen.

OCT. 18

McCartney plays his first show with the Quarrymen.

1958

FEB. 6

McCartney brings a friend, George Harrison, to watch the band play. Harrison demonstrates his guitar skills, impressing Lennon. Lennon thinks Harrison, at age 15, is too young to join the group but McCartney insists Lennon invite him.

JULY 9

The Quarrymen record two songs in a Liverpool recording studio: Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day” and “In Spite of All the Danger” by Harrison and McCartney. The band pays 17 pounds and 6 pence to record the songs.

JULY 15

Lennon's mother, Julia, is struck and killed by a car driven by an off-duty policeman.

1959

AUG. 29

The Quarrymen play at the opening night of the Casbah Club, a coffee shop and music venue.

NOV. 15

Lennon, McCartney and Harrison — as a trio with no drummer and calling themselves Johnny and the Moondogs — reach the final auditions of a TV talent search. Finishing ahead of them in second place is Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, with Ringo Starr on drums.

1960

JAN. 21

Lennon’s friend Stuart Sutcliffe — who has never played a musical instrument — buys a bass guitar in order to join the Quarrymen.

APRIL 23

Lennon and McCartney play in a pub in Reading as the Nerk Twins.

MAY 5

The Quarrymen change their name to the Silver Beetles.

MAY 20

The Silver Beetles go on a weeklong tour of Scotland in support of musician Johnny Gentle.

JUNE 6

The Silver Beetles begin playing a ballroom in Wirral with another Liverpool act, Gerry & the Pacemakers. They play there every Saturday through the end of July, when the venue cancels further shows because of noise complaints from local residents.

Readers of Liverpool’s Mersey Beat newspaper vote the Beatles their No. 1 local band. Gerry and the Pacemakers finished second and Rory Storm and the Hurricanes — with Ringo Starr as drummer — was voted No. 4.

JUNE 12

The Silver Beetles, which have suffered through a revolving door of drummers, ends that issue by hiring Pete Best as the band’s permanent drummer.

JUNE 17

The Silver Beetles change their name to the Beatles.

AUG. 17

The Beatles arrive in Hamburg, West Germany, for a residence at the Indra Club. They arrive tired and hungry but perform that same night — to a small crowd of what turns out to be mostly sex workers and their clients. At one point, they’re asked to turn down the volume of their amplifiers after the woman who lives upstairs complains about the noise.

The Beatles play at the Indra Club, up to six hours an night, for the next 48 nights. They’re given illegal stimulants to keep up their energy levels and are encouraged by the owner of the club to act out on stage to draw the attention of their often-distracted audience.

The Beatles are quartered in bunk beds behind the screen at a nearby movie theater, next to a rarely cleaned rest room.

OCT. 4

After continued complaints from locals about the noise at the Indra Club, the Beatles are moved to the Kaiserkeller, where they alternate shows with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes for the next 58 days.

NOV. 21

Having gained a following in Hamburg, the Beatles sign a contract that would move them to a larger venue, the Top Ten Club. The owner of the Kaiserkeller reports Harrison for being underage and lacking a work permit. Harrison is deported and the Beatles carry on without him.

DEC. 1

As the group packs their belongings to move out of the movie theater and into a proper apartment — arranged by the owner of the Top Ten — the owner of the Kaiserkeller strikes again, accusing McCartney and Best of arson. They, too, are deported. Lennon returns home 10 days later.

1961

FEB. 9

The Beatles play their first lunchtime show at Liverpool’s Cavern Club.

FEB. 25

Harrison turns 18.

APRIL 1

The Beatles return to Hamburg. They’ll play 92 consecutive nights at the Top Ten Club, sometimes sharing the bill with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.

JUNE 22

The Beatles supply backing music and vocals in a recording session for singer Tony Sheridan. They record five songs, including “My Bonnie,” plus two more by just the Beatles. The Beatles are credited as “The Beat Brothers.”

JULY 1

The Beatles make their final appearance at the Top Ten Club. Two days later, they return to Liverpool — but without Sutcliffe, who leaves the group and remains in West Germany with his fiancé.JULY 14

The Beatles resume playing shows in and around Liverpool — especially at the Cavern Club.

OCT. 23

Sheridan’s single, “My Bonnie” and “The Saints,” is released in Germany.

OCT. 28

A customer calls Brian Epstein's NEMS record store, looking for what he calls “My Bonnie” by the Beatles. Epstein promises to track down a copy. Two days later, more queries prompts Epstein to order 200 copies of the single.

NOV. 9

A curious Epstein watches the Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club.

DEC. 1

Epstein sets up meetings in London between the Beatles and Decca Records. A week later, he contacts executives with EMI Records.

DEC. 10

Epstein meets again with the Beatles, updating them on his progress in landing them a recording contract.

DEC. 13

Decca Records executives watch the Beatles at the Cavern Club and recommend the label set up an audition for them.

DEC. 27

The Beatles play a Christmas show at the Cavern Club. Pete Best is ill, so Ringo Starr fills in for him.

1962

JAN. 1

The Beatles travel to London and record 15 songs to audition for Decca Records.

JAN. 4

The Beatles land in first place in a poll about the popularity of local bands in Mersey Beat entertainment newspaper.

JAN. 24

The Beatles sign a contract to hire Epstein as their manager.

FEB. 6

Decca officials inform Epstein they are rejecting the Beatles.

MARCH 8

The Beatles make their radio debut on the BBC with a performance they had recorded the previous day.

APRIL 10

Sutcliffe, still in West Germany, dies of a brain hemorrhage. He’s 21.

APRIL 13

The Beatles return to Hamburg to play 48 nights at the Star-Club.

MAY 9

Epstein meets with EMI record producer Martin at Abbey Road Studios, who informs Epstein he will accept the Beatles for a recording contract. Epstein sends the Beatles a telegram with the news.

MAY 24

The Beatles record two more tracks as a back up band for Tony Sheridan. The object is to complete their agreement with Sheridan’s label, Polydor Records.

JUNE 2

The Beatles return to England. Four days later, they sign a recording contract with EMI's Parlophone record label. They go to Abbey Road Studios for a test with Martin and record four songs, including “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You.” Martin, unhappy with Best’s playing, informs Epstein that he will bring in a session drummer for future sessions.

AUG. 14-16

Lennon, McCartney and Harrison ask Epstein to fire Best as their drummer and to invite Starr to join the band. Starr officially joins on Aug. 18.

SEPT. 4

The Beatles return for their second recording session at Abbey Road Studios. With their new drummer, they re-record “Love Me Do” and another track. A week later, they record a third session.

OCT. 5

The Beatles’ first single, “Love Me Do”/“P.S. I Love You” is released. The next day, the group autographs copies of their 45 at a music shop in Cheshire.

OCT. 12

The Beatles open for Little Richard at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton.

OCT. 17

The Beatles make their TV debut on Granada Television.

NOV. 1

The Beatles return to Hamburg for a two-week run at the Star-Club.

NOV. 26

The Beatles record their second single, “Please Please Me”/“Ask Me Why.”

DEC. 18

The Beatles complete their contract with Hamburg’s Star-Club by returning to play 12 more dates. A bootleg recording of one of those shows would be released in 1977.

1963

FEB. 7

The single “Please Please Me”/“Ask Me Why” is released in the U.S. by Vee-Jay Records.

FEB. 11

The Beatles return to Abbey Road Studios to record 10 more tracks to fill out what would be their first album, “Please Please Me,” which would be released on March 22.