In 1962, George Martin listened to the band’s demo tape and, while he wasn’t convinced about the quality of their performance, he liked their charisma. Martin offered the foursome a record deal and the rest is history. He produced almost all of The Beatles’ records, which won him six Grammys and he wrote the instrumental score for theYellow Submarine film and soundtrack album, and the string and horn arrangements for almost all of their songs. His arrangement of the string octet backing for “Eleanor Rigby” was widely noted.

George Martin

Brian Epstein, the band’s manager from 1961 until his death in 1967, was instrumental in the Beatles’ rise to global fame. Epstein “discovered” the band in Liverpool, saw their potential, and never wavered in his faith and commitment to them. He purposefully restricted his oversight of the band, limiting himself to business matters and public image, and gave the band free creative rein in their music. Epstein also doggedly sought a recording contract for the band in London at a crucial moment in their career, fighting their perception as provincial “northern” musicians.

Brian Epstein

A schoolmate of McCartney and Harrison and a close personal friend of Pete Best, Aspinall joined the Beatles as their road manager, which included driving his old Commer van to and from shows, both day and night. Aspinall was promoted to become their personal assistant and eventually ascended to the position of CEO for Apple Corps. He supervised the marketing of music, videos, and merchandising for the group. Aspinall also temporarily served as the group’s manager following Epstein’s death.

Neil Aspinall

Derek Taylor first met the band after reviewing their stage performance. Instead of the anticipated negative review of a rock-n-roll group, Taylor gave their act the highest praises. Invited to become acquainted with the Beatles’ camp, he soon became a confidante and gained his share of exclusives on them. Eventually, he was hired away from his newspaper job by Epstein, who put him in charge ass Beatles media liaison. By 1968, he became press officer for Apple Corps. As a VIP at Apple, Taylor had a major role in the company’s ups and downs, making or enforcing many crucial business and personal decisions, for the Beatles and Apple’s staff.

Derek Taylor

A friend of John Lennon’s, Stuart Sutcliffe was the original bassist of the five-member Beatles. He played with the band during their days as a club act in Hamburg, Germany, and was an important early influence on the development of the band’s image; Sutcliffe was the first to wear what later became famous as the Beatles’ “moptop” hairstyle, asking his girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr to cut his hair in emulation of the hairdo worn by friend Klaus Voormann. When the band returned to Liverpool in 1961, Sutcliffe remained behind in Hamburg. Sutcliffe, unfortunately, died shortly thereafter of a brain hemorrhage. Instead of replacing him with a new band member, Paul McCartney shifted from rhythm guitar to bass and the band continued as a foursome.

Stuart Sutcliffe

Pete Best was the first drummer of the Beatles, playing with the band as a club act, in both Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany in the early 60’s. The band used to meet up in Pete Best’s mother’s cellar, where they opened the legendary Casbah music club. Pete was kicked out just before they had their big break, with Manager Brian Epstein, saying the band didn’t want him around anymore. Pete still doesn’t know exactly why he was kicked out of the Beatles. In 1965 – the year in which The Beatles played the biggest live show of their career in New York and met their idol, Elvis Presley – Best tried to take his own life. For many years, he didn’t even tell his own daughters that he’d once been a Beatle. Pete Best has gone down in music history books as the unluckiest musician of all time.

Pete Best

In 1961 he employed the Beatles (comprising Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Best) as his backup band. When German Polydor agent Bert Kaempfert saw the pairing on stage, he suggested that they make some recordings together. In 1962, after a series of singles (the first of which, “My Bonnie”/”The Saints” made it to no. 5 in the Hit Parade), Polydor released the album My Bonnie across Germany. The word “Beatles” was judged to sound too similar to the German “Pixels” (pronounced peddles), the plural of a slang term for penis, so the album was credited to “Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers”

Tony Sheridan

Apart from Sheridan, the American keyboardist Billy Preston was the only artist to receive joint credit on a Beatles single, for his playing on “Get Back” on the Let it Be album. Preston also played organ on “Let It Be”, “Something” and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”, and Fender Rhodes electric piano on “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Get Back”. Preston first met the Beatles in 1962, but his “Fifth Beatle” claim originated in January 1969 when Harrison invited him to join them for recording sessions in order to defuse tensions in the band. Lennon invited him to join the band.

Billy Preston

Originally “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” had only the first guitar solo in the song off the album. Harrison thought that it sounded weak, and called in Eric Clapton to perform the lead guitar on the song. It was decided to cut one verse entirely and add another guitar solo towards the end of the song. When Harrison briefly left the band in January 1969, Lennon suggested inviting Clapton to replace him.

Eric Clapton

Klaus Voormann played bass with the Beatles in the Hamburg clubs after Stu Sutcliffe left to return to art school in Hamburg. When McCartney left during the break-up, Voormann was mooted as a replacement. After the breakup and until 1976, Voormann played on almost every solo album recorded by Lennon, Harrison and Starr. He supported Harrison’s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, toured as a member of Starr’s first All-Starr Band in 1989, and participated in recording for Harrison’s final album, Brainwashed. Rumors spread about the band officially reforming…but with Voorman taking McCartney’s place.

Klaus Voorman

Murray Kaufman, professionally known as Murray the K, was a top-rated radio host in New York City.   When The Beatles first arrived in New York in 1964, Murray was the first DJ they welcomed into their circle.  He came to be referred to as the “Fifth Beatle” because he was responsible for contacting radio stations across the US to play the Beatles’ records.

Murray Kaufman

The Beatles’ Producer in the group’s middle period, Geoff Emeric made, considered then, outlandish choices that made the band’s music stand out versus the “thinner production” of their early records.  He eventually quit in protest halfway through The White Album.

Geoff Emerick