The music careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison did not begin and end with they all led notable solo careers.

In the case of Paul McCartney alone, he left The Beatles and proceeded to assemble the greatest supergroup ever, so neither did well for themselves after. As for before they came together, all four men started to hone their skills long before The Beatles came together in 1960. Prior to meeting each other, all four were trying to garner experience, working on their craft, and honing their skills before perfecting them together. This called for each member to gain some skin in the game through other band appearances. This called for each member to gain some skin in the game through other band appearances that came about ahead of the Beatles being created.

8 John Lennon's High School Friends Briefly Formed The Black Jacks

The Future Beatles Founder Almost Immediately Changed Their Name in 1956

It can be argued that the foundation of The Beatles began with John Lennon forming The Black Jacks. What's most interesting about that is that The Black Jacks had the shortest shelf life out of any other pre-Beatles band, technically speaking at least. Technically, The Black Jacks only lasted about a week in 1956, if even that. As a whole, the band would bleed into The Quarrymen, but the Black Jacks iteration of the group only lasted less than a month's worth of time.

It all started when Lennon was but 16 years old while attending Quarry Bank High School. When he and his mates decided to form a skiffle group, Lennon served as vocalist and lead guitar alongside Eric Griffiths on rhythm guitar, Pete Shotton on washboard, and Bill Smith on tea chest bass. Within a short amount of time, the group decided to rebrand as the Quarrymen before they truly began.

7 The Quarrymen is How John Lennon Met Paul McCartney and George Harrison

The Proto-Beatles Band Went Through Numerous Iterations Between 1956 and 1960

Ultimately, John Lennon and co. simply felt as if The Quarrymen was a better name for themselves, based on the name of the school that they attended. If The Black Jacks built the foundation of The Beatles, then The Quarrymen is where the root of it all emanated. When the Quarrymen manifested, the group maintained Lennon, Griffiths, and Shotton, but added Nigel Walley on tea chest bass to replace Smith, while Colin Hanton would bring drums into the mix. would come and go from the group over the next couple of years, often to pursue other ventures or live normal lives.

The one constant in the mix every time was John Lennon, but in time, the two most important of the group would : Paul McCartney and George Harrison. The trio would spinoff into their own different bands overtime, but The Quarrymen is how The Beatles' leading men met each other.

6 George Harrison Formed The Rebels With His Brother and Friend

The Rebels Were Short-Lived in the Springtime of 1957

Before meeting Paul McCartney and John Lennon, George Harrison decided to form a band with his best friend, Arthur Kelly, and his brother, Peter. Harrison would sing and play rhythm guitar while his older brother was on lead guitar and Arthur played a guitar of his own. Meanwhile, one Alan Williams was on tea chest bass for this skiffle band. This band might've never come about had a 14-year-old George not convinced his mother to buy a £3.10 guitar from his friend, Raymond Hughes. That sparked a newfound motivation for George to take his love of music to the next level.

Very briefly, Paul McCartney formed a duo with his brother, Mike, as The McCartney Brothers that didn't make it past the summer of 1957. They formed in August and stopped playing together soon after.

Things took a turning point as he bonded closer to a friend he'd ridden the bus to school with, Paul McCartney. In 1958, McCartney talked Harrison into auditioning for his band, The Quarrymen. It took Harrison two auditions after Lennon considered him too young, but ultimately, he ed.

5 The Vikings Was George Harrison and Paul McCartney's Break from The Quarrymen

Harrison and McCartney Filled In While On Holiday

The Vikings were an English rock band that started in 1957 and ended sometime in the 60s. It consisted of Carl Wayne, Chris "Ace" Kefford, and future Electric Light Orchestra co-founder Bev Bevan. For those wondering why The Vikings are being mentioned in a list of pre-Beatles bands, it's because McCartney and Harrison served as temporary of the group while The Quarrymen went on a minor hiatus during the summer of 1958. It was during this summer that John Lennon's mother died in a car accident.

Understandably, the band went inactive for a few months, with Lennon instead working in a restaurant at Liverpool Airport. He still remained close with Harrison and McCartney, and the trio would reunite onstage by the end of the year, but Lennon's mind was elsewhere. In the meantime, Harrison and McCartney went on holiday in Wales touring with The Vikings, both playing guitar for the band.

4 George Harrison's Les Stewart Quartet Was Doomed to Fail

There Were Frequent Arguments and Fighting Among Its

Going into 1959, the trio of Lennon, Harrison, and McCartney hadn't performed together since December 1958. Another hiatus was brewing, but rather than sit on idle thumbs and buy his time until the next reunion, George Harrison opted to the Les Stewart Quartet. Led by Les Stewart on vocals and lead guitar, the band featured The Quarrymen's Ken Brown on rhythm guitar and Geoff Skinner on drums, before the more inexperienced Harrison would as a second rhythm guitarist. Reportedly, different s by those involved suggest that much of the band could never get along with each other.

All was not for nought, as the quartet did earn themselves a residency at a club for teenagers called the Casbah. Still, the infighting came to a head, and the group disbanded by August. Brown and Harrison, still wanting to perform their scheduled gig at the Casbah's opening night, reach out to McCartney and Lennon to reunite the Quarrymen for a smashing success.

3 The Quarrymen Rebranded as Johnny and the Moondogs

The Future Beatles Frontmen Thought the Revamp Would Catapult Them to Superstardom

In October 1959, a talent show called TV Star Search was coming to Liverpool. The Quarrymen were eager to take a shot at fame, but Lennon and a previous iteration of The Quarrymen had auditioned two years earlier with no success. He wanted to show the talent competition judges just how much he had improved and found a better line-up, but wanted to separate himself from the version of the band that failed. Therefore, the decision was made for them to rebrand specifically for the show, calling themselves Johnny and the Moondogs.

Miraculously, everything turned out positively in their favor, so much so that the group made it to the finals of the show. Unfortunately, train schedules and hotel room bookings were their biggest roadblock, forcing them to return to Liverpool before the votes were fully counted. Subsequently, Johnny and the Moondogs would disband, but the trio remained close and continued collaborating.

2 John Lennon and Paul McCartney Were The Nerk Twins

The Only Time The Lifelong Beatles Friends Were a Duo

The trio would go through a few different variations of their group. Among the three of them, they adopted the name Japage 3 (based on their first names, pronounced Jay-Page), which ended up being just as short-lived. For a brief time, the two shared an oft-forgotten duo called the Nerk Twins. The two only played one gig as a double act, performing at a Berkshire pub called the Fox and Hounds. The April 1960 performance reportedly only had a small handful of patrons, and they only got the gig because McCartney's cousin owned the pub.

For what it's worth, the duo earned their paycheck that night, as when they weren't on stage, they were working as bartenders that day. In addition, after the desire to perform live went dormant for some time, the experience of performing sparked a new kind of inspiration in both Lennon and McCartney, putting them on a path to set out on their most important move.

1 The Silver Beetles were The Final Step to Becoming The Beatles

Slight Name Changes and Minor Bumps in the Road Create The Beatles

The following May, Lennon and McCartney would reunite with Harrison to audition for Billy Fury on his UK tour. Initially, they'd adopt the name The Silver Beats, with Tommy Moore on drums. Johnny Hutchinson would fill his spot when Moore failed to make the audition. Stuart Sutcliffe was on bass guitar. Overtime, as they continued to pick up gigs either as a backing band or for covers, their name would slowly morph into what it's been known as today. The Silver Beats would eventually become the Silver Beetles, as which they toured with Johnny Gentle under the name.

Funny enough, Lennon suggested they be called The Crickets, before he was told it was taken. It was actually Lennon's art school buddy, Stuart, who suggested changing the bands' name to Beatals as tribute to both Buddy Holly and The Crickets. Eventually, by the end of that summer, they decided to call themselves The Beatles, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Source: The Guardian