pop culture

The Interesting History Behind The Beatles Logo

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Published Jun 30, 2023

Ah. The infamous yet famous Beatles logo. Behind every legendary band is an equally legendary history full of fun and sometimes minuscule facts that helped shape them into the iconic forces that they eventually became. And for The Beatles, that history is what's led to them being considered by many to be the greatest and most influential band of all time. True innovators and pioneers in the music industry, The Beatles hold the record as the best-selling musical act in history, having sold an estimated 600 million units worldwide. The band behind the Beatles logo is also the most successful act in the history of the US Billboard Charts holding the records for the most number-one albums on the UK Albums Chart, the most number one hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and the most singles sold in the UK.

Before all the record breaking sales, notable awards, and hall of fame inductions, however, The Beatles were four young musicians with the dream of achieving success and separating themselves from the pact. Obviously the main way they did that was through their music which completely spoke/speaks for itself, but there were smaller elements such as their style and logo that wound up having a big impact as well. There's actually an interesting history behind The Beatles logo that we'll be exploring today.

This is the story behind the logo.

The Early Days

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The origins of The Beatles dates all the way back to November 1956 when a sixteen-year-old musician by the name of John Lennon decided to form a skiffle (a genre of folk music that contains elements of bluegrass, blues, country, folk, and jazz) group with some friends. Several months later Lennon met a young fellow named Paul McCartney, who joined the group as a guitarist. McCartney convinced Lennon to give his friend George Harrison a shot at joining the band several months after that, and after several of John's friends left the group (then known as the Quarrymen) due to different interests, it was down to three young lads—John, Paul, and George.

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After several name changes, the group finally decided to start going by The Beatles (which was originally inspired as a tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets), and spent the next couple of years performing at local clubs and venues around the UK and different parts of Europe, slowly building a name for themselves (while also having noise complaints) as they continued to shuffle through different band members. Ringo Starr entered the picture towards the end of 1962, and by 1963, the decision was made that all four group members would have a hand at singing and songwriting. That same year, The Beatles would go through the process of having an official logo made for themselves that would set them apart and make them immediately recognizable.

The Early Makings of The Beatles Logo

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The story goes a little something like this—one random day in April 1963, Ringo Starr along with The Beatles manager Brian Epstein, decided to take a trip to a music store on Shaftesbury Avenue in London called Drum City to look for a new set of drums to rock with.

How The Drop T Came About

The drum kit would pretty much be the only place that The Beatles logo would be seen for a long time. If you take a look at the band's major studio album covers from the time period they were actually released (not the re-issues), the logo isn't seen because it isn't there, and according to The Beatles Bible, the logo itself wasn't trademarked until 1994 by Apple Records, and that's when it began appearing on album re-issues, merchandise, etc.

So who designed the Beatles logo?

When The Beatles got their logo from Ivor they were known but not global superstars yet, which probably why they were apparently able to get away with only paying 5 pounds for the logo. Looking back, it was a hell of deal for a hell of price considering what that logo now means and how valuable it is. It should also be known that while Ivor was the one who jotted down The Beatles name with that drop T, it was local artist named Eddie Stokes who finalized it with the razzle dazzle.

There's also been evolutions of The Beatles logo through the years as it didn't always stay in the original format displayed on the drums Ringo got at Drum City.

There's the iteration show on their iconic February 1964 Ed Sullivan performance which you can see below.

The Evolution of the Logo Over Time

According to Fast Company, the logo would go on to change seven times between 1963 and 1967, with the final version of the logo being the last Ludwig black pearl drum kit that Ringo Starr used, and during the filming of Let It Be, Starr was able to get his last Beatles skin on a 22-inch Remo Weather Master with a Ludwig sticker on top.

So there you have it—the official history of The Beatles logo and how it all came together.