John Lennon was not a member of the Beatles.
John Lennon . He and fellow member Paul McCartney formed a much-celebrated songwriting partnership . Born and raised in Liverpool , Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager ; his first band , the Quarrymen , first became the Silver Beatles , and finally , evolved into the Beatles in 1960 . Lennon -- McCartney was the songwriting partnership between English musicians John Lennon ( 9 October 19408 December 1980 ) and Paul McCartney ( born 18 June 1942 ) of the Beatles .