The Beatles were a band.
John Winston Ono Lennon , ( born John Winston Lennon ; 9 October 19408 December 1980 ) was an English guitarist , singer , and songwriter who co-founded the Beatles , the most commercially successful and musically influential band in the history of popular music . `` Love Me Do '' is the debut single by the English rock band the Beatles , backed by `` P.S. I Love You '' . Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe ( 23 June 1940 -- 10 April 1962 ) was a British painter and musician best known as the original bass guitarist for the Beatles . Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as a painter , having previously attended the Liverpool College of Art . The Beatles . The Beatles built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960 , with Stuart Sutcliffe initially serving as bass player .