On February 9, 1964, the Beatles performed live for US audiences on The Ed Sullivan Show. Consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, the band had quickly become popular in the United Kingdom in 1963, sparking an intense frenzy of fans that would come to be known as "Beatlemania." News broadcasts about the new craze spreading in the UK and a few radio broadcasts soon sparked the beginnings of Beatlemania in the United States. On February 7, 1964, the Beatles were welcomed by some 3,000 fans at JFK Airport. Two days later, the band's performance on The Ed Sullivan Show was viewed by some 73 million Americans. The British Invasion had begun. More British rock groups and singers began to the American music industry by storm, bringing with them their own unique influences upon the genre.

The Beatles broke up in 1970, though legal issues resulted in the official dissolution of the band not occurring until 1974 as the final documents were signed by John Lennon. Each of the band's members went on to have successful solo careers and collaborated with each other multiple times. Only two members of the band survive, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. John Lennon was murdered on December 8, 1980 by Mark David Chapman, who is currently still in prison for the crime. George Harrison passed away from cancer on November 29, 2001.