Spring 2026 MUS 354 Unit 1: In the Beginning (1958 - 1963) Lecture 4: 1958 Through
1961 Arizona State University
Unit 1: In the Beginning (1958 - 1963)
Lecture 4: 1958 Through 1961
Audio Lecture
, Featured Songs
• "That'll Be the Day"
• "In Spite of All the Danger"
• "You'll Be Mine"
• "My Bonnie"
Clip:
1958 was an important year in Beatles history. George Harrison joins the group, and now the three-
guitar line-up: John, Paul, and George. John Lowe joins quite often on keyboard and Colin Hinton on
drums when they need one, and they go through a variety of different bass players. John and Paul
together on two guitars was an interesting thing to view I'd imagine. John knowing mostly banjo
chords had a luan guitar chords and he learned them from watching Paul's fingers, but Paul being a
lefty, John had to reverse the image. This was an unusual technique to go from banjo chords to
guitar chords and then from left-hand to right-hand. If anyone could pull it off, John Lennon could.
In August of 1958, the Quariamen (at this point) go into the studio and record their first music.
"That'll Be the Day: The Buddy Holly Song" is the first known recording by the Quariamen who will
become The Beatles. The earliest song that we know of and was in Paul's hands before being
included on the Anthology Series. Buddy Holly's "That'll Be the Day: Buddy once said he owed it all
to Elvis. Buddy using the solid-body Defender Stratocaster guitar introducing that British U-20 tour
there before his untimely death at the age of 21 was a huge influence on The Beatles. In fact, The
Beatles when they performed dressed somewhat like rockabilly artists. One can imagine them
performing "That'll Be the Day" during the summer of '58 wearing such outfits as white fringe
cowboy shirts, black polo ties with long tails, and black pants. John and Paul being leads would wear
white blazers as well. "That'll Be the Day": George's guitar solo in S is a note-for-note copy of Buddy
Holly's. George in his early days as an improvisational lead guitar player was somewhat searching
in nature. He would never achieve perhaps the status of Eric Clapton or others as far as
spontaneous improvisation, but once he realizes where his skills lie which is in creating an 8- or 16-
or 4-bar phrase that's improvisationally based, then learning it, repeating it and refining it each
performance and recording that's where his genius would lie on lead guitar. Nearly days The
Beatles learned through emulation, copying, listening, absorbing, and recreating. This case George's
solo is very similar, if not exactly like Buddy's. And we'll hear one of Paul's innate abilities come
forward on this early recording: That's his ability to interject. I don't mean from a vocal standpoint
as far as singing but I mean verbally interject phrases, words. He's an excellent vocal improviser at
the end of many Beatles songs to do some little phrases that are improvised so that add just the
icing to the cake of the Beatles music. But examples later on and all you need is love when he says
all together now everybody, these vocal interjections, extrapolations, sometimes are called range
from Matt to Paul just screaming or yelling before guitar solos to generate excitement and again he
got this from his base rock and roll nature. Paul does yell out on this recording, and you'll start to
see him set up a pattern for this type of verbal interjection. "That'll Be the Day" When I Die
1961 Arizona State University
Unit 1: In the Beginning (1958 - 1963)
Lecture 4: 1958 Through 1961
Audio Lecture
, Featured Songs
• "That'll Be the Day"
• "In Spite of All the Danger"
• "You'll Be Mine"
• "My Bonnie"
Clip:
1958 was an important year in Beatles history. George Harrison joins the group, and now the three-
guitar line-up: John, Paul, and George. John Lowe joins quite often on keyboard and Colin Hinton on
drums when they need one, and they go through a variety of different bass players. John and Paul
together on two guitars was an interesting thing to view I'd imagine. John knowing mostly banjo
chords had a luan guitar chords and he learned them from watching Paul's fingers, but Paul being a
lefty, John had to reverse the image. This was an unusual technique to go from banjo chords to
guitar chords and then from left-hand to right-hand. If anyone could pull it off, John Lennon could.
In August of 1958, the Quariamen (at this point) go into the studio and record their first music.
"That'll Be the Day: The Buddy Holly Song" is the first known recording by the Quariamen who will
become The Beatles. The earliest song that we know of and was in Paul's hands before being
included on the Anthology Series. Buddy Holly's "That'll Be the Day: Buddy once said he owed it all
to Elvis. Buddy using the solid-body Defender Stratocaster guitar introducing that British U-20 tour
there before his untimely death at the age of 21 was a huge influence on The Beatles. In fact, The
Beatles when they performed dressed somewhat like rockabilly artists. One can imagine them
performing "That'll Be the Day" during the summer of '58 wearing such outfits as white fringe
cowboy shirts, black polo ties with long tails, and black pants. John and Paul being leads would wear
white blazers as well. "That'll Be the Day": George's guitar solo in S is a note-for-note copy of Buddy
Holly's. George in his early days as an improvisational lead guitar player was somewhat searching
in nature. He would never achieve perhaps the status of Eric Clapton or others as far as
spontaneous improvisation, but once he realizes where his skills lie which is in creating an 8- or 16-
or 4-bar phrase that's improvisationally based, then learning it, repeating it and refining it each
performance and recording that's where his genius would lie on lead guitar. Nearly days The
Beatles learned through emulation, copying, listening, absorbing, and recreating. This case George's
solo is very similar, if not exactly like Buddy's. And we'll hear one of Paul's innate abilities come
forward on this early recording: That's his ability to interject. I don't mean from a vocal standpoint
as far as singing but I mean verbally interject phrases, words. He's an excellent vocal improviser at
the end of many Beatles songs to do some little phrases that are improvised so that add just the
icing to the cake of the Beatles music. But examples later on and all you need is love when he says
all together now everybody, these vocal interjections, extrapolations, sometimes are called range
from Matt to Paul just screaming or yelling before guitar solos to generate excitement and again he
got this from his base rock and roll nature. Paul does yell out on this recording, and you'll start to
see him set up a pattern for this type of verbal interjection. "That'll Be the Day" When I Die
