Web6 days ago · the Beatles, British musical quartet and a global cynosure for the hopes and dreams of a generation that came of age in the 1960s. The principal members were John Lennon (b. October 9, 1940, Liverpool, Merseyside, England—d. December 8, 1980, New York, New York, U.S.), Paul McCartney (in full Sir James Paul McCartney; b.