The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960, their members John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, joined 2 years later by Ringo Starr, becoming widely regarded as the foremost, most influential of the rock era. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later experimented with musical styles, ranging from pop ballads and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock, often incorporating classical elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways.