[MikeNoun]

I agree, Elvis was the first, he broke down the barriers for rock and roll.

McCartney, Harrison, and especially Lennon, all idolized Elvis. But it was the music of Buddy Holly that swayed them the most. In fact, the name "Beetles" was in tribute to the Crickets, and Lennon changed the "e" to an "a" as a play on words (promoters back then hated the name Beatles, they thought it was corny and immature, and thought they should change it). Buddy Holly was the prototype for a rock and roll musical group, as he played guitar (rhythm and lead), wrote his own songs (which really blew the minds of Lennon and McCartney when they found this out), and Buddy had what would become the prototype for a rock group; two guitars, bass, and drums.

The Beatles brought out the rock group format that Buddy Holly started, with two guitars, bass, and drums. The difference was that The Beatles had 3 lead singers, plus a drummer who could sing when required.

What many people don't realize is that The Beatles were hard rock, VERY hard rock, compared to other acts of the day. The Beatles were the bad boys of rock and roll, until their manager decided their stage act needed to be cleaned up in order to make it big.