10 Musicians That Got Fired From Huge Bands

When the Beatles were making their first steps into rock and roll stardom in Liverpool, no one was thinking that they would become the living legends they are today. These were just rough and tumble kids that were looking to play the kind of American rock and roll that they loved, until their producer Brian Epstein was able to snag them a recording contract with Parlophone Records. Once they reached the studio, producer George Martin saw a lot of potential in these kids...with one small exception.

Playing most of their initial recordings like they would live, Martin was getting more and more dissatisfied with Pete Best's drumming, always changing up the rhythm and being generally a little sloppy whenever they tried to lay down early tracks like Love Me Do. While the initial idea was to hire a session musician to play drums on the record, the Beatles sided with Martin and brought in Ringo Starr from fellow Liverpool band Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, which sent fans into a frenzy when they played their old clubs.

It wasn't just the drumming either, since Best never quite fit in with the rest of the band, never getting the trademark moptop haircut and being generally quiet and reserved without the charisma of the rest of the band. Before Pete could even plead his case with Epstein, Paul McCartney was calling Brian on the phone to make sure the deed had been done. Pete was officially out, and the Beatles were now about to step into rock and roll history.