Stuart Sutcliffe was a member of the Beatles when they were still known as the Quarrymen. He joined the band in 1960 as the bass guitarist when the group was performing in clubs around Liverpool. During his time with the Beatles, the group underwent several name changes, like Johnny and the Moondogs, before Sutcliffe suggested the name Beatals, which they later changed to the Silver Beetles before they finally settled for Beatles.
However, Sutcliffe’s interest in music started to wane after some time, and he faced conflicts with band members, especially Paul McCartney. In 1961, after returning to Liverpool, he left the band to pursue his art career more seriously, even though he remained close with all members of the musical group.
A fight between Paul McCartney and Stuart Sutcliffe contributed to him leaving the Beatles
Sutcliffe became a Beatles member solely because of his friendship with John Lennon, the band’s frontman, who gave him some level of freedom. This development did not go down with Paul McCartney, who thought the bass guitarist had little or no talent.
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The brewing animosity eventually led to a face-off during one of their performances when McCartney made a disparaging remark about Sutcliffe’s girlfriend, Astrid Kirchherr. This made him angry, and he got into a fistfight with the 81-year-old. Pete Best, the band’s drummer, later recalled that this altercation marked the “beginning of the end of Stu as a Beatle.” It fueled further tensions within the group and ultimately contributed to Sutcliffe’s departure from the band.
Stuart Sutcliffe warns his sister against associating with the Beatles
In Bob Spitz’s book, The Beatles: The Biography, the author revealed that Sutcliffe warned his sister, Pauline, against associating with his bandmates due to the extent of their social vices and recklessness he witnessed firsthand during their Hamburg residency. He told Pauline to have the “good sense to keep away from the Beatles because they’re a bad lot, completely lacking in moral fiber.”
During their stay in the city, band members indulged in promiscuity, alcohol, and drugs which Sutcliffe did not approve of as he had entered into a committed relationship with Kirchherr.