Of his most successful hits, the single “It Don’t Come Easy” (1971) made it to the top 10, and his singles “Photograph” and “You’re Sixteen” from the 1973 album Ringo were both number one hits. George Harrison’s first solo recording, All Things Must Pass (1970), as well as the single “Oh Sweet Lord” from the same album, made it to number one. Not until 1987 did he top the charts again, this time with a remake of Rudy Clark’s “Got My Mind Set on You.” In 1988, he formed The Traveling Wilburys with Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Bob Dylan. “Handle With Care,” from the group’s first album, was a minor hit.

Of all The Beatles, Paul McCartney was the most commercially successful. He married Linda Eastman in March 1969, and with her he formed the group Wings, which had considerable—if not critical—commercial success throughout the next 10 years. During the first 12 years of his solo career, McCartney had nine singles that reached number one in the United States and England, including “Maybe I’m Amazed” (1970), “Jet” (1973), “Silly Love Songs” (1976), and “With a Little Luck” (1978). Of the seven albums that also topped the charts during this same period were Band on the Run (1973) and London Town (1978). His collaborations with other artists included the chart toppers “Ebony and Ivory” (1982) with Stevie Wonder; and “The Girl is Mine” (1982), and “Say Say Say” (1983) with Michael Jackson.

In 1969, John Lennon married Yoko Ono, a conceptual artist and musician he’d met at an art gallery in 1967. Following the break-up of the Beatles, Ono and Lennon collaborated extensively. They formed the Plastic Ono Band, a gritty demonstration of what Lennon called “noise therapy.” He concentrated on a solo career as well, and in 1971, he once again topped the music charts with Imagine. Hit singles included “Instant Karma” (1970) and “Mind Games” (1973). His 1980 co-release (with Yoko Ono) of Double Fantasy was also a critical and commercial success, spawning several hits: “Woman,” “Watching Wheel,” and “(Just Like) Starting Over.”

Tragically, on December 8, 1980, Lennon was shot and killed by Mark Chapman, a deranged fan, outside his apartment building in New York City, his death halting any anticipation for a Beatles reunion. In 1995, The Beatles Anthology came out, featuring previously unreleased tracks, including two of Lennon’s solo works, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.” And in April 2003, the band's five-disc Anthology DVD set, containing previously unreleased jam sessions of Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, became the biggest-selling debut ever for a music DVD box set.