Beatles-related exhibits at theRock and Roll Hall of Fame

CLEVELAND – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will open its newest exhibition, Stuart Sutcliffe: From the Beatles to Backbeat, May 15.

The exhibit, a retrospective on the life of one of the original members of the Beatles, will run through Sept. 3 in the museum’s Circular Gallery.

In addition to the opening of the exhibit, the museum will extend the exhibition of Lennon: His Life and Work through at least the end of 2001.

Sutcliffe, who befriended John Lennon while in art school, was one of the original members of the Beatles along with Lennon, Paul McCartney, Pete Best and George Harrison.

At the urging of Lennon, Sutcliffe left art school and became the bass player for the band. Sutcliffe is credited with developing the unique style of the Beatles.

“With a recent No. 1 CD, a newly published biography and numerous television and radio documentaries, the Beatles are once again one of the hottest bands in the world,” said Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

“Having both of these historic exhibits here at the same time gives us a real opportunity to present many dimensions of this extraordinary band that have never been seen before.”

The Sutcliffe exhibition, which is on loan from the Beatles Story Museum in Liverpool, provides a comprehensive look at Sutcliffe’s life and the early years of the world’s most famous rock band.

Included in this collection are letters, notes, set lists and other items providing insight into the Beatles’ earliest years, as well as one of Sutcliffe’s guitars and several of his paintings. The collection is owned by Sutcliffe’s sister, Pauline.