John Lennon first met Paul McCartney in 1957. Their meeting took place on 6 July at the garden fête of St Peter’s Church in Woolton, Liverpool, where Lennon was performing with his skiffle group, the Quarrymen.
A mutual friend, Ivan Vaughan, introduced McCartney to Lennon after the Quarrymen’s performance. McCartney was 15 and Lennon was 16. McCartney impressed Lennon with his guitar playing and his knowledge of rock-and-roll songs, helping convince Lennon that he should be invited to join the group.
McCartney did not become a full Quarrymen member immediately. He made his first performance with the group later in 1957, and George Harrison joined the developing lineup in 1958. The Quarrymen eventually evolved into the Beatles, with Lennon and McCartney becoming the band’s principal songwriting partnership.
The year is sometimes confused with 1958, when Harrison joined the Quarrymen, or with 1960, when the Beatles name began to emerge. The decisive first meeting between Lennon and McCartney, however, happened at the Woolton fête in 1957.