Some of the greatest music artists in history are still greatly loved and listened to today, but there are some interesting facts that fans might not have known.

Here are some things about some of the biggest names in the industry that might come as a surprise to you:

None of the Beatles Could Read or Write Music
The Beatles never learned how to read or even write music, and they were particularly happy about it. Music was a discovery process for them, and they learned largely through listening to records and mimicking the sounds as best as they could. When it came to officially transcribing their music, they could easily provide input if necessary, but the actual transcribing was left to others.

Elvis Presley Wasn’t Actually a Guitar Player
This may come as a huge surprise, but according to his former backing singer Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley was not really an accomplished musician. He did, however, have an uncanny and incredible sense of timing and rhythm. He was also apparently not very easy on his instruments, showing an aggressive strumming style that would result in constantly broken strings. Ability aside, however, Elvis’s image with his guitar encouraged and inspired many people to pick up and learn the guitar themselves.

Michael Jackson’s 1972 Hit “Ben” Was About a Rat
The great song written by Don Black and composed by Walter Scharf for the 1972 film “Ben”, which was a sequel to the 1971 killer rat film Willard, was indeed about a rat. Despite being so, the lyrics are in fact touching and rather sentimental and make no reference whatsoever to rodents. The song was marketed independently of the movie, as the true meaning might have irked listeners, and this proved successful as many people were moved by it. Jackson was 14 when he recorded the song and it was one of his favourite songs. It led to him becoming the youngest artist to top the US charts, both as a solo artist as well as a member of a group – The Jackson 5.

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