A Beatle boot or Baba boot is a style of boot that has been worn since the late

1950s The 1950s (pronounced nineteen-fifties; commonly abbreviated as the "Fifties" or the " '50s") (among other variants) was a decade that began on January 1, 1950, and ended on December 31, 1959. Throughout the decade, the world continued its re ...

but made popular by the English rock group the Beatles in the

1960s File:1960s montage.png, Clockwise from top left: U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; the Beatles led the British Invasion of the U.S. music market; a half-a-million people participate in the 1969 Woodstock Festival; Neil Armstrong and Buzz ...

. The boots are a variant of the

Chelsea boot Chelsea boots are close-fitting, ankle-high boots with an elastic side panel. They often have a loop or tab of fabric on the back of the boot, enabling the boot to be pulled on. The boot dates back to the Victorian era, when it was worn by both me ...

: they are tight-fitting, Cuban-heeled, ankle-high boots with a sharp pointed toe. The style can feature either elastic or zipped sides. Beatle boots saw the reintroduction of high-heeled footwear for men.

History

Beatle boots are a direct descendant of the

, but have an even more pointed toe and a centre seam stitch running from ankle to toe, and the flamenco boot, from which its Cuban heel was derived. Beatle boots originated in 1958, but in October 1961 when English musicians John Lennon,

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

and Paul McCartney saw Chelsea boots whilst in Hamburg, being worn by a London band, and then went to the London footwear company Anello & Davide to commission four pairs (with the addition of Cuban heels) for the Beatles, to complement their new suit image upon their return from Hamburg. Beatle boots were very popular with rock bands and artists during the late 1950s, but started to decline during the late 1960s. They were worn by subcultures such as teddy boys, beatniks, rockers and psyches etc. The boots saw a surge of popularity during the punk movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s but again started to decline throughout the 1990s. During the late 2000s and early 2010s the boots have seen a steady surge in popularity.

Notable wearers

Non-fictional

* The Beatles * Carl Barât * Michael Jackson * Jonny Ivey * Justin McGehee * The Dave Clark Five * The Monkees * Elvis Presley *

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

* Chuck Berry *

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

* Bill Haley * Eddie Cochran * The Who *

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

* Alice Cooper * Claude François * Neil Tennant * The Doors * MC5 * The Kinks * The Zombies * The Sonics * The Yardbirds * The Byrds * The Beach Boys *

Steve Lukather Steven Lee Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, best known as the sole continuous founding member of the rock band Toto. His reputation as a skilled guitarist led to a stea ...

* Ryan Ross *

Daedalus Howell Daedalus Howell (born July 19, 1972), is an American writer, journalist, filmmaker, actor and conceptual artist who lives and works in Petaluma, California. He wrote the novels '' Quantum Deadline'' and ''The Late Projectionist'' and the essay ...

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

* The Kills *

Russell Brand Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian and actor known for his flamboyant, loquacious style and manner. Brand has received three British Comedy Awards: Best Newcomer (2006), Best Live Stand-Up (2008), and the award for ...

* Bob Dylan * The Gruesomes * The Rolling Stones * Alex Turner * Richey Edwards * Andy Warhol * Kanye West

Fictional

* Riff Raff from the 1975 film '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' * Austin Powers, from the ''Austin Powers'' series * Ned Flanders, from '' The Simpsons'' *Sid from '' Hey Arnold!'' *Starfleet officers in '' Star Trek: The Original Series'' *Eddie Dean from Stephen King's '' The Dark Tower'' series.

References

External links

Chelsea Boot/beatle Boot: The Origin, The Story & The LegacyJohn Lennon's Beatle Boot
at

Google Arts & Culture Google Arts & Culture (formerly Google Art Project) is an online platform of high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from partner cultural organizations throughout the world. It utilizes high-resolution image technol ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatle Boots Boots 1960s fashion 1970s fashion Boots High-heeled footwear