Who Was The 5th Beatle Anyway?
Brian Epstein was the long-time manager of the Beatles. He started in this role on January 24,'62, but it was cut short by his untimely death on August 27,'67 (of a drug overdose). Although the Beatles were by far his most popular band, he did manage other acts...such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, the Remo Four, and Cilla Black.
In this article we will be exploring the impact that Brian Epstein had on the development of the Beatles. Long attributed to the success of the Beatles in the early years, Paul McCartney is said to have uttered the words, "If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian".
September','34 in the port city of Liverpool, England...that's when Brian Samuel Epstein entered into the world. He told his father that he wanted to be a dress designer when he hit 16, but his father was having nothing of it. Mortified at this suggestion of a career, he ordered the young Brian to report to the family's furniture store for work. Brian really didn't want a career in furniture sales, but he did show up at the store none-the-less.
It is thought that the first time Brian heard of the Beatles was via the issues of the Mersey Beat, and on the numerous posters of them that were displayed around Liverpool at the time. On November 9,'61 he went past "heard of them" to "heard them" perform at the Cavern Club. He was immediately impressed with their unique sound and their sense of "on stage" humor, and everything steamrolled started from there. On January 24,'62 the Beatles signed a 5-year contract for Brian to manage them.
This was the first time that Brian had managed an entertainment act. Nonetheless, he made his impact known early. He was responsible for their new dress code, and the attitude that they displayed while performing on stage. At Brian's suggestion, the group started to wear suits. He stopped them from swearing, drinking, smoking, or eating onstage. It was also Brian who suggested the formality of the synchronized bow at the end of the performance.
In the early years Brian made many trips to London to try and secure a recording contract for the Beatles. Unfortunately for the labels, he was rejected by many of them (i.e.: Columbia, Philips, Pye, Oriole, and Decca). The Decca audition is a particularly historical one, and we will be discussing this in another article. Eventually Brian worked his way over to EMI, and the Beatles were signed by their Parlophone label (after the group had been rejected by almost every other company). George Martin, the manager of Parlophone never even saw the Beatles play. He said that it was Brian's enthusiasm that won the deal.
August 27,'67 was to prove to be a fateful day in the lives of the Beatles, for on this day, Brian Epstein died of a drug overdose. The man who had orchestrated their sudden rise to fame and glory was gone. They now had to manage their careers on their own. They did not attend his funeral as they felt it would only draw media and fans. Years later, in 2008, the first contract that the Beatles signed with Brian was auctioned off for 240,000 pounds... - 2361
In this article we will be exploring the impact that Brian Epstein had on the development of the Beatles. Long attributed to the success of the Beatles in the early years, Paul McCartney is said to have uttered the words, "If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian".
September','34 in the port city of Liverpool, England...that's when Brian Samuel Epstein entered into the world. He told his father that he wanted to be a dress designer when he hit 16, but his father was having nothing of it. Mortified at this suggestion of a career, he ordered the young Brian to report to the family's furniture store for work. Brian really didn't want a career in furniture sales, but he did show up at the store none-the-less.
It is thought that the first time Brian heard of the Beatles was via the issues of the Mersey Beat, and on the numerous posters of them that were displayed around Liverpool at the time. On November 9,'61 he went past "heard of them" to "heard them" perform at the Cavern Club. He was immediately impressed with their unique sound and their sense of "on stage" humor, and everything steamrolled started from there. On January 24,'62 the Beatles signed a 5-year contract for Brian to manage them.
This was the first time that Brian had managed an entertainment act. Nonetheless, he made his impact known early. He was responsible for their new dress code, and the attitude that they displayed while performing on stage. At Brian's suggestion, the group started to wear suits. He stopped them from swearing, drinking, smoking, or eating onstage. It was also Brian who suggested the formality of the synchronized bow at the end of the performance.
In the early years Brian made many trips to London to try and secure a recording contract for the Beatles. Unfortunately for the labels, he was rejected by many of them (i.e.: Columbia, Philips, Pye, Oriole, and Decca). The Decca audition is a particularly historical one, and we will be discussing this in another article. Eventually Brian worked his way over to EMI, and the Beatles were signed by their Parlophone label (after the group had been rejected by almost every other company). George Martin, the manager of Parlophone never even saw the Beatles play. He said that it was Brian's enthusiasm that won the deal.
August 27,'67 was to prove to be a fateful day in the lives of the Beatles, for on this day, Brian Epstein died of a drug overdose. The man who had orchestrated their sudden rise to fame and glory was gone. They now had to manage their careers on their own. They did not attend his funeral as they felt it would only draw media and fans. Years later, in 2008, the first contract that the Beatles signed with Brian was auctioned off for 240,000 pounds... - 2361
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Want to find out more about the Beatles, then visit Brian Nestle's site on the classic Beatles Let It Be Album.
posted by Marcondes Allen at 12:14 AM
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