Brian Epstein Was the 5th Beatle!
On January 24,’62 the Beatles started to be managed by Brian Epstein. His role in the group was cut short by his sudden death on August 27,’67 of a drug overdose. Along with the Beatles, Brian managed other groups and artists, such as: Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black, and the Remo Four…but the Beatles were by far the most popular.
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”.
Brian Samuel Epstein was born on September’,’34 in the port city of Liverpool, England. At the young age of 16 he expressed his desire to become a dress designer, but that didn’t sit well with his father. His father, mortified at this suggestion, ordered him to “report for duty” at the family’s furniture shop. This was certainly not Brian’s idea of a meaningful career, but he did comply with the demand.
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.
On August 27,’67 Brian died of a drug overdose, and the Beatles started to enter uncharted waters. Brian had orchestrated their rise to fame, and now they were left without him. They did not attend his funeral as they felt it would have only drawn fans and the media. It’s interesting to note that years later, in 2008, the first contract that the Beatles signed with Brian was auctioned off for 240,000 pounds…
Want to find out more about the Beatles, then visit Brian Nestle’s site on the classic Beatles Let It Be Album.
