Mersey Beat - Brian Epstein

Brian Samuel Epstein was born on the 19th of September, 1934 in a private nursing home at 4 Rodney Street, Liverpool and grew up in the family home at 197 Queens Drive, Childwall. The family owned a Furniture store on Walton Road opposite the site of the Astoria cinema and next door was the North End Music Stores which was taken over by them as the business expanded.

Epstein's on Walton Road

It was here at the furniture store that Brian started work aged 15 years in 1950. Following his National Service and a short spell with RADA he was put in charge of the ground floor of a new NEMS store that his father had opened on Great Charlotte Street in Liverpool's city centre. He proved to be a good salesman and soon expanded the department from pianos and wireless sets to gramophone records which was so successful that another NEMS branch was opened at 12-14 Whitechapel with Brian put in charge. He began selling Bill Harry's new music publication 'Mersey Beat', meeting up with Bill several times as he became very interested in the local music scene, so much so that he asked Bill if he could contribute a record column which he did in Issue 3 in 1961. The paper was so popular Brian decided to put in NEMS adverts and he was naturally to become aware of 'The Beatles' with a full page feature by Bob Wooler acclaiming them as 'the greatest thing ever' appearing on the same page as his NEMS advert.

Brian at The Cavern

 

Allegedly, it was when a customer, Raymond Jones, came into his Whitechapel store and asked if they had a copy of 'My Bonnie' by 'The Beatles' that Brian became really interested in them. This has been disputed as everyone knew about 'The Beatles' at that time and some say it was Brian's attempt to enhance the story that he 'discovered' them. He found out that they were playing at The Cavern, which was only a short walk from his store, but as he wasn't the type of person who would want to queue up to gain access he phoned up Bill Harry. Bill contacted Ray McFall the owner of The Cavern and on the 9th November 1961 Brian, with his PA Alistair Taylor in support, went along to stand at the back of the crowd to hear John, Paul, George and Pete perform on stage. It is said that their arrival was announced over the PA by Bob Wooler, "We have someone rather famous in the audience today. Mr. Brian Epstein, the owner of NEMS", although Bob has denied this happened as he was unaware of their presence. Brian was immediately taken by their music, beat and humour both on and off stage when he went to see them in their 'broom sized' dressing room afterwards with George starting off the conversation with "And what brings Mr, Epstein here?" 

He went to The Cavern a number of times over the next few weeks before suggesting on the 10th of December to becoming their manager and they signed a 5 year management contract on the 24th January 1962. In a sense of irony of what was to follow, the contract was signed at Pete Best's house although Brian himself didn't sign it but his assistant Alistair Taylor witnessed it. When he was asked why he didn't sign it Brian replied, "Well, if they ever want to tear it up, they can hold me but I can't hold them." Despite his lack of experience in the business it didn't take him long to affect their dress sense and their antics in stage. he insisted they wear smart matching suits and that they were not to smoke or swear on stage. He also persuaded them to make a synchronised bow at the end of a song whether they were in concert or on television.

He smartened up his boys!

It seemed that Brian now had found his true vocation but his next task was to get his new group a recording contract which would prove difficult. One thing in his favour was the fact that he could use the NEMS name to get his foot in the door of the major British record companies but found that he was rejected by every label he approached, including the biggest two, EMI and Decca. It was a visit to the HMV store in Oxford Street, London to have the Decca tape recordings transferred to acetates that would prove fortuitous for Brian. Jim Foy, the HMV disc-cutter liked what he heard and suggested Brian contact Sid Coleman, head of EMI's record publishing division. Coleman also liked the recordings and pointed Brian in the direction of George Martin the A&R manager of Parlophone to hear the tapes and they met on the 13th of February 1962 . George was not overly impressed but did like McCartney and Lennon's vocals, so they met again on the 9th of May 1962, at EMI's Abbey Road Studios. There they agreed a contract without George Martin having met the band or even seen them perform but Brian's conviction that 'The Beatles' would become internationally famous was enough to convince him. He had one more onerous task though to perform and that was to implement the wishes of John, Paul and George and remove Pete Best from the band and replace him with Ringo Starr. John Lennon was later to admit, "We were cowards. we got Epstein to do the dirty work for us." 

Brian's growing 'stable'

 

Brian went on to grow his 'stable' recruiting more popular artists from Merseyside but 'The Beatles' were always the centre of his attention, sometimes to the dismay and annoyance of these other acts. Although he seemed like he was enjoying his life now Brian was suffering with depression. He was after all Jewish and homosexual in a time of anti-Semitic and homophobic feelings and he ended up gambling, drinking heavily and taking more drugs. He was always witty and charming in company but he had used amphetamines from the early days with the bands and as 'The Beatles' retired from performing 'live' he found his influence on them declining.
On the 27th of August 1967 the police were called to his locked bedroom in his Chapel Street house in London where he was found dead on his bed. The inquest found that he had taken six Carbitral pills to help him sleep but the combination of alcohol had reduced his tolerance to a lethal level and his death was officially ruled accidental.
It can be argued that his death spelt the end of 'The Beatles' as a group as he was not only their manager but their confidant, guardian and protector.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2017/05/mersey-beat-joe-flannery.html