Glen Frenkell

Lecturer Glen Frenkell has written a thought-provoking article about Brian Epstein in the  Washington Post. Ray O´Brian alerted me to this article and I spoke with its author on Friday 14th September

Brian Epstein

please visit the Wikipaedia Site for further fuller details

Brian Samuel Epstein (IPA: [?b?a??n ?epsta?n]) (born in Liverpool, England; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was the manager of The Beatles. He also managed several other musical artists such as Gerry & The Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, and Cilla Black. The Beatles recorded a demo in Decca's studios—paid for by Epstein—which he later persuaded George Martin to listen to. Epstein was then offered a contract (after Martin had auditioned the group) by EMI's small Parlophone label, even though they had previously been rejected by almost every other British record company. Epstein died of an accidental drug overdose at his home in London in August 1967. The Beatles' early success has been attributed to Epstein's management and sense of style. Paul McCartney said of Epstein: "If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian." Early life Epstein was born into a Jewish family in Rodney Street, Liverpool, England. His grandfather (Isaac Epstein) was from Hodan, Lithuania, who arrived in England with his wife Diana in the 1890s at the age of eighteen. He founded a furniture dealership on Walton Road, Liverpool. Diana and Isaac's third son was Harry Epstein; the father of Brian Epstein.[1] After Harry and his brothers had joined the family firm, Isaac Epstein founded "I. Epstein and Sons", and expanded his furniture business by taking over an adjacent shop to sell a varied range of other goods, such as musical instruments and household appliances.[1] They called the new shop "NEMS" (North End Music Stores) from which McCartney's father once bought a piano.[2][3] McCartney still owns this piano. Epstein's mother was formally named Malka (although always known by her family as Queenie—Malka translating as "queen" in Hebrew) and was a member of the successful Hyman furniture family. Harry and Queenie also had another son, Clive. During WWII the Epsteins moved to Southport to escape The Blitz—where two schools expelled Epstein for laziness and poor performance—but returned to Liverpool in 1945.[4] After his parents had moved him from one boarding school to another, the 14-year-old Epstein spent two years at Wrekin College, in Shropshire. Shortly before his sixteenth birthday in 1950, he sent a long letter to his father, explaining that he wanted to become a dress designer, but Harry Epstein was adamantly opposed to this idea, and his son finally had to "report for duty" at the family's furniture shop.[5] In December 1951, Epstein was drafted—as a clerk—into the Royal Army Service Corps, and was posted to the Albany Street Barracks near Regent's Park, in London, where he was often reprimanded for not picking up his army pay.[6] In 1955, at the age of twenty-one, Epstein was made a director of NEMS. In September of 1956, he took a trip to London to meet a friend, but after being there for only one day, he was robbed of his passport, birth certificate, chequebook, wristwatch, and all the money he had on him. As he did not want his parents to find out, he worked as department store clerk until he had earned enough money to buy a train ticket back to Liverpool.[7] Back in Liverpool, he confessed "everything" to a psychiatrist—a friend of the Epstein family—who suggested to Harry Epstein that his son should leave Liverpool as soon as possible. During the sessions Epstein had revealed his ambition of becoming an actor, so his parents allowed him go to London to study.[7] Epstein attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. His RADA classmates included actors Susannah York, Albert Finney and Peter O'Toole, but Epstein dropped out after the third term. Back in Liverpool, Harry Epstein put his son in charge of the record department of the newly-opened NEMS music store on Great Charlotte Street.[8] Epstein worked "day and night" at the store to make it a success, and it became one of the biggest musical retail outlets in the North of England.[9] The Epsteins opened a second store at 12-14 Whitechapel, and Epstein was put in charge of the entire operation. Epstein often walked across the road to the Lewis's department store—which had a music section—where Peter Brown was employed. He watched Brown's sales technique and was impressed enough to lure Brown to work for NEMS with the offer of a higher salary and a commission on sales.[10] On 3 August 1961, Epstein started a regular music column in the Mersey Beat magazine, called, 'Record Releases, by Brian Epstein of NEMS'.[4] [edit] The Beatles Epstein at the Cavern Club (photo by David Steen)The Beatles' name was supposedly first noticed by Epstein in issues of Mersey Beat, and on numerous posters around Liverpool, before asking Bill Harry who they were (Harry had previously convinced Epstein to sell the Mersey Beat magazine at NEMS).[11][12] The Beatles were featured on the front page of the second issue of Mersey Beat.[13][14] The Beatles had recorded the 'My Bonnie' single with Tony Sheridan in Germany, and some months after its release Epstein asked Alistair Taylor about it in NEMS.[15] Epstein's version of the story was that a customer—Raymond Jones—walked into the NEMS shop and asked Epstein for the "My Bonnie" single, which made Epstein curious about the group.[16] The Beatles were due to perform a lunchtime concert in the Cavern Club on 9 November 1961, which was not far from the NEMS store. Epstein asked Bill Harry to arrange for Epstein and his assistant Taylor to watch them perform, and Epstein and Taylor were allowed into the club without queuing, with a welcome message being announced over the club's public-address system by Bob Wooler, who was the resident DJ.[17] Epstein later talked about the performance: “ I was immediately struck by their music, their beat, and their sense of humour on stage—and, even afterwards, when I met them, I was struck again by their personal charm. And it was there that, really, it all started.[18] ” After the performance, Epstein and Taylor went into the dressing room—which was "as big a broom cupboard"—to talk to them. The Beatles immediately recognised Epstein—as they were regular customers at NEMS—but before Epstein could congratulate them on their performance, George Harrison said, "And what brings Mr. Epstein here?"[19] The Beatles played at the Cavern over the next three weeks, and Epstein was always there to watch them. Epstein contacted their previous manager, Allan Williams, to confirm that Williams no longer had any ties to them, but Williams advised Epstein "not to touch them with a barge pole".[20] In a meeting with the group at NEMS on 10 December 1961, he proposed the idea of managing them.[21] The Beatles signed a five-year contract with Epstein on 24 January 1962.[14] Although Epstein had had no prior experience of artist management, he had a strong influence on their early dress-code and attitude on stage. When Epstein discovered the band, they wore blue jeans and leather jackets, performing at rowdy rock 'n' roll shows where they would stop and start songs when they felt like it, or when an audience member requested a certain song. Epstein encouraged them to wear suits and ties, insisted that they stop swearing, smoking, drinking or eating onstage, and also suggested the famous synchronised bow at the end of their performances.[22] McCartney was the first to agree with Epstein's ideas, believing it was—in part—due to Epstein's RADA training.[23] Epstein made numerous trips to London to visit record companies with the hope of securing a record contract, but was rejected by many, including Columbia, Pye, Philips, Oriole, and most famously, Decca [see The Decca audition].[24] The Beatles later found out that Epstein had paid Decca producer Tony Meehan (ex-drummer of the Shadows) to produce the studio recordings.[24] While Epstein was negotiating with Decca, he also approached EMI marketing executive Ron White, who later contacted EMI producers Norrie Paramor, Walter Ridley, and Norman Newell, but they all declined to record the group.[25][26] White could not contact EMI's fourth staff producer (Martin) as he was on holiday.[27] On 8 February 1962, Epstein visited a HMV store in Oxford Street, London, to have the Decca audition tape transferred to disc. A HMV technician named Jim Foy liked the recordings, and suggested that Epstein should contact Parlophone's George Martin.[28] The Beatles were signed by EMI's small Parlophone label after the group had been rejected by almost every other British record company, and without Martin ever having seen them play live.[29]