1.24.2012

Tuesday, January 24, 1962: The Beatles get a manager

The Beatles -- John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best -- sign a management contract with Brian Epstein, who ran a family-owned record shop in Liverpool, England. It's a "contract" in name only; Epstein himself doesn't sign it; he later explained that he wanted to get the group a recording contract first (the group, billed as The Beat Brothers, had backed up Tony Sheridan on "My Bonnie" and other songs in June 1961, and had unsuccessfully auditioned for Decca Records on January 1, 1962). Also, since Paul and George were both under 21, their signatures should have been witnessed by their fathers. A proper contract would be signed, Epstein included, on October 1. By that time, Ringo Starr had replaced Best as the group's drummer. (Stu Sutcliffe had left the band in mid-1961, staying in Hamburg, Germany, to pursue his artwork.)

Photo from The Daily Mirror newspaper.
* brianepstein.com: @
* Track listing for January 1 audition (from www.beatlesource.com): @
* More about Epstein, from the book "The Beatles," by Hunter Davies: @
* Earlier post -- The Beatles at the Cavern Club (February 9, 1961): @
* Earlier post -- The Beatles in Litherland (December 27, 1960): @
* Earlier post -- The Beatles (August 17, 1960): @

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