Brian Epstein is the manager who led The Beatles through Beatlemania, but he wasn’t the first person to work with the band. Before Epstein, there was Allan Williams, who helped The Beatles secure a residency in Hamburg. They weren’t his first choice to send to Germany, though. John Lennon and one-time bassist Stuart Sutcliffe had to work hard to convince Williams, who didn’t think the band was all that good.
The Beatles’ 1st manager wasn’t impressed with the band
In 1960, Williams, a booking agent and manager, began searching for a band to perform a residency at the Indra Club in Hamburg, Germany. Williams had booked The Beatles for a number of concerts, but he didn’t think they had what it took to play in Hamburg.
“Allan was having plenty of trouble finding a band and that’s how the Beatles got involved,” Mersey Beat creator Bill Harry said,...
The Beatles’ 1st manager wasn’t impressed with the band
In 1960, Williams, a booking agent and manager, began searching for a band to perform a residency at the Indra Club in Hamburg, Germany. Williams had booked The Beatles for a number of concerts, but he didn’t think they had what it took to play in Hamburg.
“Allan was having plenty of trouble finding a band and that’s how the Beatles got involved,” Mersey Beat creator Bill Harry said,...
- 8/17/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In the early 1960s, John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe began courting the attention of Allan Williams, a Liverpool promoter and booking agent. He didn’t initially think The Beatles were very good, but he needed a band to send to Hamburg. When he agreed to do this, it helped that Lennon and Sutcliffe felt Williams owed them. He brought them much-wanted media attention that backfired so spectacularly that Sutcliffe lost his apartment.
John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe accidentally got Sutcliffe evicted
Williams ran into Lennon, Sutcliffe, and his roommate at a local Liverpool bar. He had a group of people with him who said they were reporters with the Empire News. They were working on a story about how students lived. Lennon and Sutcliffe were enrolled in art school, making them the perfect subjects. They were also in a band and hungry for media attention, so they agreed to talk to the group.
John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe accidentally got Sutcliffe evicted
Williams ran into Lennon, Sutcliffe, and his roommate at a local Liverpool bar. He had a group of people with him who said they were reporters with the Empire News. They were working on a story about how students lived. Lennon and Sutcliffe were enrolled in art school, making them the perfect subjects. They were also in a band and hungry for media attention, so they agreed to talk to the group.
- 7/30/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The Beatles’ original lineup was John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Stuart Sutcliffe. They eventually added drummer Pete Best to the mix, but the four musicians created the band. They each played a key role in their later success, but according to Harrison, Sutcliffe wasn’t much of a musician. Harrison didn’t even consider him a musician at all, but he made some important contributions to the group.
Allan Williams, Beryl Williams, Lord Woodbine, Stuart Sutcliffe, Paul McCartney, George Harrison | Keystone Features/Getty Images George Harrison didn’t think Stuart Sutcliffe added much musically to the band
Sutcliffe was one of Lennon’s close friends from art school. Sutcliffe taught Lennon about painting, and, in return, Lennon talked to him about music. When Lennon decided to form a new band, it felt natural that Sutcliffe would be a part of it.
Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison had worked together in The Quarrymen,...
Allan Williams, Beryl Williams, Lord Woodbine, Stuart Sutcliffe, Paul McCartney, George Harrison | Keystone Features/Getty Images George Harrison didn’t think Stuart Sutcliffe added much musically to the band
Sutcliffe was one of Lennon’s close friends from art school. Sutcliffe taught Lennon about painting, and, in return, Lennon talked to him about music. When Lennon decided to form a new band, it felt natural that Sutcliffe would be a part of it.
Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison had worked together in The Quarrymen,...
- 4/27/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
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