Credit: BBC News. Writer: Joe Johnson
A new statue of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, showing him walking to see the band, will soon celebrate his legacy in Liverpool, the team behind it has said.
The Brian Epstein Legacy Project wants to place the statue on Whitechapel, which is close to Epstein’s legendary NEMS record shop, where The Beatles themselves used to pop in and shop for the newest hit vinyl, including American rock & roll, which they loved.
Known as “The Fifth Beatle”, Epstein discovered The Beatles in 1961 after seeing them play at lunchtime session at The Cavern Club, which was just a short walk from his NEMS Record Store. He signed them to a management contract at a commission rate of 25%, put them in matching suits, stopped the on-stage swearing and antics and required The Beatles to bow after every set, glamming them up, and IT WORKED! Epstein went on to manage many other Liverpool bands, including Gerry and The Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas and others.
Sculptor Andy Edwards said the statue would show Epstein in full stride, a nod to his Pier Head statues of the Fab Four, not far away. This crowdfunded work would become the first in the city centre to commemorate an LGBT figure. Brian died from an accidental drug overdose on August 27th, 1967, less than two months after the band sang “All You Need is Love” to the world via satellite. There is also a bio-pic in the works about Epstein’s life called “Midas Man” currently in production hiatus. Sir Paul McCartney would later refer to him as “the fifth Beatle”.
