Is this the most-important document in pop history?
The contract between The Beatles and their manager Brian Epstein is set to fetch up to £500,000 at a London auction this month. The document, signed by all four members of the band, is the only managerial contract signed by both the final line-up of the Beatles - and their manager. Signed in October 1962, the contract was finalised just days before the release of the band's first single, Love Me Do.
The contract is between Brian Epstein and The Beatles, signed by John Winston Lennon, George Harrison, James Paul McCartney, and Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr). As Paul and George were under 21, their fathers, Harold Hargreaves Harrison and James McCartney, were also summoned to co-sign the contract.
The contract states that The Beatles agree to 'appoint the Manager to act as such Manager throughout the world ... for a period of 5 years from the 1st day of October 1962', signed by Brian Epstein as company Director and Clive Epstein as company Secretary, then signed by all other parties including all four Beatles. 'Without this contract, and the relationship it represents, it seems inconceivable that The Beatles could have achieved all that they did,' Sotheby's writes on its website. 'It took more than inspired musicianship and song-writing to remake popular music, and the presentation, direction, and internal harmony of the Beatles all owed a huge amount to Brian Epstein.'
The contract is part of with the Sotheby's 'Rock & Pop sale' on London on Tuesday, and is expected to fetch between £300,000 and £500,000.
By: Sara Malm
Source: Daily Mail
