He never wrote a song, fronted a band or played a concert, but Brian
Epstein is one of the important men in the history of rock 'n' roll.
"Without
his initial guidance, insight and connections, the world would be a very
different place right now. Simple as that, really," says Cleveland musician
Dave Swanson.
Epstein,
you see, discovered the Beatles. And, with his shrewd management, he helped
turn them into the biggest band in rock history.
"Brian
Epstein invented what a rock 'n' roll manager could be," says Lauren Onkey, vice
president of education and public programs at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame and Museum.
"In
the 1950s, people did not look at rock 'n' roll performers as legitimate
artists. Brian brought a professionalism and commitment to working with the
Beatles – he really respected them and thought what they were doing was
legitimate art and culture."
Epstein,
who died in 1967, will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on
Thursday, April 10, in New York City. He will posthumously receive the Ahmet
Ertegun Award for Lifetime Achievement – an award for just five amazing years
in the music industry. Another famed English music manager, Peter Asher,
will give his induction speech.
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