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ITN
First Beatles contract for sale
First Beatles contract for sale
The first contract that led The Beatles to worldwide fame is going under the hammer. The 1962 agreement with their manager Brian Epstein was signed by John Lennon, Ringo Starr and the dads of both Paul McCartney and George Harrison - because the pair were both under 21. Ted Owen, Managing Director of The Fame Bureau, said: "This is sort of equivalent to a peace deal or something. It's one of the big, big contracts in history as far as social, cultural, political changes that came from this group being together." Originally drafted on January 24, 1962, Epstein refused to sign the document until he'd kept his word to the Fab Four of securing them a number one hit and a record deal, according to Owen. Epstein finally filled in the contract on October 1, 1962 and the document up for auction is the manager's own personal copy. Also on offer at the music memorabilia sale is John Lennon's lyrics to Sexy Sadie. Hand-carved in India in 1968, they have the top estimated value of £55,000. The It's More Than Rock and Roll auction takes place at the Idea Generation Gallery in London on September 4.
ITN | August 20, 2008
