"The Fifth Beatle" redirects here. For the graphic novel, see The Fifth Beatle (graphic novel).
Brian Epstein
George Martin
Derek Taylor
Neil Aspinall
Murray the K
Pete Best
Stuart Sutcliffe
Billy Preston
Various individuals described as the Fifth Beatle
The fifth Beatle is an informal title that has been applied to people who were at one point a member of the Beatles or who had a strong association with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The "fifth Beatle" claims first appeared in the press immediately upon the band's rise to global fame in 1963–64. The members have offered their own views as to who should be described with the title:
McCartney said on two occasions that "if anyone was the fifth Beatle", it was manager Brian Epstein (in a 1997 BBC interview)[1] and producer George Martin (in a 2016 memorial post).[2]
Harrison stated at the Beatles' 1988 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that there were only two "fifth Beatles": Derek Taylor, the Beatles' public relations manager, and Neil Aspinall, their road manager-turned-business-executive.[3]
The term originated in 1964 with the American disc jockey Murray the K, who pronounced himself the "fifth Beatle" due to the amount of promotion and coverage he afforded the band on his radio program. Others referred to as the "fifth Beatle" include their original drummer, Pete Best, bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, and keyboardist Billy Preston.[4]
^brianepstein.com: McCartney's comments about the fifth Beatle. Retrieved 12 March 2007
^"Paul McCartney". web.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
^Du Noyer, Paul (2012). Liverpool – Wondrous Place: From the Cavern to the Capital of Culture. Virgin Digital. p. 43. ISBN 978-0753512692.
^Bates, Claire (9 March 2019). "Who most earned the title 'fifth Beatle'?". Retrieved 29 January 2020.
The fifthBeatle is an informal title that has been applied to people who were at one point a member of the Beatles or who had a strong association with...
entourage was sometimes informally referred to as a "fifthBeatle". By early 1964, the Beatles were international stars and had achieved unprecedented...
June 2014, The FifthBeatle was nominated for a True Believers Comics Award for "Favourite 2013 Original Graphic Novel". The FifthBeatle was announced...
influence on the group led him to be referred to as the "FifthBeatle". Between 1962 and 1968, the Beatles released their songs in both mono and stereo versions;...
early days of Beatlemania, he frequently referred to himself as the fifthBeatle. Murray Kaufman came from a show business family: his mother, Jean, played...
the graphic novel The FifthBeatle. However, his commitment to the superhero film required him to part ways with The FifthBeatle. Reed then went on to...
He was commonly referred to as the "fifthBeatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatles' original albums. Martin's formal musical...
as a fifthBeatle. Best's mother, Mona Best (1924–1988), opened the Casbah Coffee Club in the cellar of the Bests' house in Liverpool. The Beatles (at...
(play) Seltaeb FifthBeatle Global Beatles Day Beatles Day Helter Skelter (scenario) Beatle haircut Plastic soul List of songs in The Beatles: Rock Band Apple...
movie 1988 Moving Target Toby Kellogg Our House Brian Gill Episode: "The FifthBeatle" Crossing the Mob Philly TV movie 1992 A Taste for Killing Blaine Stockard...
contribute to their sessions. Preston is among those sometimes known as the "FifthBeatle". After befriending the group in 1962, Preston joined the Get Back sessions...
in the Iain Softley film Backbeat as the "fifthBeatle" Stuart Sutcliffe during the early days of the Beatles' existence as a group. Dorff's performance...
to the Beatles, with whom he worked in 1964 and then from 1968 to 1970, and was one of several associates to earn the moniker "the FifthBeatle". Before...
1934 – 27 August 1967) was an English music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful...
CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) "Neil Aspinall, 'the fifthBeatle', dies aged 66". The Daily Telegraph. 25 March 2008. Archived from the...
Retrieved 2018-01-25. Madrigal, Alexis C. (2011-04-14). "Twitter's FifthBeatle Tells His Side of the Story". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-03-12. "How...
known as the record label of the Beach Boys, and as the U.S. label of the Beatles (their native label being Parlophone), especially during the years of Beatlemania...
He is best known for sitting-in for Ringo Starr in the Beatles for eight concerts of the Beatles' 1964 world tour during the height of Beatlemania, elevating...
1973), American Broadway theater producer and writer/producer of The FifthBeatle graphic novel Vivek Wadhwa, Indian-American technology entrepreneur and...
1976) was an English road manager and personal assistant employed by the Beatles from 1963 until their break-up in 1970. In the early 1960s Evans was employed...
2023. Jerry Schilling, a member of the Memphis Mafia "Meet the Fifth (Jewish) Beatle – Manager Brian Epstein". The Forward. December 4, 2013. Rolling...
also lauded as "a great collaborative partner" and was likened to "the fifthBeatle" by Tom Morello. The time spent on songwriting by the band was always...
on May 17, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016. "Remembering George Martin: 'FifthBeatle' Holds Record for Most No. 1s by a Producer on Billboard Hot 100 Chart"...
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