The Man Who Gave the Beatles Away

A candid, first-hand account of the Beatles’ formative years, this memoir is written by the band’s first manager, the Liverpool club owner who helped launch them from local hopefuls to hard-working performers in Hamburg. Offering an insider’s view of the raw, chaotic early 1960s music scene, it traces the group’s development before fame, their grueling residencies in Germany, and the personal and business conflicts that led to his split from them—hence the provocative claim of having “given them away.” Frank, opinionated, and sometimes controversial, the book sheds light on ambition, loyalty, and missed opportunity at the dawn of the British Invasion. Essential reading for Beatles enthusiasts and anyone interested in rock history’s untold backstories.