August 27, 2026: The Fifth Beatle's Actual Job

He'd never managed a band before. He built the entire commercial machine behind the biggest one in the world anyway.

Brian Epstein discovered the Beatles at Liverpool's Cavern Club in 1961, negotiated their first recording contract, redesigned their public image, and secured their breakthrough American television appearances, all before dying of an accidental overdose on August 27, 1967, at age 32. His assistant Peter Brown became the last person to speak with him and the first to deliver the news to the band, in Bangor, Wales, on the same day. What followed, failed self-management, the creation of Apple Corps, and a bitter fight over new management, revealed exactly how much of the Beatles' business Epstein had been quietly holding together all along.

This is bsnsHistory, the daily podcast about the moments when business quietly reshaped the world.

Written and hosted by Ron Trucks. Research and editing by Rodney Russ. Sound design by Angela Cahoy. Music by Cody Martin and Soundstripe.

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