It would seem that in the history of The Beatles quartet – the famous Liverpool Four – everything has long been known, described and put in its place. They are the subject of a huge number of publications, published not only in UK, but also in many other countries of the world, a number of books written by Beatles biographers or directly by them (for example, George Harrison). Recently, a feature film dedicated to the Beatles has been made….
But sometimes in the media or among fans there is a version of the so-called ‘5th Beatle’, who played a significant role in the rise to the heights of world fame of the Liverpool musicians!
Various names are mentioned: Brian Epstein (1934 – 1967), the group’s manager, who in fact discovered The Beatles and promoted the little-known Liverpool group to the musical Olympus, Stuart Sutcliffe (1940 – 1962), John Lennon’s closest friend, the author of a number of creative ideas, later embodied by the Beatles (there is a version that it was he who invented The Beatles’ stylish hairstyles and the name of the group itself). Quite rightly mentioned are the names of Pete Best, the band’s official drummer from 1960 to 1962, and the wonderful arranger and talented composer George Martin (1926 – 2016), who produced all the records in the band’s official discography from 1962 onwards.
If someone asked me if there was a 5th Beatle, I would probably say this: all of the people mentioned above, each of whom played their own special, important role in The Beatles’ history, are collectively the collective 5th Beatle.
Fortunately, apart from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Pete Best, who turned 83 the other day, is also alive today….
