Born on 13 October 1941, Neil Aspinall was a childhood friend of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, and became The Beatles’ road manager, personal assistant and manager of Apple Corps.
At the age of 12, Aspinall gained a place at the Liverpool Institute, where he studied English and art alongside Paul McCartney. After leaving school in 1959 he studied accountancy, and went on to work as a trainee accountant for two years.
The Beatles first played Liverpool’s Casbah Club in August 1959. The club was in the cellar of Mona Best, mother of the band’s drummer Pete Best. Aspinall became good friends with Pete, and rented a room in Mona’s house. Aspinall entered a relationship with Mona, and fathered a child, Vincent ‘Roag’ Best, born in July 1962. Their relationship drew to a close when Pete Best was sacked from The Beatles, an incident which appalled the loyal Aspinall.
On the road
As The Beatles’ career took off in the early 1960s, they became in need of a driver. Aspinall was asked by Pete Best to be their part-time road manager, and bought a grey Commer van for £80. He charged each band member five shillings per concert.
When The Beatles returned from their second Hamburg trip in July 1961, Aspinall left his accountancy job to become their full-time road manager.
In 1963 he was joined by roadie and bodyguard Mal Evans, and Aspinall became more of a personal assistant to the band. He worked closely with Brian Epstein, and even stood in for an ill George Harrison during rehearsals for the Ed Sullivan Show on The Beatles’ first trip to America. He is also known to have signed sets of Beatles autographs for thousands of unsuspecting fans.
After the band withdrew from touring in 1966, Aspinall became more actively involved in creative decisions. He was charged with sourcing photographs for all the people shown on the Sgt Pepper cover, and played tambura on ‘Within You Without You’ and harmonica on ‘Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite!’.
After Brian Epstein died in August 1967, The Beatles asked Aspinall to manage Apple Corps, founded in April 1968. George Martin apparently opposed the idea, saying he was ill-suited to negotiating with the top-brass executives at EMI.
Apple Corps
Aspinall was kept busy at Apple, which originally had five divisions: music, electronics, films, publishing and retail. He later said of the company’s business practices:
We did not have one single piece of paper. No contracts. The lawyer, the accountants and Brian, whoever, had that. The Beatles had been given copies of various contracts, maybe – I don’t know. I didn’t know what the contract was with EMI, or with the film people or the publishers or anything at all. So it was a case of building up a filing system, find out what was going on while we were trying to continue doing something.
Aspinall was reportedly unhappy at being kept at the Apple office at 3 Savile Row while the band recorded the White Album and Let It Be. He was briefly sacked by The Beatles’ new manager Allen Klein, though later reinstated.
After The Beatles’ break-up Aspinall was kept busy, dealing with lawsuits, licensing and trademark issues, and continuing the running of Apple Corps.
Anthology
In the early 1990s he was appointed executive producer of the Anthology project, which had its roots in the 1970s as a film called The Long And Winding Road. However, legal issues and changing priorities ensured that the film was never finished.
By the 1990s Apple had resolved many of its legal issues with EMI. Work on the project resumed, and the scope was extended. As Aspinall said, “If it takes 10 hours to tell The Beatles’ story then make it 10 hours.” A new subsidiary company, Apple Productions, was set up to oversee it.
Aspinall played a key role in bringing Anthology to fruition, and continued to safeguard The Beatles’ legacy. However, on 10 April 2007 it was announced that he had “decided to move on”. He was reportedly unhappy with the band’s legacy being mined for money-making opportunities, although one of his final tasks at Apple is said to have been overseeing the remastering of the back catalogue for re-release.
Neil Aspinall died in New York City on 24 March 2008 while undergoing treatment for lung cancer.
Aspinall’s care for The Beatles legacy remains understated.
That’s why Pete Best was kicked out of the band but they always say it was because he was a bad drummer
I never knew that Neil had a child with Pete Best’s mother! Scandalous!
Neil also had an uncredited role as the “Death Soldier” in How I Won the War.
Thanks loyal and true Neil, for all the big and small chores you did for the Fabs over those long and often difficult years.
The Beatles treated Aspinall and especially Mal Evans like dirt. They were the only two people in their lives during the crucial Apple founding to crash-and-burn period who *weren’t* trying to screw them, and that includes Linda Eastman, Allan Klein, Derek Taylor and especially Yoko Ono. In return they made pennies while lesser hangers on scammed lots of money, and were finally abandoned, especially by John Lennon, from whom it is not surprising, and also from George Harrison, from whom it *is* surprising.
Abandoned? Oh yeah?
Mal worked for John on Live Peace At Toronto, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine. Mal was a production assistant when Lennon produced Nilsson’s Pussy Cats album. Shortly after John began his househusband years.
Mal also worked on Ringo’s and George’s early solo records.
Mal Evans estate sold Lennon’s lyrics for A Day In The Life for over 56,000 pounds. The lyrics weren’t Mal’s property to begin with unless John gave them to him.
No one forced Mal and Neil to work for the Beatles. They didn’t make a lot of money in the 1960’s, especially Mal Evans. But would they have traded their jobs and the excitement of being a member of the Beatles team? I think not. If they weren’t satisfied for whatever reasons, they could have departed for another job at any time.
As for Neil Aspinall, he did quite well working for the Beatles at Apple after the breakup and made a lot of money. Neil played a vital role in the making of the Anthology series.
get your facts right yes they took a lot of flack but were in the job of a life time,, and The Beatles bought Neil a house as a wedding present,, they never went without,, i knew Neil,, he could have walked out anytime and spilled the beans for a tidy sum,, he didn’t,, same with Terry Doran, he kept his trap shut and was looked after,, these guys got to witness and experience what we can only read about and imagine,, i would have took it for nothing,, the truth is Neil and Mal loved the lads and they loved them 2.
You say the Beatles abandoned Neil & Mal but their situations were very different. Mal went out on his own and had some success in the music business before his untimely death at the hands of the LA police.
But Neil ran Apple til 2007 and supposedly left an estate of 7 million pounds, so he certainly wasn’t “abandoned”.
I read Aspinall died with a considerable fortune, I go for a jog in Teddington cemetery occasionally and salute his grave, which has a big Om sign on it.
George gifted Mal Evans’ family a big vacation to the south in the 60s, bought him a gold watch and he sent Mal’s widow a considerable amount of money after Mal’s tragic death (M. neither left life insurance nor any other assets to his wife and children). These are just the few facts I know, I’m sure there has been more.
Neil Aspinall did very well for himself financially as CEO of Apple.
Sir Hudd-Fudd,
Intriguing, do you have the facts to back that up?
I find it interesting that the only Beatle to attend Neil’s funeral was Pete Best.
But it was Paul who paid the hospital and the funeral expenses. And they were great expenses, for sure!
If Paul attends a funeral it instantly turns into a circus. He stays away out of respect.
I think Yoko went to the service at St Mary’s Twickenham where Alexander Pope is buried “fools rush in where angels fear to tread”
Thanks to Neil, Pete Best was finally able to get some recognition (not to mention some triple figure $$$), when some of the old Decca tracks and Tony Sheridan stuff were included on Anthology 1. I’ve read that Ringo was NOT happy about that, and insisted that Pete’s image not be used anywhere on the album.
Where did you “read” it? Site sources, or it’s just your opinion.
Yes, Mike its ture. Some of those pictures are of Hamburg where Ringo didnt go
Of course Ringo was in Hamburg!!
He was playing with Rory Storm.
He was The Beatles drummer since July 1962 and was with them on there last 4 month stint at The Star Club at the end of 1962 and at this time they were already signed to EMI and Love Me Do had been released.
Pete Best was a rubbish drummer.
That’s why George Martin told Eppy he was not happy with Bests playing.
That’s why they got rid of him.
If they didn’t it could’ve cost them signing with EMI.
Ok????
Billy, Ringo joined the group in August 1962, not July. Plus, the Beatles’ last stint in Hamburg at the end of 1962 was not a 4 month stint. It was only 2 weeks…
Neil and Mona Best? Where was Mr. Best while this was going on, and what was his reaction when/if he found out. For someone who got all steamed up when Pete got uncerimounsly/cowardly canned she has an affair with her son’s friend. How Mrs. Robinson. Emeraldeyes
It was not some seedy illicit affair. Despite the age difference (Mona had Pete very young, 17 yrs old?), they were in a ‘relationship’.
Who knows if it got Pete’s blessing 100%?
Perhaps not Mrs. Robinson but Mona Best was definitely a free spirit, particularly for the time. It was apparently a bit too much for her husband, Johnny Best. He was reportedly not a fan of her adventurous ways and ambitions. This included the infamous race track bet, the resulting purchase of the house at Hayman’s Green and the subsequent opening of the Casbah Club. He began staying away from the home for longer and longer periods of time on business trips. By the time she and Pete entered the Beatles’ orbit, the couple had largely separated although they had not divorced. To help make ends meet, Mona leased rooms in her home and Neil Aspinall was one of her tenants. It was during one of her husband’s long absences that the affair occurred. Although the dismissal of Pete from the Beatles rocked the relationship, it apparently did not end completely. They continued to be friendly and Mona even visited Neil in London after he moved there with the Beatles in 1963. Things finally ended for good between the pair once Neil began dating his future wife, Suzy Ornstein. The two wed in 1968 and remained together for 40 years until his death.
A long time ago I thought I had read that when Allen Klein took over as the Beatles manager, Lennon had specifically told Klein “to do what you must, but leave Neil and Mal Evans alone.” However, it seems the more current version of the story is that Neil and Mal were canned by Klein soon after he took over, and only reinstated when the Beatles objected to their dismissals. I am frankly surprised that neither John, George or Ringo (I don’t count Paul because he never signed the management deal) never spoke with Klein beforehand to tell him that Neil and Mal had been with the band since the very beginning, and that they should not be touched. I guess Klein objected to their four course lunches, fine wines and other things the two men were buying up. But if you consider that Neil never really wanted to run Apple, and hated being stuck in the Apple offices doing work he despised, I can’t say I blame him for rewarding himself now and then. The three Beatles should have told Klein BEFOREHAND that Neil was in no way a threat to his power, and in fact wanted out of the Beatles management. That if anything, Neil should be viewed as an ally to Klein in that he could get Klein caught up to speed on Apple, its day to day operations and where they were having issues. Obviously, I am glad that the three Beatles (and probably Paul) got Mal and Neil reinstated ASAP, but still, after all that Neil and Mal had done for them, I would have expected the three Beatles to be more thoughtful and to make sure that Neil and Mal were saved from Klein’s hammer. Especially because Neil was really only running Apple until they got someone to run it. It wasn’t what he wanted to do. He wanted to be in the studio as a roadie, a runner , etc. – the stuff that he normally did to help them. Personally, if I were Neil and Mal, I would’ve been a bit hurt, disrespected and taken for granted by John, George and Ringo.
MikeP,
Ringo was displeased about Pete Best being featured in Anthology 1, so much so that he asked Klaus Voorman who designed the Anthology covers to cover up the image of Pete from the Hamburg-era photo of The Beatles on Anthology 1 (where Pete’s face should be you see ripped paper which reveals an image of Ringo underneath), Klaus Voorman has mentioned it in a YouTube video.
Rose Prulx,
There was no Mr. Best. Mona Best raised her sons as a single mother (yes it was common those days after WW2), which might explain the closer than usual bond between Pete and his mother and why, in fact, Pete Best was such a “mother’s boy” or why Mona went on TV sticking up for her son when he was sacked by The Beatles in August 1962.
Yet Pete does appear on the cover–in the lower left, he is standing next to George on the Cavern Club poster.
Just to correct the record here a bit. Pete Best’s father, Donald Scanlan, did, in fact, die during the war but there was also a Mr. Best. Johnny Best married Mona when Pete was only a toddler, less than 3 years old, and was the only father he ever knew. He eventually adopted him.
So many ill-informed comments in this thread. I hope that the perpetrators have done some homework in the ensuing period. Hearsay, rumor, innuendo and opinions are not facts.