The Top 20 Music Managers of All Time

Music Managers: Top 20

Here’s the top 20 music managers (with some of the best-known artists they’ve managed in parentheses) as determined by an aggregation of multiple lists. See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Categories. 1. Andrew Loog Oldham (The Rolling Stones) 2. Brian Epstein (The Beatles) 3. Colonel Tom Parker (Elvis Presley) 4. Peter Grant (Led Zeppelin) 5. Malcolm McLaren (Sex Pistols) 6. Don Arden (Black Sabbath) 7. Allen Klein (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones) 8. Don Kirshner (The Monkees, Kansas) 9. Albert Grossman (Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, The Band) 10. Kit Lambert (The Who) 11. Robert Stigwood (The Bee Gees) 12. Lou Pearlman (Backstreet Boys, N’ Sync) 13. Tony Defries (David Bowie) 14. Irving Azoff (Eagles) 15. Chris Stamp (The Who, Jimi Hendrix) 16. Simon Fuller (Spice Girls) 17. Jon Landau (Bruce Springsteen) 18. Dee Anthony (Tony Bennett, Peter Frampton) 19. Scooter Braun (Justin Bieber) 20. Joseph Jackson (The Jackson 5) Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Lists of Acts/Music Makers by Categories First posted 5/20/2017; last updated 1/26/2022.

Today in Music (1964): The Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show

February 9, 1964 The Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show

In what became one of the most important moments in rock history, The Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time on February 9, 1964. A record-setting 73 million people and 45% of television households tuned in for the Fab Four’s first U.S. televised live performance. ES The group had been hyped for weeks prior to their arrival. “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” one of the songs they performed that night, had already sold a million copies ES and was the #1 song in the country. The group also performed “All My Loving,” “Till There Was You,” “She Loves You,” and “I Saw Her Standing There.” The Beatles became a sensation in their native England nearly a year before with the release of their debut album, 1963’s Please Please Me. The story goes that Ed Sullivan learned about the Beatles when arriving at London’s Heathrow airport with his wife on Halloween that year. Sullivan was curious why thousands of youngers were there. It turned out the Beatles were returning home from a tour in Sweden. It has been reported that once in his hotel room, Sullivan looked into booking the group for his show, ES a notion which Sullivan himself has purported. BA The more accurate story would seem to be that the incident peaked Sullivan’s curiosity, but that it wasn’t until later that he actually followed through. Peter Prichard, a London theatrical agent who was employed by Sullivan and good friends with Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein, recommended Sullivan book The Beatles. While interested, Sullivan still wanted an angle to promote the group. Prichard said the group were the first “long haired boys” invited to appear before the Queen of England and Sullivan was convinced. BA Epstein then secured a deal for the Beatles to perform on three shows in 1964. Sullivan agreed to pay them $10,000 and cover transportation and lodging. When they arrived in New York at Kennedy Airport on February 7, 1964, three thousand fans greeted them. Beatlemania had reached a feverish pitch. The February 24, 1964, issue of Newsweek panned the performance, saying “Musically, they are a near-disaster: guitars and drums slamming out a merciless beat that does away with secondary rhythms, harmony, and melody. Their lyrics (punctuated by nutty shouts of ‘yeah, yeah, yeah!’) are a catastrophe…the odds are they will fade away, as most adults confidently predict.” ES Resources: Dave’s Music Database: “History Index” for more important dates in music history Dave’s Music Database: “Music Makers’ Birthdays” DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Beatles the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry for The Beatles BA BeatlesAgain.com ES EdSullivan.com Related Links: First posted 2/9/2014; updated 2/6/2024.

Today in Music (1964): The Beatles hit #1 in the U.S. with “I Want to Hold Your Hand”

I Want to Hold Your Hand The Beatles

Writer(s): John Lennon/Paul McCartney (see lyrics here) Released: November 29, 1963 First Charted: December 5, 1963 Peak: 17 US, 18 CB, 12 GR, 19 HR, 15 UK, 16 CN, 17 AU (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 1.86 UK, 12.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 3.0 radio, 67.9 video, 233.71 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Beatlemania exploded in the UK in 1963. “From Me to You” hit #1 in May, followed by “She Loves You” in September and “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in December. Manager Brian Epstein couldn’t get Capitol Records (EMI’s American company) interested because, as one label executive said, “We don’t think the Beatles will do anything in this market.” FB He couldn’t have been more wrong. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” ended up launching the group in the United States. Paul McCartney remembers the group telling Epstein, “We’re not going to America till we’ve got a #1 record.” RS500 They kept their promise. When the Beatles touched down in New York for their first U.S. visit, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was the number one song in the U.S. BB On February 9, 1964, the Beatles performed for an estimated 73 million people on The Ed Sullivan Show. It went on to become the biggest hit of the year WHC and the Beatles’ first of twenty #1’s on the Billboard Hot 100, a still untouched record. BB It was also the opening shot for the British Invasion. AMG Previously, only two British artists had topped the U.S. charts – Acker Bilk with “Stranger on the Shore” and the Tornados with “Telstar.” LW However, during 1964 and 1965, the Brits occupied a whopping 52 weeks at the American chart pinnacle. LW The tame sexuality of the title phrase was mocked by some critics AMG but “the lyrics are typical of the period – all euphemism and innuendo.” TC The Beatles had more on their minds than hand holding. KL Their goal was to “make maximum impact rather than last as a transcendent song,” LW However, they achieved the latter nonetheless with “one of the most important songs in rock history.” AMG Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Beatles AMG All Music Guide BB Billboard (9/08). “All-Time Hot 100” FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 143. TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Pages 857-8. JA David A. Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 89. KL Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh (2005). 1000 UK Number One Hits: The Stories Behind Every Number One Single Since 1952. London, Great Britain: Omnibus Press. Page 96. LW Alan Lewens (2001). Popular Song – Soundtrack of the Century. Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 121. RS500 Rolling Stone (12/04). “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” WHC Joel Whitburn (1999). A Century of Pop Music. Menomonee Falls, WI; Record Research, Inc. Page 89. Related Links: Last updated 11/24/2022.