Allen Klein, whose clients included the Beatles and Rolling Stones, dies

July 4, 12:33 PMBeatles ExaminerSteve Marinucci

Previous Next

14 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Beatles Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The Phil Spector "Back to Mono" box set released by ABKCO
 Records, Allen Klein's record company.

Allen Klein, whose hard-nosed business style was one of the factors in ongoing disputes between the Beatles in later years, died Saturday after battling Alzheimer's disease, reported Reuters. He was 77.

Klein was hired by John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in 1969 to manage the affairs of the Beatles and Apple Corp., which was in financial disarray. But the move was vehemently opposed by Paul McCartney, who wanted wife Linda's father and brother to get the job. Klein later renegotiated the Beatles' contract and help get the Beatles a much higher royalty rate than they'd had previously. But McCartney later sued to separate the Beatles from Klein.

Klein co-produced the Concert for Bangladesh with George Harrison and in 2004 won a Grammy for the DVD documentary "Sam Cooke - Legend."

Klein also worked with the Rolling Stones and help renegotiate their record deal.

In a 1971 interview with Playboy magazine, he said, "The music business is about 99 percent no-talent losers who can't stand a winner in their midst. I'm a winner and if they want to sour grape my success by calling me names, let them. I don't give a s---."

Charles Tillinghast, a member of the Capitol Records legal department in the '60s and author of "How Capitol Got The Beatles: and Then What Happened," who represented Capitol Records in Beatles contract negotiations with Klein, said about him,  " I never found Klein deceptive or other than straightforward."

Other artists represented by Klein included Bobby Darin, Connie Francis and Sam Cooke. His ABKCO record label featured records by Herman's Hermits, the Animals and Marianne Faithful, plus a collection of recordings produced by Phil Spector.

For more info:

• ABKCO Records