Notorious music figure Allen Klein, the one-time manager of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, has died after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s at the age of 77.
Allen Klein worked with the most celebrated artists in the world and build up one of the world’s great publishing and record companies ABKCO.Klein’s first client was Bobby Darin whom he met at a wedding in 1957. In 1963, he became the business manager for Sam Cooke. He created Tracey Records, a new label for Cooke and after Cooke’s death in 1964 bought the rights to the label (and Sam’s music) from Sam’s wife Barbara.
In 1965, Klein became co-manager of the Rolling Stones with Andrew Loog Oldham and then bought Oldham’s share out a year later. Mick Jagger didn’t trust him. He fired him to set up his own business in 1970.
Mistrust was a common trait in Klein stories. During the filming of the Stones Rock and Roll Circus, Klein met John Lennon. It was soon after the death of The Beatles manager Brian Epstein. It took two years but Lennon convinced Ringo Starr and George Harrison that Klein should take over the business of The Beatles. Paul McCartney didn’t want him and did not sign the agreement.
The disagreement of management was what brought an end to The Beatles.
Klein continued working with John through the ‘Imagine’ album and helped George organise ‘The Concert for Bangla Desh’. The concert created a riff with George and John after Klein sided with Harrison to keep Yoko out of the show. That is why John Lennon was not on The Concert for Bangla Desh.
Klein screwed Harrison next. While that whole ‘My Sweet Lord/He’s So Fine’ plagiarism suit was happening. (George unknowingly based the melody for My Sweet Lord on the 60s hit ‘He’s So Fine), Klein bought the rights to the earlier song but continued to fight George’s claim behind his back knowing that either way he would win.
It was also Allen Klein who was behind the legal battle with The Verve over ‘Bittersweet Symphony’. The band negotiated with Klein to sample an orchestrated piece of the Stones ‘The Last Time’. After the song was a hit, Klein demanded 100% of the royalties claiming The Verve sampled too much of the song.
So Allen Klein is dead. There probably won’t be many nice stories written about the man. He was ruthless. Some will remember him as an incredibly savvy businessman. Most will probably write up that he would have sold his own mother if there were a buck in it for himself.
