THE BEATLES: EXLUSIVE STORY OF THEIR ORIGIN This article written by Robert V. Weinstein in 1974 is titled, "The Man Who Really Discovered the Beatles" with the subtitle: "He wanted to hold their hand and cut their hair, yeah, yeah, yeah." The man who discovered the Bealtes is not Brian Epstein. The man who discovered the Beatles lives quietly in a New York suburb with his family, spending his days at a Manhattan brokerage firm. The man who discovered the Beatles - the man who handed them over to Brian Epstein - wanted to cut their hair and change their name. But he never got the chance. Taking a break from watching the tickertape, Hal Fein, 57, is seated in a plush conference room, puffing on a Pall Mall, wondering how his many stocks are going to perform. As the mystic financial powers-that-be control his present fortunes, the retired music publisher reminisces about one of the fortunes he has missed. "I discovered the Beatles. Yes, that's right, before Brian Epstein even entered the picture. I discovered the boys," he continues. "For the first time the story of the Beatles' beginning is being told. I'm the one who gave them to Brian Epstein. Everyone thinks that they were discovered in England. Well, that's not true." He leans forward in his chair, looking as if he is about to impart the secret of life itself. "The truth is, that Bert Kaempfert and I actually discovered the Beatles and made their first record in 1961, in Hamburg, Germany." Fein quit the music publishing business after 25 years. He gave the decision a great deal of thought - the business had just gotten out of hand, it seemed to Fein. There were too many double-crosses, immoral practices and drug use; reasons enough to pull up stakes and move on to quieter territory. But as the former owner of Roosevelt Music, publisher of popular, rhythm and blues and rock and roll songs, Fein has a good feel for the industry and an ear for talent. There is a sense of urgency in his voice. The muscles around his eyes are taut, as he reminisces about his Beatles. "I was in Hamburg for a recording session with German composer/arranger/entrepreneur Bert Kaempfert," he begins. "I asked Kaempfert if there were any rock and roll groups in Hamburg. I also wanted to see how the kids were dancing there. Kaempfert said he had heard about this club on the Reeperbahn called the Top Ten Club, where there was supposed to be a good band. It was a nightclub where you could listen to rock and roll and dance. American and British bands would always wind up on the Reeperbahn; it was the only place where they had entertainment. And it was also a big red-light district." Fein and Kaempfert and their wives visited the Top Ten, and all it took was a sixteenth note to tell Fein's well trained ears that he was hearing something unique and remarkable - a future sound. His eyes widen as he slides to the edge of his chair. "I stopped, dead in my tracks, as soon as I heard them. I couldn't believe it. They sounded so good. I was out of my f--king head! I knew it at once," he says with firm conviction while running out of breath. Taking a few seconds to light another cigarette, Fein goes on, caught up in the excitement of discovery. "I knew it" he repeats, "They were terrific." Below: Hal Fein "Sure, they didn't have the polish they had after playing together a long time, but they did have something nobody else had. Those boys were giving a definitive white performance of black music. At that time there were no white musicians in the States who could play race music (a pre-enlightenment term for r&b) with any sense of conviction or authenticity. They captured something no one else could. "During the course of the evening, I learned that the boys did not have a recording contract or any other ties." And that was all he needed to know. The next day the Beatles and Tony Sheridan, the singer the band was backing at the time, were signed to Bert Kaempfert Productions, a firm Fein and Kaempfert had formed. The contract was simply for recording, and involved no publication rights or personal management (the latter job filled by one Allan Williams, John Lennon told MHF&M). "Bert Kaempfert I remember well," John Lennon told Modern Hi Fi. Hal Fein must have been one of the people working with him. We cut a few tracks for Kaempfert..'My Bonnie' was one in which the Beatles backed a London singer who was 'big' in Hamburg, Tony Sheridan. Bert K. et al thought the Beatles were too bluesy!" At the time of discovery, Paul, John and George had been playing together since high school days. They had gone through a series of drummers and bassists, finally switching Paul from guitar to bass and finding Pete Best to handle the drumming. This was before Ringo came on the scene. Perhaps discovery is too strong a word: the band was anxiously seeking the break that finally came, and getting better and better musically all the while. Sheridan and the Beatles first recorded "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" and "When the Saints Go Marching In." "It was just a single," says Fein, understating the case a bit. "On the record it said, 'Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers.' They didn't use the word Beatles because they thought it sounded strange, like an animal. "After they were signed, I had to leave for Copenhagen. My parting words to Kaempfert were, 'Give the boys some money and make sure they get haircuts.' If it had been left up to me, I think they would've been called 'The Oxford Four' instead of the more avant-garde Beatles." Perhaps for the best, the only advice Kaempfert seemed to heed was about the money. And money they could use. "Four of them lived in one room - a small, cramped room - with hardly space for four. They slept on two bunk beds. And there was no window, they just had a transom for air and ventilation. And there was a stand-up coat rack for their clothes." Though no one knew it at the time, their dues-paying days were soon to be over. "When the record was released, the initial sales were about 180,000 copies, a fair sized hit for Germany. Due to its success in Germany, it was played on Radio Luxembourg - one of the most powerful stations in Europe, beaming in all directions - into Germany, south into the continent and north into England." Enter Brian Epstein. A record merchant in Liverpool, Epstein began to get inquiries about the record from customers who had either heard the record on the air or had seen the Beatles at a local club. "Epstein didn't know who they were or where they were from," Fein recalls. "He found out that Bert and I had their recording contract and had produced the record. He also learned that the Beatles were playing at a local pub." At this point, Fein leaves the picture. Personal travels brought him to Greece where he suffered a heart attack. He slowly recuperated over the next six months, as the Beatles became more and more popular. "Brian Epstein contacted Bert," Fein says. "He said he was interested in the boys and could do a lot for the boys. Kaempfert released the contract with no strings attached, lock, stock and barrel. The reasons Bert did it were these: He knew that with the boys living in England and Bert living in Germany, he couldn't run his own affairs and manage them, too. Kaempfert took Epstein's word when he said he would do everything he could to help the boys. And he knew that I couldn't take care of them because I was laid up in bed." Though they let go of one of the Twentieth Century's greatest show business phenomena, Fein says he has no regrets. Looking back philosophically, Fein explains how conditions were just right for the Beatles explosion. "It couldn't have happened if rock and roll didn't start in America. If it had never started in America, there would have been no rock scene. If we hadn't started the rock and roll business, there would have been nothing. Why, Eddie Fisher would still have been a big star. "What's more important than their music is the situation they created. They were the forerunners, though, the creators of a whole new era. And, as people they were just sensational guys. I never met Ringo Starr, but Harrison and Paul McCartney were just super young men. They are idealistic. They fight for what they think is morally right, and my hat is off to them. They are fine young men. "The only thing I ever disagreed with them about was their advocation of legalizing the use of marijuana in England. I am a hardhat where drugs are concerned. It is not a question of anti-pot, it is a question of anti-drug. For me, marijuana is as much of a drug as anything else. People say it is no worse than drinking. Well, I don't approve of people drinking either." Fein feels so strongly about this that he brought it up at one of the few times he ran into one of "the boys" in later years. It was at a club, during the late sixties, shortly after the Beatles had sponsored a full-page ad, supporting the legalization of marijuana, in one of the London newspapers. "I was appalled," Fein says. "I went up to Paul, and I told him it was disgusting that a group with such a huge following and with such an incredible impact on young people all over the world should be advocating something as dangerous as the legalization of marijuana. "He didn't say anything, but after that the Beatles never put out another ad like that." Though the group's future was out of his hands, and his only professional contact with them was to occasionally send them songs his company had published for possible recording, he still followed their career. From his own sources, he said he learned that Epstein was shrewdly manipulating the group."I never met him, and I only had one conversation with him on the phone. Whatever I know about Epstein is pure hearsay." But Fein has heard a lot. "Essentially, he was a real prick. I'll tell you what he did. When he signed the boys, they were hungry. He made a deal with them where each one got 10 percent of their earnings and he took 60 percent and paid for their expenses. That went on til Epstein died. It's never been publicized, but I think that was one of the reasons the Beatles broke up. They were completely dissatisfied with the financial arrangement and when his estate took over the contract, the boys refused to work under those conditions. "He was a real prick. Taking 25 percent is usurous. But this prick went one step further and took 60 percent. This is what Paul told me. Epstein was also a big fag (a pre-enlightenment term for homosexual) and a junky. He just took advantage of four hungry kids who wanted to say something musically. "On the other hand, Kaempfert tried to do the best thing for them by releasing the contract. They were two different kinds of people. In America, a contract like that would be called a white slavery contract. They never received the full compensation they should have received as performing and recording artists." Didn't the Beatles realize they were being swindled? Fein says: "They were mature enough to realize that they had made a bad deal. And there wasn't anything they could do about it. They had signed an agreement in good faith and made a bad deal for themselves. Not being businessmen, not being conversant with business procedures, they didn't realize exactly what they were doing. You have to understand that at the time they had nothing and they would have signed a contract with anyone for any reason whatsoever if they thought it would help to further their career." Now it has been told. Mere chance circumstance prevented the Beatles from having their locks trimmed and their name scrapped. If Fein's heart hadn't faltered at the crucial moment, we might be still dancing to the music of the Oxford Four, the group which had distinguished themselves by their music and by their chemical abstinence. And Hal Fein and Bert Kaempfert would have pushed them to the heights of fame. Or would they? (Below: A Photo of a Letter that John Lennon Sent In Reply to Modern Hi-Fi and Music's Request for a Verification of Fein's Story.) (IK! will now type out the contents of the letter, since it's difficult to read the scanned version from the magazine) On "Lennon Music" stationery and a typed-in date, "june already.75. " the letter from John reads - using his misspellings: "Dear Robert Weins_tein Bert Kaemfert I remember well. Hal Fein must have been one of the people working with him...but he no rings da bell (too much). Brian (Epstein) didnt hear the record over the air...he ran a record shop in Liverpool..near the Cavern...the local club we played at... one of the kids went to his shop to see if he had our record...he didnt... so he checked it/us out..he prided himself on being able to get any record that was asked for. We cut a few tracks for Kaemfort..My Bonnie..was one in which the Beatles backed a london singer, who was 'big' in Hamburg, Tony Sheriden..the first real Beatles single, was Aint She Sweet... meaning we/I sang it. Bert K et al thought the Beatles wer TOO BLUESY! Thats why we ended up as Sheridens' backing group. Sheriden was very good actually, and he definitely knew what the Germans wanted...he'd been working Hamburg for years!     Those were the days mein freind!          very corderoy,            j.l. p.s.Ther's a very good book on those says called "The Man WHo gave the Beatles Away (Alun Williams)*I've forgotten which publisher...it's new, but available. *he was our first 'manager'...he took us to Hamburg..tra la la..." The letter is signed by John with his little glasses, nose and smile drawing beneath the signature. There is also a hand-written note at the bottom (where the hand in the picture is) that says, "excuse the typing!"