“Fifth Beatle” Streets Coming to Liverpool

Thirty years after John, Paul, George and Ringo were immortalized with street names in their hometown of Liverpool, other select members of the Beatles family are under consideration for the same honor. The Liverpool city council is considering plans to name streets after “fifth Beatles” Pete Best, Brian Epstein and Stuart Sutcliffe.
New Liverpool Beatles Appreciation Society spokesman John James Chambers, whose organization made the application for the aforementioned honors, said: “Epstein, Sutcliffe and Best are all Beatles icons and made a major contribution. They are all synonymous with The Beatles. In Brian Epstein’s case, he really was Mr. Liverpool. When [music producer and promoter] Tony Wilson died, he was posthumously given the freedom of Manchester because he was considered to be Mr. Manchester. Brian Epstein has never really been officially honored.”
Best was The Beatles’ drummer from 1960-1962, but was ousted after producer George Martin suggested that the group needed to upgrade. Sutcliffe was the band’s bassist from 1960-1961, but quit the group to study art in Germany. He died of a brain aneurysm in April 1962. Epstein was The Beatles’ manager, who led them from the Cavern Club to world stardom. He died of an accidental drug overdose in August 1967.
Both Sutcliffe and Epstein have also been nominated for posthumous freedoms of the city.

--Michael Wright