Neil Aspinall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Neil Aspinall
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Aspinall in 2006
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| Born | 13 October 1941 Prestatyn, Wales
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| Died | 24 March 2008 (aged 66) New York City, U.S.
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| Occupation | Road manager, personal assistant, record producer, executive |
| Years active | 1961−2007 |
| Spouse(s) | Suzy Aspinall (née Ornstein) |
| Children | Vincent "Roag" Best, Gayla, Dhara, Mandy, Julian |
Neil Stanley Aspinall (born October 13, 1941 – died March 24, 2008) was a British music executive. He was a school friend of Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Later, he became the head of the Beatles' company, Apple Corps.
The Beatles first hired Neil Aspinall as their road manager. This meant he drove his old van to and from their shows, day and night. After Mal Evans joined the team, Aspinall became the band's personal assistant. Eventually, he became the chief executive of Apple Corps.
For Apple Corps, Aspinall was involved in important legal cases. These included disputes against Allen Klein, EMI, and Apple Computer. He also managed the release of their music, videos, and merchandise. Neil Aspinall retired from Apple Corps on April 10, 2007. He passed away in New York in 2008 from lung cancer.
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Early Life and School Days
Neil Aspinall was born in Prestatyn, North Wales. His mother had moved there from Liverpool to escape the air-raids during World War II. His father was serving in the Royal Navy at the time. Neil and his mother returned to Liverpool in 1942 after the bombings stopped.
Neil later attended West Derby School. When he was twelve, he got a spot at the Liverpool Institute. He was in the same English and Art classes as Paul McCartney.
Neil remembered meeting George Harrison at the Liverpool Institute. He said George had "shaggy hair" and asked for a cigarette. Neil also recalled meeting John Lennon later. John was studying at the Liverpool College of Art, which was near their school. The four of them would often meet up at a student coffee bar. Neil did well in his exams, passing most of them. After school, he started training to be an accountant. He worked for two years, earning a small weekly wage.
Working with The Beatles
The Beatles started playing at the Casbah Coffee Club in August 1959. This club was in the basement of Mona Best's house. Neil Aspinall rented a room there and became good friends with the band's drummer, Pete Best.
By 1961, the Beatles were playing many shows each night. They needed their own way to get around. Pete Best asked Neil to be their part-time road manager. Neil bought an old van for £80. He charged each band member a small fee per concert. George Harrison said their van was "brush-painted red and grey" and covered in graffiti. It became very famous. In July 1961, Neil quit his accounting job to become the Beatles' full-time road manager. He was earning more money driving them around.
In 1962, Neil drove the Beatles to London for their Decca audition. The trip took ten hours because Neil got lost. They arrived late at night. In 1963, Mal Evans joined Neil. Mal helped set up the band's equipment and acted as a bodyguard. This allowed Neil to focus on other tasks. He would arrange appointments and buy things like suits, boots, and meals for the band.
Pete Best was removed from the Beatles in August 1962. This was done by their manager, Brian Epstein. Neil Aspinall was very upset and thought about quitting. But Pete Best told him to stay with the band. Neil continued to work for the Beatles.
Neil worked closely with Brian Epstein. Epstein gave Neil weekly notes about the band's performances and fees. The Beatles often traveled in Neil's van with their equipment. The roads in Britain were not very good back then. Ringo Starr remembered that they were always traveling. They would drive all over Great Britain. One band member would sit in the front, and the other three would sit on a hard bench in the back.
Neil as Personal Assistant
Neil's job as a personal assistant meant driving the band to concerts and meetings. But mostly, it meant being there whenever someone needed something. Neil went with the Beatles on their first trip to the United States. During this trip, George Harrison got sick with a fever. Neil stood in for George during rehearsals for The Ed Sullivan Show. Luckily, George was well enough for the actual show.
Before the cover for Sgt. Pepper's was finished, Neil helped find photos of all the people who would be on the cover. Neil also suggested the idea of Sgt. Pepper being the host of the album. He also suggested the title song be played again near the end of the album.
After recording sessions, John, George, and Ringo would be driven home. But Neil often drove Paul McCartney and Mal Evans to a late-night club to eat. One of their favorite clubs was The Bag O'Nails in London. They would eat steak, chips, and mushy peas. Neil would always use a small torch to check their food portions. He wanted to make sure they got exactly what they ordered. Paul McCartney always found this funny. John Lennon didn't get his driver's license until 1965. But he rarely drove because he was not a good driver. So, he was usually driven to and from recording sessions by his own driver.
Musical Contributions
Even though Neil Aspinall was not a musician, he helped with some of the Beatles' recordings. He played a tamboura on "Within You Without You". He played harmonica on "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!". He also played some percussion on "Magical Mystery Tour". He was one of the many people singing on the chorus of "Yellow Submarine".
Becoming a Manager
After Brian Epstein passed away in August 1967, the Beatles needed someone to manage their business. In 1968, they asked Neil Aspinall to take over Apple Corps. Apple Corps was a new company they had started that year. Neil said he only took the job because they asked him. He planned to do it only "until they found somebody else."
George Martin, the Beatles' producer, didn't think Neil was the right person for the job. He thought Neil wouldn't be able to talk to important business people. Neil went with Paul McCartney and John Lennon to New York in May 1968. They announced the creation of Apple Corps to the American media. Apple Corps had five main parts: electronics, film, publishing, records, and retail.
Derek Taylor, Apple's press officer, said Neil didn't like being stuck in the Apple office. This was especially true during the recording of The White Album and Let It Be. Life at the Apple office was made better with a chef and assistants. They had a lot of food and drinks. Neil and Peter Brown often had fancy four-course lunches with expensive wines in the Apple dining room.
Later, Allen Klein was hired to manage the Beatles. Neil Aspinall was briefly fired, but the band complained, and he was hired back. Klein realized Neil wasn't a threat to his control of the company. Legal battles between Klein and Apple kept Neil busy until 1977.
Apple Corps Executive Role
In 1978, Neil Aspinall started the first of three lawsuits for Apple Corps against Apple Computer, Inc. (now Apple, Inc.). These lawsuits were about trademark infringement. This means Apple Computer was using a name or logo that was too similar to Apple Corps'.
The first lawsuit ended in 1981. Apple Computer paid Apple Corps £41,000. As part of the agreement, Apple Computer could use its logo as long as it didn't get into the music business. The second lawsuit happened in 1989. Apple Corps sued Apple Computer again because of its Apple IIGS computer. This computer had a special music chip. In 1991, they reached another agreement for £13.5 million. Paul McCartney praised Neil for protecting the Apple name around the world.
In September 2003, Apple Computer, Inc. was sued again by Apple Corps. This time it was because of the iTunes Music Store and the iPod. Neil and Apple Corps believed this broke their earlier agreement about music. The trial started in the UK in March 2006. It ended in May 2006 with Apple Computer winning. The judge decided that the iTunes Music Store did not violate Apple Corps' trademark.
In the early 1990s, Neil Aspinall became the executive producer for The Beatles Anthology. He, George Martin, and Derek Taylor are the only non-Beatles shown in new parts of the documentary. He continued to advise the surviving Beatles and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison. He also managed the marketing of their music, videos, and merchandise.
On April 10, 2007, Apple announced that Neil Aspinall had decided to retire. Jeff Jones was hired as the new CEO to manage the Beatles' music catalog. One of Neil's last jobs at Apple was to oversee the remastering of the Beatles' old music. This was for a planned release in 2008.
Personal Life and Passing
On August 30, 1968, Neil Aspinall married Suzy Ornstein in London. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Ringo's wife attended the wedding. Suzy Aspinall is the daughter of Bud Ornstein, who worked for United Artists Pictures (UK). Neil met her in 1964/1965 when her father was overseeing the production of the first two Beatles films: A Hard Day's Night and Help!. Neil and Suzy had four children: daughters Gayla, Dhara, Mandy, and a son named Julian. Besides his work for Apple Corps, Neil and his wife also ran their own film company called Standby Films Ltd. In 1999, Standby Films released a film about Jimi Hendrix called Hendrix: Band of Gypsys.
Neil Aspinall passed away from lung cancer in New York City in 2008. His funeral was held at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Twickenham. Many famous people attended, including Stella McCartney, Yoko Ono, Barbara Bach (Ringo Starr's wife), George Martin, Pete Best, and Pete Townshend. Pete Townshend played Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" as a tribute. After the private service, Neil was buried at Teddington Cemetery. Neil left nearly £7 million in a trust for his wife, Suzy.
Images for kids
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Aspinall in 2006
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The Liverpool Institute, which Aspinall, McCartney and Harrison attended
See also
In Spanish: Neil Aspinall para niños
