Neil Aspinall

Mar 25 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

NEIL ASPINALL began his career as The Beatles’ van driver – and steered the band’s career and legacy over some 40 years.

The Beatles’ friend, guide, and unseen architect of their success, he became chief executive of Apple Corps and was described as closer to all of the Beatles than anyone.

Grandfather Aspinall was said by his family to have died after "a brief illness and a glorious life".

Born in October, 1941, to Liverpool parents evacuated to Prestatyn, North Wales, Aspinall was a school pal of Sir Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

They formed the "Mad Lad" gang, sharing cigarettes, "doing ridiculous things together" and, as teenagers, adding John Lennon to the group.

After a brief stint as an accountant, when his friends formed The Beatles with Pete Best and then Ringo Starr, Aspinall remained at the centre of the gang.

The Beatles’ first road manager, Aspinall would drive them between gigs in an old Commer van, doubling up as minder, spotlight operator, confidant, fixer and personal assistant.

Aspinall once said: "People used to say to me then ’What do you do?’.

"I’d stopped being an accountant or pretending to be one by this time, and I said ‘I drive the band around’ and they’d say ’Yeah – I know that, but what do you do for a living?’.

"Two years later, the same people were saying ‘You lucky git, Neil’."

Following the death of the Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein, in 1967, Aspinall was asked to take over management of Apple Corps.

The organisation, which guards The Beatles’ legacy, was founded by the Fab Four and has since been involved in legal disputes over trademarks and royalties.

Aspinall fell ill with lung cancer two months ago and was cared for at the Sloan- Kettering hospital, in New York.

Aspinall’s wife Suzy and his five children, who described him as "the centre of our universe", were with him when he died.

Aspinall met Suzy during the making of A Hard Day’s Night and they were married in 1968.

Under Aspinall’s direction of what he dubbed "not the music business but The Beatles business", the band’s legacy transcended the 1960s.

The 66-year-old was executive producer on the massive-selling Beatles Anthology album and was behind other successes including the Beatles One album.

In the Beatles Anthology, Aspinall said: "My happiest memories of being with the band were some of the laughs that we had backstage and in dressing rooms when nobody else was around and we were swapping jokes together.

"No big deal, really. It was those little personal things that are my favourite moments. We always had a laugh."

He quit the chief executive role almost a year ago.

Former Apple press officer Geoff Baker previously described Aspinall as "the fifth Beatle and the architect of all the Beatles’ success over the past 15 or 20 years".

Days after Aspinall’s departure was announced, it was disclosed that the Beatles had settled a long-running £30 million royalties row with music giant EMI.

An EMI spokeswoman confirmed the royalties row had been settled on "mutually acceptable terms".

Earlier this month, there were reports that Sir Paul might have given the go-ahead for the band’s back catalogue to be made available on iTunes and other digital download services "within months".

The speculation prompted bookies Ladbrokes to offer odds of 3-1 on Yesterday becoming their next number one after a flurry of bets.

The band also settled a long-running dispute with iTunes parent company Apple Computer in February last year over the use of the Apple name.

A settlement gave Apple Inc ownership of the name and logo in return for agreeing to license some of those trademarks back to Apple Corps for their continued use.

It followed a long-running trademark lawsuit.

The Beatles’ company, whose corporate logo is a giant green Granny Smith apple, sued Apple Computer Inc for trademark infringement in 1978.

The computer maker agreed in 1981 to pay £42,000 and never enter the music business.

Apple Corps sued again nearly a decade later, alleging software included on Apple’s Macintosh computers violated those terms.

Apple Inc again settled, agreeing in 1991 to pay £13.5 million to secure the rights to the apple logo for selling computers and software, while Apple Corps would get it for producing and selling music.

But tension flared again in 2003 while Apple Inc was signing up recording labels to offer their songs through Apple’s new iTunes download store.

Apple Corps argued that Apple Inc’s use of the logo on iTunes breached the 1991 agreement.

But a judge ruled that Apple Inc’s logo was used in association with the store - not the music - and was permitted.

The settlement announced in February last year replaced the 1991 agreement.

Mr Aspinall said at the time: "The years ahead are going to be very exciting times for us.

"We wish Apple Inc every success and look forward to many years of peaceful co-operation with them."

Aspinall was described today by Apple aide and ABC TV producer David Saltz as "the most brilliant and inspirational guy that everybody just gravitated around; he had an amazing mind and he was a very groovy guy".

Aspinall also created Standby Films with his wife - maker of the 1999 Jimi Hendrix film, Hendrix: Band Of Gypsys.

He was also an artist and became a co-founder of Sir Paul’s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.

Neil Aspinall, Beatles manager; born October 13, 1941, died March 24, 2008