Terry Crain, author of the popular Beatles memorabilia book, NEMS and the Business of Selling Beatles Merchandise in the U.S. 1964-1966, has come full circle by attending the unveiling of the new Brian Epstein statue during International Beatle Week in Liverpool in August 2022. The statue, a project that had been in the works for several years, was introduced to the world on the 55th anniversary of Epstein’s passing.
Epstein was famously the manager of the Beatles, amongst a host of other Merseyside artists, and is often referred to as “the fifth Beatle.” He is credited with cleaning up the band’s stage act and image, thus packaging them for a wider audience. His statue is located in Whitechapel, near where North End Music Stores (NEMS), which the Epstein family owned and operated, was located. Crain’s book covers the approximately 150 licensed Beatles items sanctioned by the NEMS management company.
Crain, a retired administrator from John Logan College in Southern Illinois, called the unveiling of the statue, "A very humbling moment. We learned that early contributors to the statue fund were recognized by having their initials etched in the jacket lining on the statue. It was surreal to find my ‘TC’ in the group. So glad to be a small part of this wonderful legacy!”
As for Crain’s book itself, the task of documenting original Beatles memorabilia and identifying the companies involved, as well as their dealings with NEMS and a plethora of lawyers, was a daunting one. “I’ve assembled as detailed a book as possible given the lack of record-keeping and the inaccuracies of time,” said Crain. He also makes clear that the book is not a price guide, but “a showcase of Beatles memorabilia. Not only that, it is also a detailed account of how manager Brian Epstein and NEMS dealt with licensing and much more.”