Allan Williams
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Allan Richard Williams (21 February 1930 – 30 December 2016) was a British businessman and promoter who was the original booking agent and first manager of
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
. He drove the van to take the young band to
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
,
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, in 1960, where they gained the vital show business experience that led to their emergence on the world stage. Williams was also a promoter and agent of a number of other Liverpool rock acts, helping stoke the
Merseybeat Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed around Liverpool in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from British and American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle, tradit ...
boom of the early 1960s.


Ancestry and early life

Williams was born in Knowsley Road,
Bootle Bootle (pronounced ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 51,394 in 2011; the wider Bootle (UK Parliament constituency), Parliamentary constituency had a population of 98,449. It is pa ...
. His father was Richard Edward Williams, a local council building inspector and dance promoter, and his mother was Annie Cheetham; Williams traced part of his ancestry back to Owen Williams (Owain Gwyrfai), a Caernarfonshire millwright, poet and pioneer
lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries. * The ...
in the
Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...
. His mother died when he was very young and his father remarried to Millie Twigg, the family living in Litherland and being completed by Williams's half-sister Olwyn (b. 1937) and half-brother Graham (b. 1938). In his mid-teens he left home to sing with
Joe Loss Joshua Alexander "Joe" Loss (22 June 1909 – 6 June 1990) was a British dance band leader and musician who founded his own eponymous orchestra. Life Loss was born in Spitalfields, London, the youngest of four children. His parents, Israel an ...
in the
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
. Later he sang with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and even tried to sell Blackpool rock in Spain. In 1955, Williams married Beryl Chang, a school teacher born in Liverpool to Chinese immigrants. The Williams' mixed-race marriage subjected them to verbal abuse from locals.


Early business ventures


Nightclubs

In 1958 Williams was inspired by London's 2i's Coffee Bar and leased a former watch-repair shop at 21–23 Slater Street, Liverpool, which he converted into a coffee bar, The Jacaranda. With "the Jac's" proximity to Liverpool Art College and a local art supplies shop, the venue became popular with the city's young
beatnik Beatniks were members of a social movement in the mid-20th century, who subscribed to an anti- materialistic lifestyle. They rejected the conformity and consumerism of mainstream American culture and expressed themselves through various forms ...
s and art students. Williams asked students
Stuart Sutcliffe Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe (23 June 1940 – 10 April 1962) was a British painter and musician from Edinburgh, Scotland, best known as the original bass guitarist of the Beatles. Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as a pa ...
and Rod Murray to paint murals in the club's basement, and their classmate,
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
, began attending regularly (as did
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
and
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
, though less frequently). Williams offered musical entertainment at the club, such as Lord Woodbine's Royal Caribbean Steel Band and, later, local
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
bands like Cass and the Cassanovas. In 1960, Williams took on a number of additional projects, such as backing Lord Woodbine's
strip club A strip club (also known as a strip joint, striptease bar, peeler bar, gentlemen's club, among others) is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease and other erotic dances including lap dances. St ...
in Liverpool, the Cabaret Artists Social Club.Lewisohn, p. 297 He and Woodbine traveled to
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
, West Germany in late January 1960, where they became acquainted with
Bruno Koschmider Bruno Koschmider (1926 – 2000) was a German entrepreneur in Hamburg, best known for employing the Beatles in the early 1960s. He controlled various businesses, such as the Bambi Kino, which was a cinema, the Indra club and the Kaiserkeller. P ...
, owner of the Kaiserkeller Club. By coincidence, Williams and Koschmider met again in July at the 2i's Coffee Bar, where they arranged for Derry and the Seniors (and soon, other Liverpool groups) to perform in Hamburg. On 1 December 1960, Williams opened the Top Ten Club on Liverpool's Soho Street (the name being borrowed from a Hamburg club popular with Liverpool rock acts, including the Beatles), with Bob Wooler as its DJ. However, the club burned down a week later due to an electricity overload. In spring 1960, Williams bought the lease for a social club with plans to convert it into a nightclub called the Blue Angel. The Blue Angel opened in March 1962.


Rock concert promotion

In March 1960, Williams attended a
Liverpool Empire The Liverpool Empire Theatre is a theatre on the corner of Lime Street in Liverpool, England. The playhouse, which opened in 1925, is the second one to be built on the site. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in the United Kingdom and can ...
concert starring
Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American rock and roll musician who pioneered the style of rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-a-Lula", is ...
and
Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran ( ; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. His songs, such as " Twenty Flight Rock", " Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire in ...
, which prompted Williams to host his own show with the two stars. He and promoter Larry Parnes agreed to host a show on 3 May with the two American stars and a coterie of Liverpool rock acts, including
Rory Storm and the Hurricanes Rory Storm (born Alan Ernest Caldwell; 7 January 1938 – 28 September 1972) was an English musician and vocalist. Born in Liverpool, Storm was the singer and leader of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, a Liverpudlian band who were contempora ...
(which then included
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...
) and
Gerry and the Pacemakers Gerry and the Pacemakers were an English beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin. Their early successes helped make ...
. Cochran died in a car crash less than three weeks before the concert, though Vincent and the Liverpool acts still performed as scheduled. The show was a huge success for the Liverpool rock scene and opened a fruitful working relationship between Williams and Parnes for several months. In May 1962, Williams booked
Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...
to perform on a bill with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes at New Brighton Tower Ballroom.


Beatles management

In May 1960, as Williams began supplying Parnes with backing groups for solo singers, the Beatles, as regular patrons and performers at the Jacaranda, pressed Williams for opportunities; Williams helped find them a temporary drummer ( Tommy Moore) and booked them for an audition with Parnes. The audition resulted in Parnes asking the Beatles to tour Scotland as the backing band for
Johnny Gentle John Askew (8 December 1936 – 29 February 2024), known as Johnny Gentle and later Darren Young, was a songwriter and crooner from Liverpool, England. Life and career John Askew was born on 8 December 1936 in Liverpool, where he also grew up ...
in late May 1960. Between May and August, Williams secured a number of bookings for the group at other places. Rod Murray observed, "None of he Beatleshad any business sense, and without Allan Williams I don't think they would have got anywhere." One memorable booking was backing a local stripper, named Janice; when she discovered the Beatles were not familiar with the "Gypsy Fire Dance", they instead backed her with a rendition of the Harry Lime theme tune. Around 8 August 1960, Bruno Koschmider asked Williams for another Liverpool rock act to perform at his Indra Club. After first approaching several other groups, Williams asked the Beatles, who agreed. Lacking a permanent drummer in their line-up, they quickly recruited
Pete Best Randolph Peter Best (; born 24 November 1941) is an English retired musician who was the drummer for the Beatles from 1960 to 1962. He was dismissed shortly before the band achieved worldwide fame and is one of several people referred to as a ...
after a 13 August audition held at one of Williams's clubs. On 15 August, Williams commenced a road and ferry journey in his Morris J2 van that carried him, Beryl, her younger brother Berry Chang, Lord Woodbine, and the Beatles, to Hamburg by the early morning hours of 17 August. In late September, Williams and Koschmider agreed to have the Beatles and
Rory Storm and the Hurricanes Rory Storm (born Alan Ernest Caldwell; 7 January 1938 – 28 September 1972) was an English musician and vocalist. Born in Liverpool, Storm was the singer and leader of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, a Liverpudlian band who were contempora ...
perform together at the Kaiserkeller. Williams earned a 10% commission on the groups' payments from Koschmider. The Beatles returned from Hamburg in December 1960, simultaneous with the collapse of Williams's Top Ten Club and the planned opening of the Blue Angel. Distracted by these matters, Williams stepped back from rock management and asked Bob Wooler to handle the Beatles' affairs. However, he helped McCartney and Best appeal deportation orders from the German government so that the Beatles could return for a spring 1961 Top Ten Club residency. When the band returned to Hamburg in late March, they (except for Stuart Sutcliffe) refused to pay Williams's 10% commission, citing unhappiness with German tax deductions from their weekly paycheck. An irate Williams threatened to have the Beatles' residency terminated and their behavior reported to the Agency Members Association, which could have jeopardized the group's ability to seek management in the UK. He did neither of these things, but in July 1961 he threatened to sue the band for 104 pounds. The Beatles hired a solicitor to rebut Williams's claim, and Williams let the legal action lapse by December.Lewisohn, p. 509, 538 In December, Williams met with the Beatles' second manager,
Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein ( ; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was an English music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put hi ...
—memorably warning him, "Brian, don't touch them with a fucking bargepole"—but eventually lifting his ban on the Beatles' entry to the Blue Angel.


Life after the Beatles

Years later, Williams and the Beatles spoke fondly of one another, with McCartney describing Williams in ''
The Beatles Anthology ''The Beatles Anthology'' is a multimedia retrospective project consisting of a television documentary, a three-volume set of double albums, and a book describing the history of the Beatles. Beatles members Paul McCartney, George Harrison and R ...
'' as 'a great guy'. In the 1970s, Williams played a crucial role in producing the first Beatles conventions to be staged in Liverpool, and he was a perennial VIP guest at the city's annual Beatle Week Festivals. In 1975, he published a memoir, ''The Man Who Gave the Beatles Away'', to which Lennon gave his endorsement. Recovering a tape of a latter-day Beatles show in Hamburg (performing on New Year's Eve of 1962–63), he saw it released (in 1977) as '' Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962''. The tapes were rereleased and bootlegged multiple times in the years since under different titles on budget labels. In 1999 the micro-budget film ''All Those Years Ago'' was released by Shotmaker Productions. The film is largely based on William's own recollections of his time managing the fledgling Beatles. Although initially flattered and sympathetic to the film, in his second book, ''A Fool on the Hill'', Williams described the film makers as being deceitful and the film as "utter rubbish". ''The Man Who Gave the Beatles Away'' is also the title of a musical by Irish playwright Ronan Wilmot, which was performed at the New Theatre in Dublin in 2002. Williams carried on speaking at Beatles conventions from Liverpool to Singapore and South America. The Jacaranda reopened after a brief hiatus under new management in the mid-1990s and saw success build upon its cult status throughout the following decade; it remains a popular venue for young and old lovers of live music and hosted many gigs for Liverpool's Sound City music festival. Williams gave an extended interview in the 1982 documentary, ''
The Compleat Beatles ''The Compleat Beatles'', released in 1982, is a two-hour documentary chronicling the career of the Beatles. Narrated by actor Malcolm McDowell, it includes extensive interviews with a number of sources close to the Beatles. Some of the people ...
''. In the early to mid 1980s he had a stall at the entrance to the burgeoning
Camden Market The Camden markets are a number of adjoining large retail markets, often collectively referred to as Camden Market or Camden Lock, located in the historic former Pickfords stables, in Camden Town, London. It is situated north of the Hampstead R ...
in London, where he would sell old brassware including taps and accessories. In 2012 French comics Gihef and Vanders published ''Liverfool'' ( Emmanuel Proust Editions) in which they relate Allan Williams's encounter with the "Fab Four" and their first steps together. On 9 May 2016, at a ceremony in
Liverpool Town Hall Liverpool Town Hall stands in High Street, Liverpool, High Street at its junction with Dale Street, Castle Street, and Water Street, Liverpool, Water Street in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for E ...
, Williams was made a Citizen of Honour of the City of Liverpool, awarded by
Liverpool City Council Liverpool City Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. Liverpool has had a local authority since 1207, which has been reformed on numerous ...
for his services to the local music scene. Williams is briefly seen in
Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...
's 2021 '' The Beatles: Get Back'' documentary constructed from unused footage originally shot by Michael Lindsay-Hogg while making the ''Let It Be'' film in 1969. Allan Williams died in Liverpool on 30 December 2016, at the age of 86. In 2024 Williams was portrayed by Eddie Suzy Izzard in the British biographical film '' Midas Man'', about the life of music entrepreneur
Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein ( ; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was an English music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put hi ...
.


References


External links


Allan Williams BBC biography

Allan Williams in a BBC Archive report on the first annual 'Mersey Beat convention' in 1971
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Allan 1930 births 2016 deaths English music managers The Beatles People from Bootle 20th-century English businesspeople English people of Welsh descent