Allen Klein, Beatles, Stones Manager, Has Passed On
Savvy accountant/manager recouped royalties for well-known artists.
Allen Klein, former Beatles and Rolling Stones manager, has passed on at the age of 77.
According to Entertainment Weekly, his clients included Sam Cooke, the Rolling Stones, and the Beatles. Klein was born in New Jersey and helped Cooke land a record deal in 1963. Klein went on to manage the Rolling Stones and wound up with the rights to "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash."
According to the Associated Press, he was one of the most powerful figures in the music business in the 1960s. He was an accountant known for his temper and brashness. Some Beatles fans blamed him for contributing to the band's breakup.
Klein was great at auditing record companies and finding unpaid royalties for Bobby Darin and other artists. This helped him get the Rolling Stones' attention. He helped the group negotiate a new contract but was fired in 1970 when he bought the rights to their songs from the 1960s.
According to Reuters, his career spanned over 50 years and as Mick Jagger said, "In some ways Allen Klein was very much ahead of his time."
