BLJ Worldwide's Peter Brown Marks the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles' "Rooftop Concert" with Exclusive Essay in the Financial Times
The Last Beatles' Insider Revisits the Band's Final Live Performance
NEW YORK, Jan. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Peter Brown, CBE, the Chairman and CEO of BLJ Worldwide, and former executive director of Apple Corps, The Beatles' holding company, published a major essay in today's Financial Times to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' legendary rooftop concert, their last live performance as a band.
The impromptu show took place in a cold January afternoon in London on the roof of the building where Apple Corps was headquartered, and "Although none of us realised it at the time, it was to be their final live performance as a band. And as far as rock shows go, it was a great one," Peter Brown writes in the piece that ran in print in the Arts section.
The essay focuses on the myth surrounding the concert and highlights how the narrative of the police breaking the concert up is a product of years of speculation. "The police came, yes. But I met them on the rooftop and assured them that we owned the building and could not be forced to shut down. The police went into a huddle before returning to politely ask us to turn it down to prevent traffic jams and a possible disturbing the peace citation," Brown clarifies in the article.
Brown's mark in the worlds of music, entertainment and communications began as part of the management team for The Beatles. With the death of Brian Epstein, he assumed full responsibility for their management. He was asked to become a director of Apple Corps at its formation and oversaw its day-to-day operations. When The Beatles broke up, he became President and Chief Executive Officer of the Robert Stigwood Organization, Inc., a New York-based company with a high profile in theatre and film production and personal management. In 1977 Peter formed the Entertainment Development Company, a Wall Street-financed independent film company. Seeing a need for sophisticated public relations counsel for high-visibility clients, he founded Brown & Powers in 1983, which today is BLJ Worldwide.
Peter Brown's business partner, Mike Holtzman, Global President of BLJ Worldwide said, "We are so proud of Peter's willingness to share his experiences from that incredible era. He truly was at the center of the the musical and cultural storm the Beatles unleashed, and his insights continue to remind us of some universal truths about history."
SOURCE BLJ Worldwide
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