Eric Easton
Eric Easton (1927–1995) was an English record producer and the first manager of British rock group the Rolling Stones. Originally from Lancashire, he joined the music industry playing the organ in music halls and cinemas. By the 1960s he had moved into management and talent spotting, operating from an office suite in London's Regent Street. Easton met Andrew Loog Oldham in 1963; Oldham wanted to sign an unknown band, called the Rolling Stones, about whom he was enthusiastic. At the time, the band were still playing small clubs and blues bars. Easton saw them once—at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond—and agreed with Oldham. Their partnership was one of contrasts: Oldham has been described as bringing youth and energy, while Easton brought industry experience, contacts and financing. Together, they signed the group to both a management and publishing deal, which, while giving better terms for the group than the Beatles received, was to the advantage of Easton and Oldham who received a larger cut. Easton was primarily responsible for booking gigs—he was keen for the group to get out of London and play nationally—but also acted as record producer on a number of occasions, including on their first single, a cover version of Chuck Berry's "Come On" in June 1963. Easton was responsible for many aspects of the band's development, ranging from managing their fan club to organising their tour of America in 1964.

As the Stones' fame and popularity increased, so did their expectations of Easton. However, after a number of problems on an American tour, in 1965 Oldham decided to oust Easton from the partnership and bring in New York promotor Allen Klein. Oldham persuaded members of the group to support him and Easton was sacked. The band, with the exception of Bill Wyman, acquiesced. Easton launched a number of lawsuits for breach of contract, and eventually settled out of court for a large sum. In 1980 he and his family emigrated to Naples, Florida, where he went into business; his son, Paul, also became a music manager and booking agent.
Q183945
record producer
Concept
Q2920921
manager
Concept
Q11399
rock
Concept
Q11036
the Rolling Stones
ORG
Q23077
Lancashire
LOC
Q940462
music hall
Concept
Q610225
talent spotting
ORG
Q1123106
Regent Street
LOC
Q357194
Andrew Loog Oldham
PER
Q9759
blues
Concept
Q1139100
Crawdaddy Club
MEDIA
Q2500974
Richmond
LOC
Q1299
the Beatles
ORG
Q1430795
gigs
UNK
Q155171
cover version
Concept
Q5921
Chuck Berry
PER
Q2449379
Come On
MEDIA
Q13557472
fan club
ORG
Q971189
tour of America in 1964
Concept
Q324737
Allen Klein
PER
Q312559
Bill Wyman
PER
Q697327
lawsuit
Concept
Q562566
breach of contract
Concept
Q167412
settled out of court
Concept
Q257830
Naples, Florida
LOC
Q1344174
booking agent
Concept
Q87146037
Eric Easton
UNK
1960-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1960
DATE
1963-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1963
DATE
1963-06-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
June 1963
DATE
1964-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1964
DATE
1965-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1965
DATE
1980-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1980
DATE
+1927^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1927
NUMBER
+1995^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1995
NUMBER
genre
performer