A man who feared he might be taking a risk by paying the Rolling Stones £60 to perform at a music hall is auctioning a poster from the event which is expected to fetch £5,000.
Brian Howard, who was a local music promoter, booked the now iconic band to play at the Epsom Bath Halls on December 14, 1963 - long before the group, which headlined at this year’s Glastonbury festival, started commanding millions of pounds for a gig.
The original poster promoting the Epsom Baths Hall performance, designed and owned by Mr Howard, and estimated to be worth £5,000, is to go under the hammer on Friday.
Mr Howard said: "I booked the Rolling Stones a few months before they’d released their first record and although I always signed bands that were on the up and likely to make it big, it was a risk at the time.
"But it turned out that my biggest success was in signing the Stones. Their Saturday night fee was £60 to £70 - they’ve done rather better since then.
"When I arrived at the hall that evening, there was a crowd of about 500 waiting for tickets. It was a complete sell-out."
A photograph signed by all members of the band on the night of the concert, will also be auctioned - showing the Stones’ original line-up, including guitarist Brian Jones who died in 1969.
Auctioneer John Nicholson said: "This really is a chance for fans and collectors to snap up a piece of music history."
The auction will be held on December 13 at John Nicholson Auctioneers, Longfield, Midhurst Road, Fernhurst. For more information click here.
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