Bizarre origin of the Beatles’ iconic ‘Drop T’ logo, which has NEVER appeared on an album cover thanks to the £5 offer
The Beatles’ iconic ‘Drop T’ logo was created in a bizarre £5 deal.
The logo was not used on any of the Fab Four’s albums and became an iconic piece that has appeared on much of the band’s memorabilia since.
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Despite its fame, the logo was the result of a last-minute design for Ringo Starr’s new drum kit, purchased in April 1963.
He had exchanged his Premier set for a Ludwig set, but under one condition from the drum dealer: that the Ludwig logo had to appear on the front.
This was because the dealer Ivor Arbiter had just signed a contract with the US drum maker.
But Beatles manager Brian Epstein, who was with Ringo when the exchange took place at Drum City in London, also wanted the Beatles’ name on the bass drum.
The seller, Arbiter, designed the logo on site on a piece of paper.
The capital B and the dropped T emphasized the word “Beat.”
Ringo was happy with the compromise and paid Drum City just £5 to have the design painted on his drums.
And so the iconic logo was born.
In late 1963 the Ludwig sticker began to peel off, so Ringo brought it back to have it repainted.
The Beatles performed between 1960 and 1970 and are considered the most influential band of all time.
The Fab Four have sold over 600 million albums worldwide.