Murray the K Pronounced Himself the Fifth Beatle on the Band’s First Trip to America
Several people over the Beatles’ time together gained the title of “the fifth Beatle.” One of the first was American DJ Murray the K. Here’s how the DJ worked his way into the inner circle of the Fab Four and dubbed himself the fifth Beatle.
Murray the K was at the Beatles’ first press conference in America
After the Beatles began to blow up in America, the band’s manager Brian Epstein quickly arranged a trip for John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr to visit the states. Upon landing, the boys were swiftly ushered to their first big American press conference. While there, the fab four recognized Murray the K, who’s described as a “fast-talking, slightly abrasive American disc jockey” by Peter Brown and Steven Gaines in The Love You Make: An Insider’s Story of The Beatles. Murray was dressed in a colorful sports jacket and porkpie hat. Harrison sarcastically told him: “I love your hat.” Without hesitation, the DJ took the hat off his head and handed it to Harrison. “Here, you can have it,” he told the musician.
Amidst the interaction, a technician from CBS yelled: “Tell Murray the K to stop the crap.” Starr turned to Murray and told him: “Cut the crap out, the guy says.”
The Beatles were cooped up in their hotel rooms
From the press conference, the Bealtes were escorted by four New York City police cars plus two motorcycle cops to the Plaza Hotel. The surrounding area of the hotel was so swamped with fans, the boys were more or less trapped in their ten connecting rooms on the twelfth floor.
They spent their time watching American TV, messing with fans by looking out their windows, and chatting with DJs.
“They chatted amiably and freely with scores of disc jockeys who had managed to fast-talk their way through the bewildered operators at the Plaza switchboard,” reads TLYM. “The phone calls were taped or broadcast live on stations around the country, and the Beatles blithely and ignorantly gave away thousands of dollars’ worth of free promotion. When Brian found out about it, he stormed into their suite and ordered them off the phone.”
Murray the K got up to the Beatles’ rooms and named himself the fifth Beatle
Even after Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr were scolded for talking to DJs and giving away free promotions, Murray the K made his way up to the twelfth floor escorted by the Ronettes, who knew the Beatles.
“After the Ronettes brought Murray the K upstairs, he was impossible to remove,” reads TLYM. “He was soon overriding Brian’s instructions and started broadcasting live over the phone from the Beatles’ rooms. Yet he was so powerful on New York radio that no one dared ask him to leave, and he was allowed to fasten himself onto the entourage like a barnacle.”
To Epstein’s frustration, the DJ pronounced himself the fifth Beatle after the time he spent with the band in their hotel room.
