New information came to light thanks to a biography written by the man often referred to as the ‘secret Beatle’
14:24, 31 Jan 2026
Tony and Paula Quinn at the Musical Box Record Archive-Museum in 2023
A family-run record shop that has been in business for almost 80 years has uncovered a new piece of Beatles history. The Musical Box on West Derby Road in Tuebrook, is believed to be the oldest independent record shop in England. Staff said they recently discovered evidence that The Beatles manager Brian Epstein used to visit the shop to buy records during the early 1960s.
The revelation came after the family learned that Epstein, alongside friend and former Beatles booking agent Joe Flannery, regularly visited the shop to buy records that were not available at Epstein’s own store, NEMS.
The discovery was confirmed by a reference in the late Joe Flannery’s biography, Standing in the Wings, which states that he and Epstein frequented The Musical Box while working in Liverpool’s music scene.
In a Facebook post, The Musical Box said: “We were always aware of Joe Flannery coming in because he’d often speak to my great nan Dorothy to promote his brother’s band, Lee Curtis & The All Stars. We always assumed Brian Epstein would have visited other record shops in Liverpool, but we never had the provenance until now. It was lovely for the family to learn that he bought records here.”
The passage from Flannery’s book says that he and Brian “took a trip to my font of all wisdom – The Musical Box on Rocky Lane – for a few records that NEMS did not have in stock.”
A plaque at The Musical Box record store on West Derby Road(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The Musical Box first opened in 1947, originally selling toys, LPs and gift items such as birthday cards before becoming a full-time record shop. The shop was bought by current owner Tony Quinn’s grandmother, Dorothy, in the early 1950s. Today, it is run by Tony and his wife Paula Quinn, with their son Craig also helping with the shop’s social media accounts.
Over the years, the shop has welcomed a number of famous visitors including John Lennon, Pete Best and Elvis Costello.
Paula said: “[Pete and John] used to talk to my grandmother in law. After they left, someone turned to her and said, ‘That was The Beatles.'”
The shop’s links to Liverpool’s music heritage continue to emerge as the family works through decades of stored material. In the past two years alone, previously unopened boxes have revealed handwritten stock books and sales records from the 1960s.
One of the books shows tallies of record sales from the time of The Beatles’ breakthrough, including figures for Can’t Buy Me Love sales on the day of its release.
The Musical Box has kept historical sales records(Image: Ray Bonsall/Liverpool ECHO )
Paula said: “I was made up when I found the books. I didn’t know what they were at first and nearly put them back. But they’re records of what was bought and sold in the shop. We’ve got notes showing how many records were sold when Can’t Buy Me Love came out. It’s a piece of history.”
The shop has also uncovered three previous shop signs on the building revealed after layers of signage were removed during recent renovations.
In 2023, the family opened a heritage museum on the shop’s second floor, converting original owner Dorothy’s former living space into a public display area. The room still contains much of its original furniture, including a piano which has since been played by famous famous including Craig Charles.
The piano has been played by famous faces including Craig Charles (Image: Liverpool Echo)
The hallway on what was once a home above the shop, now houses framed receipts, stock lists and memorabilia from the shop’s past.
Even before its newly discovered links to Brian Epstein, The Musical Box had already established itself as a cut above the rest of the country’s record shops.
Being based in Liverpool in the 1950s was an advantage, and the shop benefited from visits from merchant seamen returning from America who would bring back 78rpm records that were already popular in the US. Tony’s grandmother Dorothy would listen to the records and use them as a guide on what to order when record labels printed their release sheets.
The shop continues to attract visitors from around the world today, including tourists from the US, some of whom have even tried to buy the original stock books.
“We tell them no chance,” said Paula.
The family say the discoveries are ongoing. “We’ve got a whole other room of boxes,” Paula said. “Every time we open another box, we find something new.”