Many readers know that Elan, our 10 yr old son, is recovering from a tough year. Elan has a hip condition called Perthes. While not life threatening, it is painful and long lasting.
Elan has been praised and written about. As if that weren’t enough, Elan now has a direct connection to The Beatles.
Last year, my wife reconnected with a high school friend. He actually learned about our son through Elan’s website. Turns out that my wife’s friend is business partners with none other than Allen Klein, founder of ABKCO Music & Records.
Beatles fans will remember that Klein was blamed in some circles for contributing to the breakup of The Beatles. Klein’s ABKCO Records was immortalized in George Harrison’s Beware of ABCKO bootleg.
ABCKO records was kind enough to send Elan a Rolling Stones Greatest Albums In The Sixties limited edition Japanese import boxed set. The record company was also responsible for having southern rock band Molly Hatchet do special shout-outs to Elan while on a recent European tour. You see, Elan played drums until this year’s surgery. Recently though, he has started to play again.
Allen Klein recently passed away. The day he died, my wife received another e-mail from her high school friend. Klein suffered from Alzheimer’s. One of the things he had asked about as he slipped in & out was “that little hip boy.” They told him that Elan was playing the drums again. He understood nodded, and then smiled. Those closest to him said that for a moment, Elan’s guts and determination made a difference to Allen Klein.