Epstein first noticed the Beatles in issues of "Mersey Beat" and on numerous posters around Liverpool created by his commercial artist associate Tony Booth, before he asked "Mersey Beat" editor Bill Harry who they were. Harry had previously convinced Epstein to sell the magazine at NEMS, with the Beatles featured on the front page of its second issue. The Beatles had recorded the "My Bonnie" single with Tony Sheridan in Germany, and some months after its release Epstein asked his personal assistant Alistair Taylor about it in NEMS. Epstein's version of the story was that customer Raymond Jones walked into the NEMS shop and asked him for the "My Bonnie" single, which made Epstein curious about the group. Taylor later claimed that he had used the name of Jones (a regular customer) to order the single and paid the deposit, knowing that Epstein would notice it and order further copies. Harry and McCartney later repudiated Epstein's story, as Harry had been talking to Epstein for a long time about the Beatles—the group that he promoted the most in "Mersey Beat"—with McCartney saying, "Brian knew perfectly well who the Beatles were; they were on the front page of the second issue of "Mersey Beat"". On 3 August 1961, Epstein started a regular music column in the "Mersey Beat" called "Stop the World—And Listen To Everything in It: Brian Epstein of NEMS".