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In late September 1963, The Beatles were given two weeks off form the circus of Beatlemania. While John went to Paris and Paul and Ringo went to Greece, George took the trip of a lifetime and travelled with his brother Peter to visit his sister Louise in America. Staying first in Benton, Illinois and then in New York, he discovered first hand the American lifestyle he's read about in books and seen in the movies first hand. In this video, we'll tell you, with the help of George's own words, exactly what he got up to and how he really felt about the American lifestyle of 1963.
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You have no idea how much this video means to me. Last December the man who got me into The Beatles suddenly and unexpectedly died of a heart attack. He was more than a friend to me and was more of a father figure. We always would talk about ideas we had surrounding the Beatles and I always recommended your channel to him. We had planned to create a video similar to this due to us both living in Illinois and having a mutual love for the Beatles as well as mutual knowledge on the subject. Your creation of this video made me feel like to an extent our plans to record a video like this have been fulfilled. He would have been proud of this video. Thank you Andrew for helping me feel like his legacy has been honored.
Sorry about the loss of your friend. Prayers to you and his family.
I am sorry for the loss of your friend and am very touched by your comment. Thank you for watching.
También lo siento por tu amigo, y oraciones para él. (Also I sorry for your beatlefriend and prayers for him)
Sorry to hear of your loss, I too was elated that Andrew made this video, like you I also live in Illinois
@@michaelbrooke6326 Thank you for your thoughts.
Could you imagine being one of those record store employees realizing a year later after Beatlemania that you had George Harrison in your shop asking about The Beatles? "I met him and didn't even know it!"
Those folks in that small town must have went into shock when The Beatles finally came to the U.S. a few months later. The Beatles were simply huge!
"With the right kind of backing that kid may go far..." I would have liked to be a fly on the wall of that WFRX Radio Station when the BEATLES hit the Ed Sullivan Show.
Back in September 2005 I retraced George's travels in southern Illinois, where I checked into the Hard Day's Nite B&B, on the outskirts of the little burg of Benton. The B&B was a modest house that was bought by George's sister Louise in March 1963. In September 1963 -- as Beatlemania was beginning to break in England and on the Continent, but was still a few months in the future over here -- George and his brother Peter stayed with her there.
The house itself was rescued from the wrecker's ball in 1995 and converted to a B&B. It's a modest little house, with a living room, dining room, kitchen, and two smaller rooms on the first floor, and three bedrooms on the second. It's furnished and decorated in 1960's style, although with few original pieces. There is Beatle paraphernalia everywhere. The four guest rooms are called John, Paul, George, and Ringo, although George was the only Fab actually to visit -- and he slept in a small back room on the first floor, which now houses a memorabilia collection. Among the items there are a sofa bed donated by Louise from her NYC home -- it was sat on at various times by all four Beatles, Brian Epstein, and now by me, too. (It's normally roped off, by the owner allowed me to remove the rope, and she snapped the picture of me.) In the picture I'm holding the BOAC flight bag that George was given on the flight over in February 1964! Most of the rest of the memorabilia is cute and/or evocative rather than truly memorable, but one unusual piece is a radio station turntable from WFRX. The owner of the station in 1963 allowed his daughter two hours every Saturday to play pop music, and knowing this, Louise lobbied her to play the Beatles -- which she did in July 1963, making WFRX arguably the first American station to air the Beatles.
Another significant first is that the Benton area is the first place that a Beatle played in the U.S. Louise invited Gabe McCarty, a family friend who played in a local band to meet her brother. They hit it off personally, and also began to play together. Sometimes, this was just for themselves, in the living and dining rooms of the house, but George also tagged along to some gigs -- he sat in with Gabe's band ("The Four Vests") at someone's birthday party at Benton's Bocce Ball Club, and at the VFW in the nearby town of Eldorado. I located both of these places, but couldn't get in to either -- the Bocce Ball Club was locked up tight, and the VFW doesn't admit visitors. I stopped for lunch in Eldorado (it's pronounced RAY-do, not RAH-do), and struck up a conversation with a local man who noticed me poring over a road map and asked if I need directions. He had heard vaguely about his town's Beatle connection, but knew very little about it. I'm kinda surprised the VFW doesn't try to capitalize on its history!
Eldorado is about 30 miles southeast of Benton, and having consulted my road map, I drove from there to West Frankfort, about 12 miles south of Benton. There I located the former studios of WFRX, which now houses a day care center. The building has been radically modified, but in the entrance hall is still a tile inlay reading "WFRX" -- which George would have seen and walked over. He visited there one day and was interviewed by Marcia Schafer, the 16 year old I mentioned before. Marcia was a precocious girl who was a multimedia personality -- she was also editor of her high school newspaper. Being a clever reporter, she took the opportunity for a "twofer" and wrote up her interview with George for publication in the paper. So I drove over to the high school, introduced myself to the assistant principal, and asked to examine the newspaper archives from 1963. Luckily, this idea grabbed the assistant prinicpal's enthusiasm, and he agreed to help me! We went to the classroom the journalism students use, and routed through yellowed papers until we found the fall 1963 editions. And sure enough, in a November 1963 issue was Marcia's interview. I think the journalism teacher and the assistant principal were almost as excited as I was! The principal also scanned copies of the article for me to take with me.
When George hung out with Gabe McCarty, they didn't only play music, they also shopped for music. A few blocks from the B&B is an enormous antiques store, which until a few years ago was a furniture store. Like the Epstein business in Liverpool they sold records as well as furniture, and George and Gabe went shopping there one day. George selected 20-30 LPs, from which Gabe assumed he would pick a few he wanted to buy. He surprised everyone, though, by buying the whole pile. I went shopping in the store, too, but didn't buy anything. On another occasion, Gabe took George to a music shop in Mount Vernon, about 30 miles north of Benton. There they jammed for 45 minutes with the owner, and George bought himself a Rickenbacker 425. It was originally red, but at George's request the owner re-finished it in black. George began playing it in concert shortly after he got home in October, and you can see it in many photographs. I located what used to be the music store, but it is now an auto repair shop, modified beyond recognition.
Louise's husband Gordon was a mine engineer (coal mining being the economic base of the area back in the 1960s), and among their friends were Gordon's colleague Jim Chady and Jim's wife Darryl. Jim and Darryl are now the owners of the B&B, but back then they hung out with George and Gabe. They were present at the gigs in Benton and Eldorado, and watched the Beatles 1965 Comisky Park concert from the third base dugout -- from which the Beatles emerged onto the field. They went -- along with Louise and Gabe -- to the Beatles' hotel after the show, but in the crush of people only Louise and Gabe were admitted. Hearing that Jim and Darryl were unable to get in, George inscribed a fan club card to each of them and had the others sign them, too. The Chadys keep those cards in a safe deposit box, but have reproductions on display at the house. They're happy to discuss their experiences as they serve you breakfast! After talking for a bit, Jim became convinced of my trustworthiness (or something), and gave me Gabe McCarty's phone number. My hope was to offer to buy him dinner or a beer in exchange for hearing about his experiences with George ... but alas, I got a busy signal every time I tried to call.
So that was about it for my long weekend in Benton. Would it be worth a special trip? I'm not sure about that -- but talking with Jim about Comisky Park and with Darryl about George lighting her cigarette at the VFW hall, it just might be!
On a couple of other occasions I had the good fortune, too, of meeting Louise Harrison. She was well known for her accessibility to fans. May she rest in peace.
When Beatlemania hit the USA in 1964, we thought this was their first visit to the USA. Then later in interviews we found out George was here visiting his sister in 1963. That made us feel great about George and his family. This is a great informative video. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it, Larry!
George said he wanted to be successful as an artist but fame got on his nerves, and was a high price to pay. Thanks, the video was great, I almost felt like being there with him, enjoying his trip as an ordinary citizen on tour for the last time in his life. Blessings from San Juan 🇵🇷 PR.
I'm glad that George had that moment in his life. It almost reminds me of Ringo, in A Hard Day's Night, where he takes a moment to escape all the madness and find a little freedom. Little did George know that he was walking on soil that would soon embrace his footsteps for the rest of his life! I knew about the trip to America, but I did not know about getting on stage to perform. Thank you for that great insight. As always, great upload!
Thanks for watching!
I remembered reading about this during my earlier years when I was getting any magazine or newspaper articles about The Beatles. When George arrived back in England, he got back together with the other three Beatles. He seemed unsure about how The Beatles would fare in America. "They don't know us, it's going to be hard" George told the other three Beatles after his trips to the record stores in Benton and nobody knowing anything about The Beatles. That would eventually change a few months later,. Louise Harrison had her house made out like some kind of museum after "George Harrison slept there". I don't think George cared much about that.
I think George pushed the idea after returning to England that the Beatles should not do a tour in the US until they have a #1 song (in the US), after experience of himself and other British acts before reinforced this idea.
This summer, we were driving home across the country. It was something like 3:30 in the morning while driving in Illinois when I spotted a big picture of George being chased by girls on the side of the Interstate. I thought I was hallucinating, so I pulled into a rest stop to get sleep. I did look it up and got the backstory.
It took me a couple of days to get to this, but man was it worth the wait. Such a sweet story about George enjoying his life and his family and seeing everything with a sense of wonder. Love it!
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it!
Andrew, this is possibly the best video you have ever done (amongst very stiff competition). I have ALWAYS wanted to know more about George’s trip to America just months before the group became world famous. It has been somewhat of a lost but valuable chapter in Beatles history. Information has been scant, but you totally delivered and helped me feel like I was there. George got to see America like a tourist, and even played live in a group. I knew that much but you provided so many great details. It’s an amazing story and I have always desired to hear more about this. What a treat. This was so good I’m going to re-watch this video a few times. Please keep doing more great storytelling like THIS! Thank you!
Thank you, David. Glad you enjoyed it!
I totally agree with your comments on this George story.
Well done Andrew👍
You mentioned George wanted to visit a drive-in while in southern Illinois. At least one report says he got the chance - and that the bottom film on the bill was a Cliff Richard movie, specifically "Summer Holiday" (1963). Cliff wasn't completely unknown in the States - "Living Doll" and perhaps a few other songs had posted some chart success - but relatively few here had heard of him. Supposedly, that led George to believe the Beatles would have difficulty cracking the American market. Of course, as it turned out, he needn't have worried.
Must have been strange for him to be in America watching a movie featuring their buddies The Shadows (whom they had socialized with a few times already - notably attending Paul's infamous 21st birthday party!)
When I got a copy of "Songs, Pictures, Stories of the fabulous Beatles" on VeeJay for my 10th birthday in 1964, it told of George's trip to the US, but said he met President Kennedy! I didn't believe it then, and it has never been stated since, but that was quite a stretch just for hype. Great show as always.
I read (unconfirmed) that George who I think was with Peter, were walking through NYC and JFK was traveling through. The dates George was in NY with JFK's schedule would reveal if this was even possible. I doubt it would've been in person as a common English boy meeting the President seems unlikely.
Long-time Beatles fan and I didn't know this! Well-told story. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it, Dave!
Another story I've heard was that after George had performed with the Four Vests the leader was told by someone he'd be crazy not to offer that English kid a spot in the band.
It is interesting how George, in 1963 predicted that it would be a long time before The Beatles have another two weeks off.
So, Louise (George's sister) actually introduced the Beatles to the US public via radio station giving them the 45 singles.
'Hot sun and gorgeous weather - that's for me', said the future author of the 'Here Comes The Sun'.
Also, GH was an LP collector and liked American girl-groups, like The Shirelles. 🙂
Nicely done video, which I watched on the last day of my week off from the work. :-)
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it!
@@Parlogram Always a pleasure to watch Parlograms' episodes, and being 'Beatleaised' with information about the world's second best rock group, the first one being The Quarrymen, of course. :-)
Excellent video. I sometimes wonder when I see those pictures of George in NY how many of those people in the background watched the Beatles on Ed Sullivan a few months later never knowing they once stood a few feet from him. Not to mention the people from Illinois who at the time may have only known him as Louise’s brother who had a weird haircut and was in a band in England.
Glad you enjoyed it, Michael!
I found a DVD in a music shop in Vermont a few years ago called 'George Harrison: A Beatle in Benton Illinois'. It was produced for the 40th anniversary of his visit, and among others it includes interviews with Gabe McCarty and Kenny Welsh of The Four Vests. Definitely worth a look!👍👍
About 10 years ago, I was at a campsite near Benton with some family members. Getting bored, the wife and I decided to drive into town. Walking around the town circle, i found the plaque about George's visit to the town. The one you showed in the video. I had no idea and was compleatly blown away by the story.
Great video.
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it!
I knew George visited his sister Louise in southern Illinois in 1963, but never knew he purchased his first Rickenbacker guitar from Gabe McCarty. Fun, well researched presentation!
Thanks for watching, Dennis!
Great upload Andrew, I knew some of this but as usual new info. I didn't realise his Rickenbacker 425 was sprayed to order I thought it was off the shelf. The fireglow seems to have been the standard finish for most Americans. I also didn't know he used it on I want to hold your hand. Top work as usual sir!
Thanks Tim. Glad you enjoyed it!
It's noteworthy that soon after George returned to America with the Beatles in February 1964, Rickenbacker gifted him the model 360 12 string along with a new Rickenbacker 325 for John. The rep tried to sell Paul a 4001 Ric bass but it was a right handed model. Also, being a thrifty bloke he said, "No thanks". They later broke down and just gave him a lefty one when the Beatles returned to the states in August of that year.
This video made my day. Being a George fan for most of my life I of course knew the story. So it’s just a joy to watch it like this.
Happy for him hen got the chance to travel before mania came to America
So glad you enjoyed it!
Yes ive met georges sister at a beatles tribute concert. Before the show she gave a nice speech about how the locals said george was pretty good, then a few months later they saw him on the ed sullivan show.
She also brought a lot of great George Harrison memorial.
Rip Louise
Hope you and george are having a great time again.
I love all of the Beatles but, George is the one who sings to my soul 😊
I knew nothing of his trip to the US, & love that he got to be just an ordinary person, if only for a couple of weeks. This video was so fun to watch!
Thanks for watching, Tammy!
Thank you for this bit of Beatle history. So glad George got to see a part of America as an every day person because it was impossible once Beatlemania hit over here.
You are a master at this Andrew. What a great informative story. RIP George.
George was good and considerate to every one he met ..
Give a big hand ladies & gentlemen for the Elvis of England! Great research, editing, concept - brilliant!
Thank you, Lawrence. Much appreciated!
You always surprise me Andrew. With all this wonderful stories !
Marvelous story Andrew, and wonderfully told. Made my morning a happy one!
My pleasure, Michael!
I was in 3rd grade when the Beatles took over America. I was hooked right away and still appreciate their music greatly.
I recall reading a biography on the Beatles in 1964 which also talked about George's visit to America. It said he slicked back his hair to fit in, for anonymity. The Empire State Building pic in your video shows his Beatles cut which would have been seriously disapproved of by many back then.
My book also reported a huge moment for George during his trip - that a motorcade rolled past with President Kennedy in a convertible, waving to people as he passed, including an eye to eye brief moment with George. A heart changing moment for him, he said.
Now, after your video, I wonder if it was true.
The book focused on George's trip over the other Beatles because the other 3 went home to spend time with their families. No mention of Paris or Greece.
Thanks for your video.
For years I'd known of his early visit to America, but didn't have any details not even the exact date. Even without the details I always thought it would make a nice movie, on several different levels. Thanks for the extra details.
Glad you enjoyed it!
'63 was probably their best year as Beatles, making money but not mobbed on every single street.
Fantastic video Andrew! Really loved this one. Growing up in Illinois, I’d heard about his trip to see his sister in Benton and that he’d even played with a local group. I never knew all the details though, so this was marvelous! Just what an incredible thing for those guys in the Four Vests to have experienced. 🤯
The estate couldn’t afford $2000 a month for Louise - wow that’s crappy - great story of George’s trip
It's so cool hearing how George was all excited to go record-shopping in my country, just as I would be to do the same in his.
14:50 "With the right kind of backing that kid may go places." That's the best part of the story, right there.
That was a great story I didn’t know the whole story of George Harrison going to America the first beetle to ever do so. at least the Beatles did have a holiday before they became worldwide famous and before Beatlemania caught on like wildfire. and it’s great that George Harrison did some record shopping anybody’s favorite records.
It's always been a bit odd to drive on I-57 and see "George was here!" in a small Illinois town. Great story!
Your videos are absolutely amazing. Obviously this channel is devoted to the Beatles, but I would love for someone to take this energy and passion to document Led Zeppelin. Especially the early days.
Also, two video requests/suggestions:
1. She Love You on Swan label. I would be very interested in seeing the full details on how that came to be. Especially details on the Swan label itself.
2. Also, being from Tennessee, it is local folklore about Paul McCartney staying in Lebanon, Tennessee on a farm in 1974. Evidently he and Linda broke down on their way to Nashville and my grandfather gave them a lift to the nearest service station. I would be very curious about the true details of his stay here that summer.
Thanks for watching and for the suggestions.
Excellent! Thanks Andrew for a great bit of history on George.
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it!
What a lovely video. Loved it. Made me smile when you related George's quotes from that time. There is still an air of innocence about him, even though The Beatles were now big in the UK and starting to crack Europe. It was almost as if he knew what was going to happen next. Great stuff. Thanks Andrew
Many thanks. Glad you enjoyed it!
I would love to see a video on the Beatles personal LP & 45 collections. Especially, George and Paul’s. Wonder if the collections are still with Paul and George’s family?
I would too!
I was born and raised in the Chicago area, and often heard about George's sister in Illinois. Of course there were rumored sightings of George in Illinois in the 1960's; listeners calling excitedly into local radio stations: "I SWEAR it was George that I saw in traffic downtown!!!" You mentioned that just a few months after George posed atop the Empire State Building it would have been impossible to take that same picture. Considering the trips to Greece, etc. the other Beatles took at that time, it seems they had an intuition about the fame that was at hand for them - and how they would no longer be able to go on holiday like normal tourists! Thanks again for a great video, Andrew.
Thanks Richard. Glad you enjoyed it!
Benton, IL loves the fact George once hung out there. Plaques and roadside attraction.
Fascinating story;little did the people he spoke to while in The States on his visit know they were talking to the member of a rock band that would be iconic just a few months later..!
Loved this insight to the Beatles as normal people...
What a pleasant surprise! I was not expecting a subject like this, Andrew. Love it! Interesting and informative. Well done, mate. 🥂
Cheers Anthony. Glad you enjoyed it!
Wonderful video. GEORGE walking around without being recognized.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hearing how much joy George got from coming to the states put a huge smile on my face.
Excellent Video Andrew. Me, being from Illinois I feel closer to the Beatles. That's a great thing! I've been to Benton a couple times! A must stop for the serious Beatles fan! Thanks again!
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it!
This story about George’s visit to America is unknown to most Beatles fans. I’m so pleased you know about all the details about Harrison visiting his sister. This story would make a great TV movie! I didn’t know that he actually played on stage with an American group even and bought a Rickenbacker guitar. One of the first players to bring one back to Britain. I find this all very interesting and fascinating but then I’m a hard core Beatles fan. And George was my favorite Beatle.
They often say life is stranger than fiction and this story is evidence of that. I would have loved to see George play live in America before the Beatles and before fame. He was totally unknown back then.
And his sister Louise was a champion for Beatles music calling radio stations and requesting that they play Beatles songs back when they weren’t famous. She always supported George’s career. And she went to Beatles conventions and meetings always promoting George and the Beatles. She was a sweet lady.
RIP George and Louise
Thanks for sharing this story. 😊
Thank you for watching!
Great story and production. Enjoyed the level of detail you were able to show. I had always been curious about George's visit. Initially when we heard about it back in the 60's, the information placed him visiting Chicago (it may have been the only city in Illinois that the writer knew about). But to see Louise's home in "Small Town U.S.A." gave George a more representative view of America in those days. There were large cities, of course, but suburban America and the sprawl out into the countryside was not dense at all. Small towns all over the country were linked within several miles from each other, or, the length of a good day's walk to travel to a close-by destination.
And, I think you displayed the sense of community and the ease of making acquaintances back then when people could easily bond over shared values and interests. It made sense that George would learn of the local band at a VFW, which, just 18 years after the ending of World War II, was a common community link for residents. (Of course, those venues are almost completely gone, a memory of a by-gone era).
Thank you for taking us back when most every Beatles fan of that time can relate to George's experience. It puts another "human face" on a group that seemed "beyond" us all when they exploded on to the scene in America. People ask me what it was like in the 60's when the Beatles arrived. I tell them, "it was when the world changed from the pictures we saw on a black and white TV to a world of a kaleidoscope of colors" that was the beginning of a revolution in western culture.
Thank you for watching and posting!
What a great story Andrew. I always knew George went to America before the Beatles were famous, but never knew George played live in front of audience. That't amazing! Gabe McCarty is an unsung hero of Beatle history. Also, it was surprising to hear that George's estate cut off Louise. I wonder why that was? $2000 doesn't seem that much.
Glad you enjoyed it!
"Julia B., Austin, United States, 7 years ago
After John Lennon's death, Yoko chucked Lennon's beloved Aunt Mimi out of the house he'd always kept for her. What's with these vicious, stingy, second wives? First wives Cynthia Lennon and Pattie Harrison were far more compassionate women." (Most popular comment from a 2016 D.Mail article about Louise)
According to Wikipedia at least Yoko didn’t do that though she did sell the house soon after Mimi died. Mimi was worried that John never put the house in her name so after John died she was afraid what Yoko might do. Apparently George and his sister had a falling out in later years but did reconcile before George’s death so I’m not sure what happened there. Maybe Olivia was upset that Louise was doing a lot of things with regards to George that she thinks George would not have approved of.
I read that Olivia was unhappy by some specific details that Louise shared publicly about the final months of George's illness. Of course, the details are likely still out there on the web.
Her indiscretions aside, she was an elderly person already: Not cutting her off, would have perhaps been the right thing to do.
This was a most FAB episode; very well researched! I never knew he made the trek! Go figure...the Four Vests' bass player's name was 'Gabe' McCarty, who was also left-handed...how wild is that man?! I also didn't know Rickenbacker was U.S. made! George's story would be a great movie! Really enjoyed this. Again, well done! 👍🏻
Thanks Louis. Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent as usual, well researched. Lovely to see “the youth of the early 60s in colour!
Lovely. Just lovely. And it confirms my choice of George as my favorite Beatle.
Really cool that Benton has a memorial to George's visit and honours his memory.
Thanks for sharing this Andrew. This was a period that I haven’t known much about apart from some interviews that I read with his sister. I remember listening to the Beatles Story documentary record and it mentioned George visiting America and seeing how people lived and it occurred to me that he was talking about this visit. Thanks again!
Glad you enjoyed it, Bill!
Later in life Louise would retire in the Sarasota Bradenton area. Just South of Tampa/ St. Petersburg. Local TV stations would interview her and tell her Stories about George. Louise would pass away January this year.
Love your Beatles history videos. I could watch these for years just to keep up with the lads
Glad you like them! More to come.
Great job Mr. Parlogram. I have heard accounts of George's American trip in 1963, but this, by far, is the best. You've brought forth some great insight to this. This is a side of George, and America, that won't happen again. I recommend this as a piece of wonderful preservation.
Watched this twice…I really enjoy hearing this story.
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@Parlogram thanks 🙏
Very interesting.
It can't be easy writing and creating these vignettes, Andrew, but it is much appreciated.
Thanks! Much appreciated.
I knew George came to America to visit his sister but not in this much detail. Thanks Dude!
I have my own little Beatles story. My parents migrated to America in '54 and settled in Southeast Texas. My Dad's sister (Aunt) told me when she was a young teenager she would babysit Paul McCartney and his brother when his Mom had to go do neighborhood nursing duties. I remember asking her if Paul showed any signs of being a musical prodigy. She told me, "No! He was a brat!" I thought that she must be telling the truth.
Great video! I never stop learning about the boys. Thanks so much!
Glad you enjoyed it, Stewart!
That VFW gig with the 4 vests is on my time travel bucket list! Now if i can just complete this confounded flux capacitor!
Wanna buy a used Delorean?
Well researched and produced, as always
Thank you!
I had the privilege of meeting Louise Harrison in San Juan Puerto Rico back in 2008 when she was accompanying her group "Liverpool Legends" playing at Mr. Froggs club in that city.
This is a very good video, and I enjoyed watching it. There was an article about George's American visit in Smithsonian magazine a couple of years ago, and you filled out the story even more with additional quotes from George discussing it. I always like those retro logos at the end.
I always look forward to your videos on Sunday and you never disappoint. Great use of the old clippings, and the vintage telephone was a nice touch.
I had a video called A Beatle In Benton,Illinois.Detailed by a few locals,including one of the Four Vests,too.Gabe,if I remember.
Wonderful piece, Andrew. Back in 1995, I produced a three-part series about The Beatles connections to Chicago, for the local Chicago ABC station. They were to air the nights of the Anthology.
I very much wanted one of the pieces to cover this story. I interviewed Louise Harrison, and I spoke at length about it to Gabe McCarty on the phone. Ultimately we weren’t able to do the story, but it is a fascinating one and you got all the best info in.
Odd with George telling the paper his sister lived in St Louis; Benton is more than 80 miles from St Louis. But that’s probably where he flew into the area.
One interesting tidbit I learned from McCarty: I asked him if there were any photos of George with The Four Vests. He told me one member of the group had photos at one time, but a bitter spouse destroyed them during a nasty divorce.
Thanks David, glad you enjoyed it. Such a shame about that photo!
Great great video bout GEORGE, many people never knows that George plays with The Four Vest
Great Beatles story, as usual, Andrew! I learn something new about The Boys every Sunday morning!
Thanks for your support!
Funny to realize that George back then did make the best move of all Fab Four. Thank you.
Very cool! I’d, through the years, read tidbits about George visiting Illinois and his sister. I didn’t live but a couple of states away and used to play (with my band) several venues there in the early 80’s. Was as George said.
I think it’s great you brought a little “back
home” feeling in this episode. It’s also sad when family dwindles. Maybe this visit was his underlying stability.
Very enjoyable! And so late 3:19 am
Later Andrew!
Cheers Brian. Thanks for staying up to watch it!
When George returned to the states with the Beatles in 1964, Louise was with them in NYC and was nursing George back to health. If the Ed Sullivan appearance on that 1st day of 2-9-64 wasn't such a big event, George would have stayed at the hotel as he was quite ill at the time.
This is really interesting. I had no idea My Sweet Lord & Set On You were both sibling ideas from the same experience.
My grandfather owned the local radio station in West Frankfort, WFRX,6 miles from where his sister Louise lived. My young mom met Lou and was playing the Beatles in 1963 on the program my grandpa let her host on Saturday morning. Louise brought George and his other brother to the station where he met my mom. He gave her several autographed pictures and several other things.
That would be something if there was a record log from that station listing the records and interviews they played. These are the things that are often discarded as it doesn't seem to be anything significant at the time, but once in awhile it's placed in a box and put in storage. The beginnings of Motown and the British Invasion would be noted at many stations but playing the Beatles in '63 was rare in America.
I've heard that George had almost convinced Ringo to travel to the States with him. this was a great subject for you to report on, Andrew. I saw a documentary a few years ago about George's visit, and interviews were conducted with those he had met. one of the musicians he played with remembered hearing George noodle around on a guitar, doing some variations on what became the opening to 'Day Tripper'
That was spectacular! I really enjoy the minutia and human sides of the Beatles story as time goes on. Great work!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
I've been a fan of the Beatles since first hearing Love Me Do....but I've only just found out about George's American trip.....(you learn something new every day)....
Ironically, had George asked for Beatle records not too far away in Chicago at the time, he may very well have found some! Chicago-based label Vee-Jay had released a couple of songs by the Beatles earlier in '63, and Chicago's WLS DJ Dick Biondi had been playing "Please Please Me" since February of that year. It would peak on WLS' playlist at #35 in '63, and reportedly sold a few thousand copies. Just think: there were Beatles' fans in America some time before "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was first heard here!
Andrew, that was fascinating!! I can't add anything that hasn't already been said, but I'll say it anyway: I knew of this visit of George's, but none of the details that you so well gave us. Thanks so much!!
Thank you for watching, Bob. Glad you enjoyed it!
What a nice surprise to come across this excellent video!
I grew up Amish in rural, east central, Arthur Illinois and have loved music all my life, even when I had to sneak around to scratch my audiophiliac itch.(transistors stashed betwixt haybales, among other hiding places)ha
Ten years or so ago I found out from a local photographer that George Harrison once spent time with his sister Louise in Benton Illinois and have always wanted to hear more about it.
Now my recently married nephew lives in Benton Illinois, I'm looking forward to showing him your video.
Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it. I hope your nephew enjoys it too!
For 18 years--1991 to 2009--I lived across the street at 235 E. 51st. My window faced the Pickwick Arms. I didn't know this until today.
A nice peek into pre Beatlemania. Fantastic that George was able to find the LPs and also the Rickenbacker guitar that he wanted, although I read that he later had it converted to a two pickup version. That guitar made some historic records! It was also nice to see the family photo of George with his sister and brother, just before he became a world famous icon! Great stuff!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank You Andrew, what an amazing story. I knew he went to see his sister but didn’t know all those details.
So fascinating that he was a household name in the UK but unknown in the US.
Seeing the image of him on the Empire State Building knowing in a few months they’d fly in to THAT reception, great
Glad you enjoyed it, Keith.
Great video Andrew! Thanks for digging into a little-known piece of Beatles history. I've always known about George's trip in 1963, but didn't know much about the details. Keep up the good work!
Glad you enjoyed it, Vinnie. Will do!
Thanks Andrew! You always come up with interesting stuff that we haven't all heard a gazillion times before. Great job as always!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow. I didn't really know about any of this, which is especially embarrassing because I've *lived* in Illinois for over ten years now.
I read about George visiting the US, but it was a brief article a few years ago. All I remember was he was visiting his sister and stopping at a record store and asked about a Beatles album. The employee said he didn't have any Beatles record. Article really didn't have the type of detail presented here.
My uncle thought him some riffs back in the 70 s in his music store in Los Angeles🎉
Imagine the 8mm film rolls George filmed surfaced and were sold at auction. What amount of crazy money would that go for!
Enjoyable story Andrew. I love how you include some very detailed info in your commentary. Excellent as always. Thanks. :- )
Glad you enjoyed it, Sir.
Marvellous as always ! I really appreciate your videos so full of information ... A big Thank You !
And thank you for watching!
On the back cover of my HELP album, the EMI original, George is pictured in a cowboy's garb, hat, vest, jeans etc.. The picture was taken when he was in Illinois. Other back covers show George's face with the cowboy hat.
Great video Andrew. I knew George went to America at this time but not the depth of the visit. Thank You!
My mother was born in nearby Christopher, IL. I need to make a road trip from Iowa to see the plaque in Benton, IL.