What fun to see this! When we were 15, my best friend and I got permission from our parents to go meet Louise. I had read about her and was surprised that she kindly said yes. So, off we went on a summer day, taking a bus from suburban St. Louis to Benton, Illinois. We were thrilled to be meeting George Harrison’s sister, and she graciously welcomed us into her home and told us about her brother’s visit a few years earlier. I have always remembered her kindness in putting up with a couple of giggly teenagers.
@@bodijisattva9333 bodiji , some years ago I read she was living in poverty and that George's wife cut her out of her monthly stipend he gave her which was about $2,000 American a month . I'm wondering where she lives and how she is surviving ... poor woman is now 86 years old If it's true George's wife cut her out of that money then that would have been a terrible thing to do to his sister and to go against his wishes
That is a very cool story. I met Louis years ago at a BeatleFest, but I was just a passive member of a small audience at my first fan convention of any sort, just taking it all in. Same with Pete Best, who was there as well. Rather unremarkable, in comparison, but in hindsight I'm quite content to even be within 6 degrees of any of the fab four who, after all these years growing up with their influence, I fondly consider them my adopted uncles George, John, Ringo, and Paul. That I also shared space with Louis and Pete just adds another layer to my "virtual family connection", lol.
I visited the family home in Liverpool. Very humble. It is unbelievable what George and the other lads did - changed the world. During his trip, George ripped it up with a local band at a social club. Louise said it was like a bolt of lightning came through the room. She then knew her brother would make it - a year before the others arrived.
After the American trip to visit Louise, George going back to England told his bandmates that the Beatles were unknown in the US, some of their records were released but was largely a flop in the US (through the Summer of '63). That might have prompted the Beatles to not go forward with an American tour until they have a #1 hit. Several English acts to that time had dismal results in the US.
@@melreslor2114 George's visit occurred in 1963. Their first U.S. release, "Please Please Me" happened in Jan. 1964 on the Vee Jay label, and a ten days later with "Meet the Beatles" on Capitol, right before Ed Sullivan. And then all hell broke lose. Louise attempted to hustle some personal imports from England to DJs, singles that were totally unavailable to the American consumer. Dismal results? Cliff Richard and the Shadows? Most all the stars were Americans before 1964.
Never miss a chance to learn something new about them, I was 12 when “I wanna hold your hand” was released and love it as much today as when I 1st heard it in December of 63. Fab 4 Ever.
They were so very, very talented. George Martin, their producer, said:”They expressed the mood of their generation.” I think that’s the unvarnished truth.
The Beatles brought Art back into life, the transcendental aesthetic for balance. We had decades of the American Industrial revolution, science and regimentation. This culminated in WW ll. People were tired of life based on the factory. And people manipulated as objects.
I met Louise at a Beatle Fest in Galesburg IL a few years back and bought a copy of her book "Before he was Fab" Such a nice lady. The town of Benton where she lived when George came to visit is only about 15 miles from my hometown of Mt Vernon. I enjoyed reading about George coming to Mt Vernon to buy a guitar, and enjoying the drive in restaurants we had the featured Waitresses on Roller skates!
@@timlawson2193 Tim I always heard that was Paul McCartney who did that ... not George . But I would like to know what happened with his sister Louise because I heard George gave her a monthly stipend of $2,000 and that his wife stopped the payments and cut Louise out .. she's 86 years old and I hear she's living in poverty
@@gardensofthegods hi gardens, yes, I'm a huge George fan but, if you read the anthology book and many others. George just didn't get along with Pete and Ringo was with Rory Storm and they too played in the Reeperbahn in Germany. So they all became friends with Ringo and since Pete is an introvert, he wasn't as wild and crazy as "Rings" was. It's all old history and George may have changed, who knows. Sorry to hear George's wife cut her out though. How much is Friar Park worth ? At least 10 million pounds.
She is a sweetheart, and apparently loves her brother very much. Believe me, there are so many of us who loved him too. I wanted to grow up and marry him, because I thought he was beautiful!
George left his sister a small pension to live on as she is not very financially well off, and the first thing Olivia and Dhani do is take it away from the woman... George was a gem, but the people he left behind... not so much.
If you drive on I-57 thru Benton, IL you will see a George Harrison sign on the highway, Benton was where Louise lived in the early 60's and where he stayed.
I don't know if it is still available new but she wrote a book some years ago "My Brother The Beatle". I bought another book that day in the store and came back a few weeks later for it but there were no more copies left.
Many times you remember events if they are associated with other events in your life. The first time I heard The Beatles was on the Saturday morning of 23rd November 1963. The morning after the Kennedy assassination. The song was introduced as, a group that is becoming very popular in England. FTR, a saw them when they played Toronto in 1964.
Yes, just like the head of Decca records who turned them down saying: "guitar bands are out of fashion" ????????? So they went to Parlyphone who did sign them up and made a fortune. I wonder what happened to the chap at Decca ? 😂😂😂😂😂
She came to Walnut Ridge, AR a few years ago for Beatlesfest. Walnut Ridge, is the town where the Beatles stayed during their early touring years, to take a break from touring. The downtown district is glorified with muriel's and such as homage to the fab four. Its annual event
Somebody always cutting someone out of their will, George's wife cuts his sister out, Oohh, ooh Yoko cuts Julian out of the choice, Paul cuts out of Liverpool 'n' everybody there, Ringo kids seem to be alright fending for themselves really. I don't know if Ringo cut anyone out, I don't even know what he did in the Beatles for that matter, I know Ringo just passes me by, makes me cry, makes me blues cause darling I got everyone but you. George Harrison went up against the two best songwriters, probably of all time, and in the End, was coming up with the goods as good if not better than John and paul. he Ended up being one of the greats. You were the man, George there is no other like you, nor will there B.
It was a Bed and Breakfast called, 'A Hard Days Night'. It was at the house Louise lived in when George (and his older brother) visited her a year before the Ed Sullivan performance. Later in the mid 90's the house was turned into a Bed & Breakfast called 'A Hard Day's Night'.
@@normaharrison6143 Er, the timing's off in that statement. How could it be called "A Hard Day's Night" the year before the Ed Sullivan performance and before the movie was even made?
@@normaharrison6143true,they had several arguments about it. He said he felt used and exploited. Still,she wouldn’t budge. He did give her a small pension though,which Olivia cut off when he died.
i never met a beatles ,but starting a beatles copy band on bass in 1976 age12 opened my left hand (the only hand that opens ) thats the short answer to how the beatles saved my hands ynwa
I met her once at a Beatles tribute show in Mass. Had a quick chat and discovered that after George became famous he wasn't very close with the family. She wasn't even invited to the Concert for George in London which was a final tribute at the Albert Hall. .
Patriot1776: George's sister was not a favorite. Before George died her little brother sent her a check every month since she was not well off financially. When George passed away the checks stopped. I guess it was a family situation like all families have. It was their business.
I heard George always sent her checks, but unfortunately, shortly before he died, he felt she betrayed him by promoting a Beatles tribute band, so maybe that's why the checks stopped coming.
Interesting that Louise would say George wasn't close to the family. He bought a very nice house for his parents to live in and his two older brothers lived in George's 40 acre estate called Friar Park with George as ground keepers. The two brothers worked there til they both retired. Louise on the other hand lived in the United States since George was a teenager and that probably why he wasn't that CLOSE to her. George did send her checks until she started using his fame to her financial benefit. Feeling betrayed George cut her off and no longer spoke to her.
Norma Harrison I believe all your comments were accurate Norma, however do believe they talked and made up somewhat when George was close to his passing . Sadly the Harrison estate did cut off money towards his sister after his death . But guess that’s their business .
what was wrong is it wasant goerges sister who got them on ED show ,but this news crew tried to make it look like that,and that she got them there break in the us,,media are shameful even back then
@@chrisnewman7281 Big most certainly implies older when referring to siblings. When referring to objects such as a piece of cake or perhaps an automobile ‘big’ would mean ‘larger’. With siblings it always implies the elder.
@@merseyside2011 McCartney has several first names ... Bernard, Percy, Clint, Billy and Apollo. But we Aussies prefer to refer to him by his real first name ... "Macca"!
