OSAGE BEACH, MO. -- Forty-seven years ago, a quartet of shaggy-haired young Brits caused a whirlwind of chaos when they landed on American shores. The appearance of John, Paul, George and Ringo on the Ed Sullivan show marked the beginning of America’s love affair with the Beatles.
“The Beatles’ phenomenon was a comet that was streaming across the heavens and nothing was going to stop it,” Louise Harrison said. “And I’m proud to have helped when they had nothing because there were an awful lot of people who wanted to be there when they finally had something.”
Nearly half a century later, the music of the Fab Four still captures the imagination of legions of fans; many of whom gathered at the Main Street Opry in Osage Beach last weekend to take a nostalgic trip down “Penny Lane” with the Liverpool Legends.
The only Beatles tribute band to be hand-picked by a family member, Liverpool Legends was founded by Louise in honor of her brother, former Beatles’ bass player George Harrison. In fact, without the help of George’s big sis, the original Beatles’ arrival in the U. S. might have been more of a ripple than a tidal wave.
“Most people think that the Beatles were an overnight success when they came to the states,” Harrison said. “But I was already living here and had spent more than a year before their arrival sending discs to radio stations and magazines to get them played on the air.”
Harrison immersed herself in the trade magazines of the time, Variety, Cash Box and Billboard to learn the “ins and outs” of promoting. After pounding the pavement to knock on the doors of endless radio stations, Harrison’s efforts paid off in June 1963, when “From Me to You” became the first Beatles tune to play in the U. S., broadcasting on a local station in Illinois.
“You know it was my little brother,” Harrison said. “It was only natural for me to do what I could to help him.”
Eleven years older than “kid brother” George, Harrison had been living in the states long before the group landed on American shores. While it is commonly believed that the February 7, 1964 British invasion was the first time any of the Beatles visited America, Harrison fondly notes it was George’s second trip.
The first time George stepped foot on American soil was during a trip to visit his big sis and he landed in the state she now calls home.
“I was living in Illinois and George came for a visit,” Harrison recalled. “We picked him up not too far down the road at Lambert Field in St. Louis.”
A short time later, the tranquil moments from this two-week reunion became cherished reminders of a simpler time. During his stay at Louise’s Illinois home, Harrison was able to walk the streets without notice, go camping and even play with a local band in front of a small crowd.
Within months, his return to the states to appear on the Ed Sullivan show was greeted by frenzied media coverage and legions of screaming fans.
“If I could have been his fairy god mother and had a magical wish for him,” Harrison said. “I would wish that he could have repeated those two weeks of peace and quiet and fun every year for the rest of his life.”
Their close family ties kept the Harrison siblings traversing transatlantic flights, standing by each other’s side for the better part of their lifetimes. It was a journey that took them from a modest home in Liverpool, England to nearly every corner of the world. Together they experienced the highs of wealth and fame, while shielding each other through betrayal and pain.
Through it all, Harrison kept a watchful eye on the brother she adored from the moment of his birth. Two brothers came before, but George’s arrival marked the first time Harrison was deemed mature enough to handle the awesome responsibility of cradling a newborn in her arms.
“I held him for the first time when he was only eight hours old and from that moment I felt like he was mine to take care of,” Harrison said. “I loved him before he became rich and famous, before he could talk, walk or sing. He didn’t even have teeth and I thought he was beautiful.”
Watching Louise describe the moment of their first meeting leaves no doubt as to the void left in her life by George’s death in 2001. It was a void she thought would never be filled until a chance encounter brought her face to face with his mirror image.
“When I saw Marty on stage the tears just poured down my face,” Louise said recalling the moment she first saw George look-a-like, Marty Scott perform.
“I thought she was crying ‘cause I stunk,” Scott jokingly countered.
Witnessing the popularity of Beatles tribute bands inspired the formation of Louise Harrison Entertainment, Ltd. in 2005 with the mission to create, introduce and manage the perfect homage to the Beatles’ legacy.
Utilizing the entertainment savvy she garnered on the Beatlemania training ground, along with her first-hand knowledge of the original band members, Harrison tackled the bittersweet task of hand-selecting an ensemble of actor-musicians that would portray four of the most important men to grace her life, especially her deeply missed brother George.
“I wanted the kind of guys that George would want to hang out with if he were still here,” Harrison said. “Although George is no longer here physically, he is still here in spirit.”
Choosing the performer that would carry her brother’s spirit to legions of devoted fans might have been a daunting task, had Harrison not happened upon Marty Scott portraying George at a Beatles convention only four months after George’s death.
The pair immediately felt like long lost soul mates.
“It was as though we’d always known each other,” Harrison recalled. “I immediately adopted him as ‘my new kid brother,’ and it’s been that way ever since.”
Since that time, the Liverpool Legends have taken their well-honed Beatles’ tribute to audiences across the United States and Canada. Though the group still tours extensively, they welcome long retreats from the road spent performing on their home stage at the Mansion Theater in Branson.
“It’s funny to now be promoting the Liverpool Legends,” Harrison said with a wry smile. “It’s like that Monty Python bit where the announcer says, ‘and now for something completely the same.’ ”
In recent years, they’ve celebrated their Missouri homecoming with a concert at the Lake of the Ozarks each March. It’s a welcome return for the band and their fans.
“We love the Lake, it’s amazing,” Scott said. “There are some rowdy folks here and it makes it more fun.”
“We work hard to keep it the same because the fans love it,” Harrison added. “The Beatles’ were about joy, love and peace and that is something people today desperately need.”
Harrison’s comments emphasized her true intent in forming Liverpool Legends. Much more than an exciting business venture, it is Harrison’s way of sharing those messages with new and old generations of Beatles fans.
“Not many people get the opportunity to be an ambassador for love everywhere they go,” Harrison said.
Waving the banner for love and peace has taken her to hundreds of public appearances across the U.S., Europe, Canada and Mexico where she greets Beatles fans with a warm Harrison hug.
“The numbers of people I’ve given a big old Harrison hug to because their son or daughter is serving in Iraq or Afghanistan breaks my heart,” Harrison said. “The thing about a Harrison hug is that you can’t keep it, you have to pass it along. You have to share that love with the world.”
Looking forward to her 80th birthday in August, Harrison hinted at the excitement that still lies ahead, including a special Liverpool Legends concert at the Mansion Theater in Branson.
“I will be 80 soon but that is only in earth years,” Harrison cheerfully said. “When you think about it, if we really believe that we are eternal spirits, then we’re all the same age!”
Of the many plans scheduled in her future datebook, slowing down is not on the list. Aside from her continued work with the Liverpool Legends, Harrison has been busy preparing her memoirs for publication, but not without first finding the right publisher.
“It has to be a publisher with integrity,” Harrison said. “They always want me to write about my life with the Beatles. I’ve had an exciting life and enjoyed many valuable experiences that go well beyond being George Harrison’s sister.”
She is also in the early stages of planning a Liverpool Legends tour to high schools and colleges that will raise funds for school music programs.
While she continues her personal journey according to the “divine plan,” Louise Harrison will carry the love and lessons from her family, especially her kid brother, George, forever in her heart.
“It makes me so happy at this stage in my life to think that the Beatles’ music is still bringing people so much joy,” Harrison concluded.
You can read more about Harrison’s remarkable life in “Women of True Grit” by Edie Hand and Tina Savis and check out Liverpool Legends online at www.liverpoollegends.com.
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