Louise Harrison, sister of George Harrison, speaks at a press conference (Manchester…)
Louise Harrison was married and living in Illinois in 1963 when her mother in England "started sending me all the singles that my kid brother was putting out." Harrison made the rounds of area radio stations, trying to get air time for the fresh beat out of her native Liverpool. But station managers, she said Tuesday, ignored her or brushed her off.
Several months later, in February 1964, Louise Harrison went with her brother, George, and his pals to New York City, where the Beatles played the Ed Sullivan Show. After that, she didn't have to convince anyone. Harrison, 80, is still promoting her brother and the band. She held a press conference Tuesday at Manchester High School to talk about her ongoing project, "Help Keep Music Alive," which raises money for school music programs. With her was her "adopted brother," Marty Scott, who plays George Harrison in the Beatles tribute band, the Liverpool Legends.
The band, a popular act in Branson, Mo., is to play a concert Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the high school. Members of the high school band and orchestra will accompany the Fab Four revivalists on several songs, including "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Yellow Submarine" and "Hey Jude," high school band director Keith Berry said.
Manchester High is the 15th stop on the Help Keep Music Alive tour, which also has played schools in Iowa, Texas, Arkansas and other states. At each stop, Scott said, he has been amazed at the cross-generational enthusiasm for the Beatles' song list. "What other act can a kid and his grandma agree on?" said the Chicago native, who sports the band members' iconic mop. "It's really the power of the Beatles that makes it work."
George Harrison, who died in 2001, embraced musical education so strongly that the only public service announcement he ever did was for "Mr.Holland'sOpus," a 1995 film about a passionate school music teacher. Louise Harrison said she took the title for her fundraising program from that announcement, in which her brother encouraged young people to pursue their musical aspirations. Answering questions from student musicians and the press in the school auditorium, Harrison said her parents' values also inspired her. They were proud, but never big-headed about George's success, she said. "Mum always said, 'It's very important to give back the love. … We have a responsibility to the people who care about our boys,'" Harrison said. Tickets, ranging from $25 to $45, will be available at the door Wednesday, Berry said. The Liverpool Legends is to bring the Help Keep Music Alive tour to Middletown High School on Saturday.
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