“I felt there were so many crazy books out there about The Beatles I didn’t need to add to it,” Harrison, 83, says during a phone interview from her Southern California home.
She finally decided it would be OK to join the gaggle of authors because no one who has written about the famous British band has the personal knowledge she does. That’s why she penned “My Kid Brother’s Band a.k.a. The Beatles” (Acclaim Press, $18.89). The 354-page book is a behind-the-scenes look at how she helped fuel Beatlemania while living in America when The Beatles began to emerge.
It was another John, Paul, George and Ringo who made the final arguments for her to write the book. Louise has been the manager of The Beatles cover band, Liverpool Legends, for several years.
“The guys told me that I had a perspective that no one else would have. They told me that it was important that I write the book,” Louise says.
The Liverpool-born Louise moved to the United States in 1963 because of her husband’s work in the coal mining industry. She’s lived here since, mostly in the Midwest. The location gave her a way to help guide Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein and producer George Martin in their efforts to establish the Fab Four in America.
Her mother would send her The Beatles records being released in the United Kingdom and she would take them to radio stations to get them played. She became a regular on talk shows giving updates about The Beatles.Louise was even in New York for the historic 1964 appearance of The Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
“That sort of lead to my falling out with Brian Epstein,” Harrison says.
Her brother was so ill with strep throat before the performance that she wanted him to go to the hospital. When Epstein would not allow that, she moved into the room with her brother to make sure we was taking his medication.
It was hard for her brother to sleep because members of the media were in the hallway. George finally asked her if she would get them to move. As soon as she went into the hall, she was surrounded by press that wanted to get a few moments with The Beatles.
Little did she know that Epstein had made a deal with New York disc jockey — Murray the K (who earned the nickname of the “Fifth Beatle”) — had been given exclusive access to the four musicians by Epstein.
One of the members of the press told her they had more than 40,000 cards at the radio station from fans who wanted them to talk to one of The Beatles.
“I went back into the bedroom and told George I had a way to get rid of the guys. I was going back to the radio station to see all the letters,” Harrison says. “He was concerned about me leaving with strangers but I said it was OK because their shirts said they were the ‘WMCA Good Guys’.”
At the radio station, Harrison was put on the air to talk about The Beatles. At one point, she made a call to check up on George and found him in better health because he had just been given a 12-string Rickenbacker guitar.
As soon as the radio station personnel realized she was talking to George, they asked to speak to him. They recorded a brief conversation that was played every half hour.
“Brian didn’t like that,” Harrison says.
On another occasion, Harrison called a radio station when they were reporting misinformation about The Beatles. That resulted in her doing regular Beatles reports.
The biggest misconception people have about her brother is that he was the quiet one. That came out of the press conference before the “Ed Sullivan Show.” George was sick, so he didn’t say a lot. The press decided he was just a quiet person.
Harrison says she had a good relationship with her brother until he died in 2001.
“We really enjoyed each other’s company,” Harrison says.
A pension she had been getting from her brother ended after his death and that meant she needed to find an income source. She had become friends with a lot of the musicians who were covering The Beatles music, so she decided to manage the band as a source of income.
There’s one piece of advice she gave the band.
“Whatever you do, don’t wish to be as well known as The Beatles,” Harrison says. “In the end, it’s not that wonderful after all. All the predators come out in droves. George always said that the guys thought of themselves as targets.”
It's very nice to hear real words from the sweet George Harrison's sister. She seems like a lovely lady and I could listen to her speak about George and her inside knowledge, no matter how benign the sugject matter. It's nice and I find it interesting and refreshing. George was a special guy and I would love to have the opportunity to speak with her. I assumed in the past and she confirmed it that the guys felt like targets. I can definitely see that had evolved and it's so sad that such great, talented, musical geniuses had to feel that way, especially when most people truly just loved them and would never want them to feel that way. I miss dear George terribly and feel lucky to hear from his sister. I will definitely get her book-it must be the only book related to the Beatles that I haven't read. It isn't my business, but George was a smart man-I do wonder why he didn't make some financial provisions for his sister after his death, especially since he did know the progression of his disease and had time to get his financial affairs in order. I just can't imagine that sweet George wouldn't want to take care of his sister after he had passed away. He must have had his reasons, but just out of curiosity I wish I knew what they were. God bless you Louise. Lauren Reale
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