31.12.2011
2012!
30.12.2011
Happy Birthday, Jeff Lynne!
Born December 30, 1947, Jeff Lynne is many things - an award winning producer, singer and songwriter, the leader and prime mover of ELO, one of the lynchpins in the Traveling Wilburys, and an unabashed Beatles fan. While that fact is immediately evident in listening to any of ELO's early work, it's also clear in the music he made long before finding fame, specifically his work with the distinctly English pop rock band The Idle Race (so named because his grandmother never considered making music as a proper job) and the Move, one of Britain's best but largely unappreciated art-rock outfits -- and the precursor to the Electric Light Orchestra (later ELO). In fact, Lynne's always looked to the Beatles for inspiration, a tack he was able to bring to fruition once he joined forces with the eccentric and eclectic Roy Wood, his foil in the later days of the Move and the early days of ELO. Like Lynne, Wood saw rock as more than simply three chords and a chorus; he opted for lush arrangements, complex melodies and a vast array of instrumentation - bagpipes, bassoons, sitars and other elements seemingly alien to rock environs. The final two Move albums, Looking On and Message from the Country, found the two men collaborating earnestly and enthusiastically, before striking the notion for the Electric Light Orchestra, an ambitious outfit that plucked elements of classical music and rock 'n' roll.
Wood left the fold after only one album, but Lynne kept the band going, expanding on the original premise by bringing in an actual string section and bringing the concept full circle with an imaginative cover of "Roll Over Beethoven" that was included on the group's second album. Successive albums amped up the orchestration and abbreviated the handle to simply ELO. By that point, Lynne was almost wholly responsible for the songwriting, arranging and the band's ever-evolving trajectory, which accumulated numerous hit singles and high-charting album prior to going on hiatus in the mid '80s.
However by then, Lynne had built up enough of a track record to succeed on his own. He contributed several songs and his production talents to the best-sellingXanadu soundtrack and wrote material for others - among them, the Everly Brothers, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Tyler, Aerosmith, Tom Jones, Dave Edmunds, Brian Wilson and Randy Newman. While some critics began to tire of his over-the-top arrangements and apparent willingness to pander to commercial concerns, Lynne found renewed credibility when he connected with George Harrison and took on the production and co-songwriting chores for Harrison's comeback LP, Cloud Nine. The album yielded a hit single in "Got My Mind Set On You" and not only helped raise his profile, but also established a Beatles connection that led to his role in the Wilburys, alongside Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan. He would branch off from that ensemble to work with both Petty and Orbison on individual projects before landing his dream job as the man behind the boards for the three surviving Beatles' reunion singles "Real Love" and "Free as a Bird," both of which were recorded for the Anthology series. That in turn led Lynne to collaborations with both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
Lynne managed to resurrect ELO in 2001, releasing the album Zoom as a way to recover the rights to the ELO name from drummer Bev Bevan,who had formed a bogus group called ELO Part II. Essentially a solo album, it was basically a follow-up to his individual effort from a decade before, 1990's Armchair Theatre. He also renewed his working relationship with Tom Petty, producing the latter's third solo album. At the same time, his Beatles ties remained intact. He helped complete Harrison's final album Brainwashed after Harrison's death, then played a major role in the live commemorative event, Concert for George and its subsequent DVD. During the concert, he sang lead on the songs "The Inner Light," "I Want to Tell You" and "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)." It wasn't the first time he had sung Beatles tunes; he had previously covered "With a Little Help from My Friends" and "Nowhere Man" for the film soundtrack All This and World War II.
Lynne's dead-on devotion and eerie similarity in style to the Fab Four puts him in a distinctive category of outfits that have based their entire MO around the Beatles template. And this doesn't include Rain or the Fab Faux, whose livelihoods are derived from imitating the Beatles music. Nor does it include Todd Rundgren, whose 1976 album Faithful masterfully replicated the Beatles motif on its second side.
27.12.2011
Tom Petty Talks New Album, Tour, Sandwiches in Twitter Q&A
There were a few modest news flashes from Tom Petty during a Q&A session on his official Twitter page ( @tompetty) on Thursday.
Petty told Billboard.com that a new album is planned "but too soon to know details. it`s early days." He did, however, tell a fan asking about his remaining ambitions that he "should make another great album."
An expanded edition of his 1994 solo album "Wildflowers," with other songs recorded during the sessions has "been recently discussed. i'd say a good chance" of release.
There will be a seventh season of his "Tom Petty's Buried Treasure Radio Show" on SiriusXM. And there will "definitely" be more activity for his band Mudcrutch -- "maybe even next year" -- and "absolutely" some Blu-ray releases of his albums.
"I believe it's the future," he tweeted.
And his favorite sandwich is peanut butter and jelly.
In all Petty spent 90 minutes answering tweets from fans and reporters, though he wrote at one point that he found the short-answer format "very frustrating" and noted that there was "not enough space to answer" an inquiry about how he compiles a set list. Petty also described social media as the "end of the world. everybody has their head up their own ass. thinking their every breath is important." But he did indicate that he'd be tweeting more in the future.
One of the participants tweeted on their own page during the session that, "god, so many of tom petty's answers are so half-assed. i love it."
Petty and the Heartbreakers have announced a batch of tour dates for 2012, with nine U.S. shows beginning April 19 in Denver and including an April 28 stop at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The group will play St. John's, Newfoundland on June 3, followed by Halifax, Nova Scotia, then begin its first European trek in 20 years on June 7 in Dublin, Ireland, with a June 22 headlining date at the Isle of Wight Festival in the U.K., where he promised one fan he'd play the song "Learning To Fly." He also promised to bring a diverse setlist to the tour.
Petty was asked about playing in other territories, such as Australia and Mexico, and tweeted that "we only work three months every two years. we've decided this year 2 focus on europe, maybe down the road aus." As for more U.K. dates he responded "maybe, I hope so," but he didn't answer inquiries about more North American shows.
A few other notes from the session: the most talented musician alive today is "either jj cale or regina spektor;" "melissa etheridge doing refugee was the best (cover) i've ever heard); and that he truly has never seen Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell in a pair of shorts ("...and i hope i never do").
Petty signed off by tweeting "thanks everyone. dropped my phone. gotta go.
26.12.2011
Drivin N Cryin put on an old fashioned rock show Friday night
When you look up Rock & Roll in the dictionary you see a picture of Drivin N Cryin (DNC). Well, not really, but you should, especially after the show they put on last night. The Atlanta band hit the stage at the Tabernacle a little before 10pm and didnt leave until well after midnight. For those keeping score at home, that is over 2 hours of tunes. The show was loud and long and DNC jammed classic tunes, new material, and some pretty sweet covers. Kevns vocals and guitar playing were tight, Tim and Dave laid down the pounding rhythms on bass & drums and new comer Sadler Vaden destroyed the guitar.
The Tabernacle was packed, the crowd was loud and rowdy and filled with people of all ages who came to rock their asses off. DNC did not disappoint, they pulled blistering performances of Fly Me Courageous, Honeysuckle Blue, Build A Fire Scarred But Smarter and Powerhouse out of Kevns black cowboy hat. They dusted off Check Your Tears At The Door and Look What Youve Done To Your Brother, classics not heard live too often. Mixed throughout the show were some new tunes, the ode to REM called REM, Baloney, Aint Waitin On Tomorrow and Wheres My Country. While played live before, DNC fans anxiously await them showing up on an album. To even out the night the boys mixed in an ample amount of cover tunes. The always popular Here Come The Regulars (Replacements) Rockin In The Free World (Neil Young) and This Land Is Your Land (Woody Guthrie) were there, and a damn fine version of All You Need Is Love (Beatles) graced the set. They also rolled out Handle With Care (Traveling Wilburys) and Father Christmas (Kinks) which were pleasant surprises on a night filled with so many great tunes. Oh yeah, we cannot forget the sing-a-long favorite Straight To Hell, it wouldnt be a DNC show without that staple, whether you dig the tune or not.
25.12.2011
George Harrisons 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Surprises Auctioneers with $549,045 Winning Bid
Legendary lead guitarist of The Beatles, George Harrison, whose musical skills promise to sweep the audience off their feet has now surprised the Coys auction house, who sold a 1965 Aston Martin DB5 formerly owned by Harrison. The car, along with a huge collection of movie posters, was auctioned at the Coys True Greats auction, which was held at Royal Horticultural halls in London on Wednesday, December 7. The car fetched an astonishing ?350,000 or about USD 546,000 / ?410,000 after a fierce bidding among the fans, which was far more than the estimated price of ?225,000 ?260,000.
George Harrisons DB5 was manufactured in the year 1964 and was delivered to him on January 1, 1965. In the late 1980s, when Harrison sold this car, it found its way into a museum in Tokyo, Japan. In 1995, it was purchased by a Japanese collector residing in Germany. The DB5 has been maintained in a largely original and unrestored condition with a recorded mileage of just over 22,000 miles.
The winning bid was made by an anonymous Beatles and Aston Martin fan from Houston in Texas who said: George Harrison would be amazed about all the money his car is going to raise for Christian causes.
Other vehicles sold at Wednesdays auction included a Cord 810 Phaeton owned by Jimmy Page (of Led Zeppelin fame) and entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne, Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster that hadnt seen the light of day for almost a quarter of a century, and a Mercedes Benz 540K once owned by Formula One Management CEO Bernie Ecclestone.
20.12.2011
Roy Orbison: 1956 Radio Advertisement for Sun Records Concert
14.12.2011
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
2012 Tour Dates Announcement
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers are excited to announce a series of North American concerts in 2012 prior to embarking on their first tour of Europe in 20 years.
The North American tour includes the band's first ever show at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival where they will headline the first weekend of the annual event on Saturday, April 28.
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers will also perform in the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia for the first time. The band will play in St. John's, NL on June 3 and in Halifax, NS on a date to be announced shortly.
Following the Canadian dates, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers will head to Europe for a tour which includes their already announced headlining performance at the Isle of Wight Festival on June 22. Shows in Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, England, Switzerland, France, and Italy are currently included on the itinerary.
The full list of tour dates is below and on the Tour Page.
Tom Petty will be live on Twitter @TomPetty Thursday December 15 at 2:30pm PT to chat with the fans and answer questions for one hour about Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' upcoming plans. To read how to participate in the chat, click here.
US ticket onsale information will be announced soon. Visit the Tour Page now for Canadian and European ticket onsale information.
Special Guests will be announced soon.
As always, members of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Highway Companions Club will have access to special presales to purchase tickets for most shows. We will send another email out by Friday outlining the latest presale details.
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers 2012 Tour Dates
April 19: 1st Bank Center, Broomfield, CO
April 21: Verizon Arena, Little Rock, AR
April 24: Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, NM
April 26: INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS
April 28: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, LA
April 29: Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA
May 1: Germain Arena, Estero, FL
May 3: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
May 5: Frank Irwin Center, Austin, TX
June 3: Mile One Centre, St. John's, NL
June 7: 02 Arena, Dublin, IR
June 8: The Marquee, Cork, IR
June 10: 02 World, Hamburg, GER
June 12: Open Air, Horsens, DK
June 14: The Globe, Stockholm, SWE
June 15: Norwegian Wood Festival, Oslo, NOR
June 22: Isle of Wight Festival, UK
June 24: Hallenstadion, Zurich, SWI
June 25: Lanxess Arena, Cologne, GER
June 27: Grand Rex, Paris, FR
June 29: Piazza Napoleone, Lucca, IT
June 30: SAP Arena, Mannheim, GER
13.12.2011
TRAVELING WILBURYS - CONTRACT
A very rare document was on sale on ebay. It's a contract between EMI Publishing and the members of the Traveling Wilburys regarding the song "Ratled" (from their debut album). It is signed by Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, George Harrison, Bob Dylan and Barbara Orbison. The price was $30,000.
08.12.2011
Barbara Orbison
LOS ANGELES: Barbara Orbison, widow of rock n roll pioneer Roy Orbison, died Tuesday on the 23rd anniversary of her husbands death, a family spokeswoman said. She was 60.Barbara Orbison died from pancreatic cancer at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center surrounded by her sons, said publicist and family spokeswoman Sarah McMullen. Orbison had been hospitalized since May.
Since the 1980s, Barbara Orbison devoted her time to managing her husbands estate and keeping his legacy alive.
With her son, Roy Kelton Orbison Jr. she co-produced a four-CD box set of her husbands 107 recordings. Roy Orbison: The Soul of Rock and Roll was released in 2008 and contains all of his hits and 12 previously unreleased tracks.
The package marked the first all-inclusive body of Roy Orbisons work from his earliest recordings to the Traveling Wilburys debut album, Mystery Girl and his last live performance. Roy Orbison died in 1988 at the age of 52, in the midst of a comeback with The Traveling Wilburys.
Actor Patrick Swayzes widow, Lisa Swayze, said her heart out goes out to the Orbison family. Patrick and I always had a warm connection with them both. Now we have lost this wonderful lady, Lisa Swayze said. Patrick Swayze died in September 2009 of pancreatic cancer.
In 1998, Barbara Orbison issued Combo Concert on her label Orbison Records, a collection of previously unreleased live recordings from Holland and France made in 1965, according to Roy Orbisons official website. That same year, Barbara Orbison accepted the Recording Academys Lifetime Achievement Award on her husbands behalf, which honored his contribution to the recording industry.
In January 2010, Barbara Orbison accepted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on her husbands behalf.
Barbara Orbisons Nashville, Tennessee-based music publishing company Still Working Music was recently awarded BMIs 2010 Song of the Year for Taylor Swifts You Belong With Me.
Roy Orbison paid tribute to his wife on his website. Ive spent my lifetime trying to figure love out. Love ranges from just fascination to something almost spiritual. In the case with my wife, Barbara, it just keeps growing all the time, he wrote.
Barbara Orbison will be buried next to her husband at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles, McMullen said. A Celebration of Life will be held at an undetermined future date in Nashville, Tennessee.
Barbara Orbison is survived by her sons Wesley Orbison, 46, Roy Kelton Orbison, Jr., 41 and Alexander Orbison, 36.
08.12.2011
Barbara Orbison dies at 61; wife of singer Roy Orbison
When singer Roy Orbison was touring England in 1968, it had been four years since he last appeared at the top of the charts with "Oh, Pretty Woman," even though he continued playing live and recording long after the pulse of rock music shifted away from his signature brand of sweepingly operatic pop.
At a show in Leeds on that tour, he met 18-year-old German fan Barbara Ann Marie Wellhoener Jakobs, and within a year the two were married.
"In the '70s I think I nearly cost him his career, because I don't think he was ambitious enough," Barbara Orbison, who died Tuesday in Los Angeles of pancreatic cancer, told Goldmine magazine last year. "He fell in love with me in '68, he asked me to marry him, and we had two kids. And I think he just wanted to live."
It was a turbulent time in Roy Orbison's life: The singer had lost his first wife, Claudette, in a motorcycle accident two years earlier. Later, while he was still on the same tour of England, two of his three children died when his house in Tennessee caught fire. His relationship with Barbara appeared to bring a renewed sense of joy to his life.
"In the '70s, he was basically rebuilding a life," she told another interviewer earlier this year. "He didn't want to do anything except be somebody in love, with a little money and lots of fun. By the '80s, he was ready again."
Indeed, in the 1980s Barbara was a catalytic force behind much of the activity that restored the shine to her husband's star in the pop music world. Orbison was lionized by rock stars including Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Jackson Browne, starred in a popular and widely acclaimed HBO documentary "Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night," and was an early inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Orbison also was drafted by ex-Beatle George Harrison to join him in the rock supergroup the Traveling Wilburys along with Petty, Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne, and the band released a pair of platinum-selling albums.
Orbison's final studio album, "Mystery Girl," reached No. 5 on the national sales chart in early 1989, two months after his death, and yielded the top 10 hit "You Got It."
Barbara remained her husband's manager until his death at 52 on Dec. 6, 1988, 23 years to the day before she died at age 61 at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where she'd been undergoing cancer treatment since May, a family spokesman said.
Barbara was born Jan. 10, 1950, in Bielefeld, Germany, and after marrying Orbison raised their children in Nashville and Malibu.
She worked relentlessly to keep her husband's legacy not just alive but growing after his death, leading to his induction into Nashville's Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and a 1998 Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award.
Barbara also oversaw the creation of "Roy Orbison: The Soul of Rock and Roll," a four-CD, 107-song box set, in 2008 and co-produced a stage musical, "Only the Lonely: The Roy Orbison Story," which toured England in the 1990s.
She established her own publishing company, Still Working Music, in Nashville that worked with successive generations of songwriters including Taylor Swift, Billy Burnette and Tommy Lee James. Still Working received the 2010 song of the year award from BMI, the publishing rights organization, as publisher of Swift's hit single "You Belong to Me."
In addition, Barbara spearheaded philanthropic efforts including a 1991 benefit tribute to her late husband at the Universal Amphitheatre that raised $1 million to help the homeless in Los Angeles, and she funded Orbison House, a 21-unit residence for the mentally impaired homeless in L.A.
She produced another tribute album, "Roy: A Tribute to Roy Orbison," by Irish Australian singer-songwriter Damien Leith, which was released in Australia in conjunction with what would have been the singer's 75th birthday, on April 23 of this year.
Barbara is survived by her sons Roy Kelton Orbison Jr. and Alexander Orbison, and her stepson, Wesley Orbison, Roy's son from his first marriage.
Services in Los Angeles will be private. Details on a public service in Nashville are pending.
06.12.2011
George Harrison: What Is Life
Michael Palin presents a tribute to his friend George Harrison, who died in November 2001. It features archive interviews with George, as well as contributions from his wife and son, Bob Geldof, Jim Keltner, Jeff Lynne, Brian May, Gary Moore, Tom Petty, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar and the Beatles' producer George Martin.
The programme highlights George's contribution to the extraordinary and enduring legacy of the Beatles. Although John or Paul would usually sing the lead vocal, George played a vital role in the distinctive harmonies that enhanced the Beatles' records. Guitarist Gary Moore demonstrates the brilliance of George's solos on their records. And Ravi Shankar talks about how George's love for Indian music and culture influenced Beatles records.
After the Beatles split in 1970, all four released solo records but - to the astonishment of many - it was George who initially achieved the most commercial and critical success. His single My Sweet Lord was a worldwide number one in 1971 and returned to the top of the UK chart in 2002. He organised the Concert for Bangladesh and the triple album of the recordings topped charts around the world. This event, and George Harrison's understanding of the power and responsibility that rock musicians could wield in the world, have had a lasting influence.
George's solo career had periods of great productivity and also two phases when his profile dipped below the horizon. He enjoyed a late 1980s 'comeback' with his hit album Cloud Nine, released the number one single Got My Mind Set On You and two albums with his supergroup The Traveling Wilburys (featuring Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty). The year after George died Brainwashed was released, which featured the music he had worked on since his last solo album in 1987. Among them was the beautiful instrumental Marwa Blues, which won a Grammy Award.
First broadcast on Radio 2 in 2009.
06.12.2011
Isle of Wight Festival 2012
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers have joined Bruce Springsteen, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Biffy Clyro and Noah and the Whale on the line-up for the Isle of Wight Festival 2012.
Marking Petty's first UK festival appearance - and his first major UK show in 20 years -Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers will be the headline act for the main stage on the Friday (June 22) of the Isle of Wight Festival.
Tom Petty has been announced as the second headliner of next summer's Isle Of Wight Festival.
The singer, who released his latest album 'Mojo' last year, will headline the first night of the festival with his band The Heartbreakers. It is Petty's first ever UK festival show and his first show of any kind in the UK for over 20 years.
Isle Of Wight Festival takes place from June 22 24 next summer. Tom Petty will headline the opening night (June 22) with support from Elbow, Example and Noah And The Whale.
Biffy Clyro and Madness are confirmed to play the second day (June 23) with that night's bill topper still to be confirmed. Bruce Springsteen will headline the final night (June 24) and will be joined by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and The Vaccines.
05.12.2011
TRUTH ABOUT TAMBOURINE MAN
Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan by Howard Sounes (Random House, Rs 699).
Dont keep writing poetry, please dont. Go to school and do something constructive get a degree. Fortunately, Bob Dylan paid no heed to this advice dished out by his mother Beatty in 1959. Now in his 60th year, with innumerable pictures and words charting a detailed trajectory of his life, is there anything new left to say about this man? Apparently yes, as this book proves.
Three years and 250 interviews thats what Howard Sounes has put into this biography. While Dylan himself, quite predictably, refused to contribute to it, Sounes has done nothing if not a thorough job, researching almost every aspect of this song and dance man.
While he maintains a sympathetic voice throughout, Sounes doesnt shy away from breaking down the man before building him up again. In fact, in the opening chapters, Dylan is practically pulled down from his pedestal. We discover his propensity for prevarication. We learn that when he made his way to Denver in the summer of 1960, people avoided the grubby faux hobo and he couldnt get a job to play anywhere. We also learn that the young Bob stole albums from his friends, and how, when he became famous, he would often pretend not to know people who had helped him when he was down and out. Perhaps thats why one of Dylans old friends describes him as a very lonely man. So few people left in the world that he [can] talk to.
What ultimately comes through is the image of a wandering musician, fully committed to the Never Ending Tour. Despite his faults and frailties, this performer was born for a life on the road. A peripatetic musician, he often opted to sleep on friends couches, because he liked it, even when he owned several properties. What also comes through is that no matter how many biographers may try, the essence of Dylan what he is about still remains a mystery. As he replied to a question posed in 1966 by Playboy magazine on what his songs were about: Oh, some are about four minutes; some are about five, and some, believe it or not, are about eleven.
Thumbs Up: Dylan buffs will love the fact that Sounes manages to ferret out new information on the life of this man whose every move has been scrutinised for the better part of his life. Most notably, he reveals that in 1986 Dylan secretly married one of his backing singers, Carolyn Dennis, who had had his sixth child. While details of this six-year marriage remains a mystery, it does show how adept Dylan was at keeping his life private, making him even more of an enigma.
Revelations aside, the book is packed with anecdotes that offer rare glimpses into Dylans life. From the boyish games he played in school to his (busy) sex life, pretty much every fact and story you want to know about the man is contained within the covers of this book. Also, look out for the pictures, which include some of Dylans old loves and several of him performing.
Thumbs down: While Souness biography is chock-a-block with information, he loses points on two counts. One, his even-paced, measured style of writing lacks passion at times; previous biographies of Dylan are more stylishly written. Two, strangely enough, while we learn much about Bob the man, the book hardly delves too deep into what made the man who he is his music. For example, Sounes lets the trinity of defining 60s albums Blonde on Blonde, Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited go unexplored. This leaves one with a vaguely unsatisfied feeling that the book doesnt quite manage to get to the heart of Bob Dylan.
t2 tip: Dylan fans, if you want to know more about your man, this is your book. You can flip through this tome for years and never exhaust your supply of Dylan trivia. But be warned if Dylan is your god, he may appear significantly more human after reading this book.
01.12.2011
Louise Harrison reminisces about brother George
Harrison and the Beatles
For more than 40 years, Beatles fans have asked Louise Harrison to write a book about her famous younger brother, George. Now she has finally relented.
The 80-year-old former Sarasota resident has finished most of the text for a book to be released next year or 2013. Now shes scanning never-before-published photos, letters and documents that will fill the rest of the pages.
So much garbage has been written about George and the Beatles, Harrison says from her home in Branson, Mo., where she created Beatles tribute band Liverpool Legends six years ago and oversees its stage production.
Half of the stuff has been written by people who spent maybe an hour on a plane with the Beatles. Now I think its my duty to get the truth out. Theres been all kinds of myths and fantasies written about them. At least I have some facts to go on, because I was there from even before they were the Beatles.
George Harrison died 10 years ago Tuesday from lung cancer at age 58. For Louise, memories of her kid brother remain intact.
We were very fortunate to have such great parents, Louise says. They kept us grounded. Even when George became a public figure, as did I, so to speak, my parents would receive thousands of letters from fans all over the world thanking them for having George. They took very good care to answer them all they felt they were creating a global family for Beatles fans.
They had so much love within them, and they shared that love with everyone.
Louise Harrison doesnt want to give away too many details about her involvement with the Beatles meteoric rise to fame (Youll have to read the book, she says, with a laugh). But she will say she had a finger on the pulse of the United States in the early 1960s.
Thats because I was already living in the U.S. in 1963, she says. I would relay information over to (Beatles manager) Brian Epstein. I told him that the Beatles werent getting any airplay over here, that they really needed to play on The Ed Sullivan Show, which they had never heard of but it was the most popular show on television, and that they needed to find a major record label here.
When the Beatles performed on Ed Sullivan in 1964, kicking off the British Invasion, George Harrison was quickly dubbed the quiet Beatle. There was a reason for that, Louise says.
First off, he wasnt quiet, she says, laughing. But the weekend they flew into New York to do Ed Sullivan, George was very sick. They were staying at the Plaza Hotel, and we got him to see the hotel doctor, Dr. Gordon. Dr. Gordon said, This is a very sick kid. Hes got a 104-degree temperature and has strep throat.
He was given some shots and vaporizer treatments, and I was in charge of watching over him. George was told to use his voice as little as possible. Thats why at all the press conferences he was so quiet, and so the press thought he was the quiet one. George used to have a good laugh about it.
For her book, Louise Harrison is getting help from an unlikely source: ex-husband Walt Kane.
The two were introduced at a bar in New York City, married in 1973 and divorced in 1983. They moved to Sarasota in 1980, and Kane has lived here ever since.
I loved George Harrison, Kane says. He was a very nice man. I cant say enough good things about him.
The 66-year-old Kane, now retired from a career in sales and marketing, has fond memories of hanging out backstage with Paul Simon and Lorne Michaels during Harrisons Saturday Night Live appearance in November 1976, and staying at Harrisons sprawling English manor in Henley-on-Thames.
In addition to recounting his marriage to Louise Harrison and memories of George for the book, Kane is providing her with his unpublished photos of George, including some taken at his estate and such personal moments as George holding his newborn son, Dhani, in 1978.
George was always happiest at his estate, which he renamed Crackerbox Palace, Kane says. It was a beautiful place, 30-plus acres of moats and caves and gardens. It was a maze of shrubbery. It had 120 rooms and a huge recording studio. And there were no locks on the doors.
That changed when Harrisons former Beatle band mate, John Lennon, was gunned down by an obsessed fan in December 1980.
After Lennon was killed, George electrified the fences and hired a bodyguard, Kane said. He said, It takes only one maniac to take me out. He got tired of the fame; he just wanted to be a gardener. He said he was planting for the next generation.
Despite the increased security at Harrisons mansion, an intruder broke into his home and stabbed him in late 1999.
Louise Harrison says her brother became more cautious but not paranoid.
But he did say to me, Dont be too out in the public, because I dont want some lunatic to have their 15 minutes of fame. He was more worried about his family than himself. That was George.
