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March 13, 2006

B-Sides: Beatle George Harrison’s sister makes impression on students

By Mark Bennett

The first time I saw The Beatles in an elementary school history book, I thought it was cool.

But in the years since then, they’ve migrated from the current-events chapters to those devoted to Copernicus, the transcontinental railroad and Louis Pasteur. So, yeah, having fuzzy, black-and-white, little-kid memories of watching John, Paul, George and Ringo with my family on “The Ed Sullivan Show” could leave me feeling a bit prehistoric.

Friday afternoon cured that, though. It was like a dip in the Fountain of Youth.

Louise Harrison — whose kid brother George played those melodic guitar solos on almost every Beatles tune from “Can’t Buy Me Love” to “Come Together” — visited Sarah Scott Middle School. Hints of that Liverpool accent, her sharp blue eyes and a passion for all things peaceful were striking reminders of her legendary brother, who died of cancer at age 58 in 2001.

Most of the Sarah Scott students are far too young to notice those things. But Principal Mark Miller, who arranged for Louise to come from her southern Illinois home in Benton to speak here Friday, reminded these youngsters that she was a member of the rock ’n’ roll generation’s royal family.

“I don’t know if you realize what we’ve got here, but for people my age, this is like having the president’s sister here,” Miller told the kids assembled in the Sarah Scott gym.

Actually, this sister of George was better. President Bush never played “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” with Eric Clapton. And while I and the rest of America watched The Beatles invade on TV in 1964, Louise was actually there in the Ed Sullivan Theater. On Friday, she brought pictures for the students of her and George backstage at that show. And, with some help from the skillful audio-visual staffers at Sarah Scott, she displayed pictures of her brother’s first visit to the United States in 1963 — a year before he and the rest of the band arrived together.

Louise moved to Benton that year, because of her husband’s coal mining job. With The Beatles’ popularity surging in their native England, she took their earliest recordings to radio stations across America, trying to get them played. Few did. Most of the male programming directors were rather condescending and, well, chauvinistic.

“They said, ‘You should go home and take care of your husband, and stop worrying about your kid brother’s band. Nobody’s ever going to listen to that,’” Louise said, as the adults in the gym chuckled.

The students listened intently Friday as she told those stories. And then before she began a question-and-answer session, a video medley of Beatles songs — performed by the tribute band Liverpool Legends, which Louise manages — played on the gym wall. Some of the teachers tapped their feet, mouthed the words and swayed to the jangling guitars.

After it ended, she asked the kids how many had heard the songs like “She Loves You” and “Here Comes the Sun” before.

Blissfully, hundreds of young hands shot up in the air. There is hope for the world.

And even when Louise asked how many had never before listened to The Beatles, her follow-up question — “Well, did you like them?” — brought some positive responses from these 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds.

“Maybe now, those of you who’d never heard it realize your parents or your grandparents aren’t completely dumb,” said Louise, who is 74 years old.

Actually, there was plenty of evidence Friday that The Beatles’ groundbreaking sound continues to appeal to new generations. The Liverpool Legends, for example, have become popular enough to land a permanent gig at the Caravelle Theater in country-music haven Branson, Mo., where Louise will move to later this year.

Their audiences, she said, include “everybody from 89-year-olds on walkers or whatever, to people with 18-month-olds on their shoulders.”

The most shining example, though, came in the opening moments before Louise began her speech. Claire Wilson — a 14-year-old eighth-grader wearing a black Beatles T-shirt — played the band’s obscure gem “Rain” on her violin, accompanied by their actual recording of the song. Her classmates cheered, almost like people did at The Beatles’ concerts, and Louise walked up onto the stage and hugged her.

It was Claire’s fascination with The Beatles that inspired her principal to contact Louise and arrange her appearance Friday. Her parents and grandmothers watched Claire serenade Beatle George’s big sister. Claire’s mother, Lesley, was 9 when she saw them on “Ed Sullivan” and remains a fan, as does husband Mark. They didn’t push the music onto their daughter, though. She found it on her own.

“That makes it very easy for me,” Lesley said, grinning, “because I don’t have to listen to things I don’t like.”

Her daughter obviously connected with Louise. And this lady’s mission for Friday was accomplished. After her words about peace and love and music, dozens of kids in Let It Be and John Lennon shirts swarmed her for autographs.

“The Creator gave me the ability to speak, gave me a good, healthy old body and the ability to communicate,” she said. “This is my job now.”

Imagine that in 2006.

Mark Bennett can be reached at mark.bennett@tribstar.com or 1-800-783-8742, Option 6, Ext. 377.

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