BEATLES NEWS EXCLUSIVE
by Katie Hickox George Harrison was always known as the “quiet Beatle” but he outshines John, Paul and Ringo in this
unique exhibition “For George” in George’s hometown of Liverpool located on the third floor in St. George’s Hall. This one of a kind exhibition features the largest collection of rare George Harrison memorabilia ever displayed and charges no admission. Important items from George’s Spiritual Journey phase on display feature several rare Indian instruments purchased and used by George in the late sixties. A sitar on display was purchased in 1966 by George, and Shambhu Das, a disciple of Ravi Shankar, gave him sitar lessons on this sitar. George so appreciated his time with Shambhu that he gave this sitar to Shambdu in appreciation. The third phase in George’s life titled “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” celebrates George as the gifted guitarist, composer, producer, lyricist and performer features four signed albums by George, a rare 1948 Abbott-Victor guitar which still has the original strings that George himself put on the guitar, a rare singles of My Sweet Lord and original Apple leaflet for My Sweet Lord. Also of historical note, the original Top 20 song charts are on display showing My Sweet Lord ranked at 15 on Nov 23rd 1970 and then rose to a number one on Dec 7th and stayed at number one until Jan 18th 1971. Original artwork created for George’s 1974 Dark Horse tour are on display along with a one of a kind Dark Horse concert jacket that George wore. The fourth phase shows George as a great humanitarian and philanthropist and features many rare photos of George from the ground breaking August 1st 1971 Concert for Bangladesh which was the first rock concert ever organized to raise money to help out a country in great distress when it wasn’t politically correct at the time. Along with rare photos, a rare mold of George’s handprint taken from his right hand is on display. Only 200 were made so it is interesting to look at the size and shape of George’s hand and fingers–George didn’t have a particularly large hand or long fingers but he was incredibly gifted as a musician. George used the proceeds from the sale of these hand molds to raise money for charity. Another phase of George’s life is: “Its What You Value: George the fan”. George was very much a fan of other musicians such as George Formby and Bob Dylan but also was a fan of Formula One race driver Jackie Stewart and was the Goons and Monty Python. On display are items relating to these interests such as signed photos and programs from some racing events. Check out the rare 1928 Gibson Long Neck Banjole that George owned for several years before giving it away as a present to the President of the George Formby Society.
Also covered is of George’s love of gardening “What is Life–the Gardener” which shows rare photos and maps of Friar Park and provide visitors with some idea of how dedicated George was to restoring Friar Park and his love for gardening and the great gardens of England. Even in his home town of Liverpool, George contributed in 1995 a substantial sum to restore Palm House at Sefton Park which was slated to be removed because it posed as a safety hazard but didn’t want this publicized.