George Harrison’s Father Was ‘Furious’ With Him After an Embarrassing Early Performance
TL;DR:
- George Harrison’s father wasn’t sure his son should pursue music.
- George Harrison’s father was not happy with his son after an early performance.
- Beatles fans sent George Harrison’s parents a thank you for their dedication to the band.
Long before Beatlemania, George Harrison’s father helped book his son’s band a gig at a social club. The band, which also included John Lennon and Paul McCartney, was young and had trouble scraping together gigs. While Harrison’s father wanted to help his son, he wasn’t happy with the performance. The band didn’t behave professionally and gave a slightly embarrassing performance.
George Harrison’s father wasn’t sold on his son’s career path
When Harrison was a child, he began playing guitar, and his father arranged for him to take lessons. His mother was excited that he wanted to pursue music and welcomed his bandmates into her home so they could rehearse.
“My mother was a big fan of music and she was really pleased about me being interested in it,” he said, per the book George Harrison: Behind the Locked Door by Graeme Thomson. “She was really happy about having the guys around.”
His father initially wasn’t as sold on Harrison’s chosen career path. Per the book Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison by Joshua Greene, Harrison’s father wanted him to pursue a safer career. Still, he supported his son.
George Harrison’s father was upset with him after an early performance
Despite his trepidation, Harrison’s father helped his son’s band, The Quarrymen, book a gig at the Speke Bus Depot Social Club, of which he was the chairman. They hadn’t had as much success as they’d hoped for at this point, partly because they looked young.
“They were not exactly what the people there expected,” Harrison’s brother said of an early concert.
Harrison’s father set them up for success at the social club show, though, as he asked the manager of a nearby theater to come see the band perform. After their first set, though, the band took full advantage of the free beer and cider offered to them. Per Thomson, they were “legless” by the time they started the second set, and made an “abject embarrassment of themselves.” Harrison was not drunk, but his father was still “furious” that his band had behaved in this way.
His parents received a gift from fans of The Beatles
Eventually, the members of the Quarrymen evolved into The Beatles, who found massive global success. The fans who loved the band also extended thanks to the members’ parents. Harrison’s mother answered fan mail and interacted with fans as much as she could.
To recognize the Harrison family’s dedication to The Beatles, fans from California sent them a gold plaque that read: “Presented to Harold and Louise Harrison for the time and effort they have shown to Beatle People everywhere.”
Harrison’s father’s early trepidation and irritation about his son’s music career washed away with his success.
