George Harrison Looked 'Pitiful' on His First Trip to America
In 1963, George Harrison became the first member of The Beatles to visit America. The band’s visit the following year sparked Beatlemania in the country, but Harrison’s first visit was much more lowkey. His sister had moved to Illinois, and Harrison took a quiet trip to see her. Nobody recognized him, but they did take note of his fashion. A local teacher mentioned that she thought Harrison looked “pitiful” on his trip.
“I’d been to America before, being the experienced Beatle that I was,” Harrison said, per Rolling Stone. “I went to New York and St. Louis in 1963, to look around, and to the countryside in Illinois, where my sister was living at the time.”
Louise’s husband was an engineer at a coal mine, so she moved to Benton, Illinois for his job. Though Beatlemania was already in full swing in Britain, people did not recognize him in the United States. He was able to enjoy a quiet visit without the chaos he had grown accustomed to at home.
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
