AboutMelissa Davis Expertise I feel extremely comfortable with my ability to answer questions regarding The Beatles personally - backgrounds, family, education, and the genesis of the group from inception to the end. I do not feel that I have the expertise to answer extremely technical questions regarding equipment, other than to refer the questioner to other sources.
Experience Besides having been the right age at the right time to live through and enjoy The Beatles, I have continued my interest in them, in their music, and their influence on 20th century - in everything from the obvious, music, to fashion, humor, film, politics, and the music industry. As a dedicated Anglophile, I have studied at the University of London as an undergraduate and traveled in the UK extensively - yes, walked across Abbey Road, visited Savile Row - all of it. Beyond that, I am a teacher and a writer with excellent writing, editing, and research skills.
Publications The Copy Workshop advertising series
Colorado Law Journal
Various magazines
Education/Credentials B.A. History & Political Science, M.A. English History, J.D.
Awards and Honors Teacher of the Year, Archdiocese of Dallas (2000)
Expert: Melissa Davis Date: 6/17/2008 Subject: George's brothers
Question I honestly don't know what to think on the "Paul is dead hoax".
It's very confusing because were The Beatles friends with William Campell? Who thought he was an imposter?
Also, whatever happened to George's brothers, Peter and Harold? Are they still alive? I hope so...
Did George ever talk to them when he was a Beatle like he did for Louise?
Answer Hi Ava,
I know what you mean - people have been trying to figure out the Paul Is Dead mystery since 1969 - is it an 'urban' legend, a myth, a hoax, or a series of coincidences? No one really knows for sure; it's actually fun if you look at it as a mystery with no solution, more of a game trying to discover 'clues'.
There was no William Campbell, apparently. There is no record of such a person winning a Paul McCartney look-alike contest. The idea was that if there was someone posing as Paul, then it could be discovered in any number of ways: in person appearances (as the impostor's mannerisms and behaviour would be different), standing directly next to the other Beatles (Campbell was said to be taller than McCartney), differences in bone structure would be noticeable. Things like that.
I hate to complicate matters here, but there are people today who believe that whoever is Sir Paul McCartney playing at Liverpool Stadium, receiving an honorary Ph.D. at Yale, and playing a charity gig in Kiev for a children's cancer hospital in the month of June - it is NOT the Paul McCartney born in Liverpool on June 18, 1942 who formed the Beatles in 1957. They are really quite adamant about their belief that Paul Is Dead.
George was always very close to his family, frequently going up to Warrington, a town near Liverpool, where they he had bought them a house. He was with his mother when she died in 1970 and moved his father out to California 'to add ten years to your life' after that - and it did! When George went on tour of America in 1974, he took his father along with him to see the country and there are some nice photographs of Mr. Harrison (also named Harold)with long white hair down around his shoulders meeting President Gerald Ford at the White House! Mr. Harrison died in 1977, at 78 years of age, a year after John and Paul lost their fathers.
George had two brothers, as you know, Harold Jr. born in 1934 and Peter, born in 1941. (Coincidentally, Paul's brother is named Peter Michael.) Harold got married in 1960 - John, Paul, and George played a few songs at the party after the wedding.
Peter was closer to George, being closer in age, and was interested in the guitar at around the time George first became interested in it. They had a group, The Rebels, which played one or two little non-paying gigs in 1957 or so, but nothing came of it. Peter accompanied George on his visit to the America in October 1963 to visit their older sister, Louise in Benton, Illinois. In 1965, he married a girl who had worked at the Casbah Club in Liverpool, and worked as a panel beater when he left school; after 1974, he lived nearGeorge's estate, Friar's Park in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. He was a golfer and well-liked in the town. After he retired, he and his wife travelled until he was diagnosed with cancer; Peter died in 2007 at 66. He had three children and four grandchildren.
Harold is still alive and living on Geroge's estate; Louise Harrison says he is shy and does not care for the limelight created by being George's brother.
I imagine he was close to the brothers if he had them on the estate and working with him managing it and the gardens. I'm sure the fact that he could trust his family not to take advantage was important to George in a world where 'friends' sold your story and fans became murderous stalkers.
By the way, Ava, in looking for information for this answer, I stumbled across a Welsh website and found reminscences from people about the Beatles' visit in 1963. George had an aunt Jinnie there and went to see her and did something rather special on the visit.
Janet Wadeson of Buckley says: "When I was 8 years old, I was admitted to Gobowen hospital for a spinal operation in the summer of 1963. My mum and dad lived near George Harrison's auntie Jannie and uncle Jimmy who were brother and sister of George's father Harold Harrison. Mum and dad asked if George could pay me a surprise visit because I'd been a 'good girl', which he did. We chatted for about 20 minutes. He was lovely, and before he left he signed a Beatles postcard."
