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I am quite sure I have blogged on this before, but worth revisiting, since I drove past Benton, Illinois for the first time in years and saw this:
This mural is just off the interstate and advertises Benton as a special destination for Beatles fans.
The short version of the story is Benton was where George Harrison's cousin, Louise lived, and George visited her on vacation in September.
The cynical part of me takes over and says who cares where George spent a couple of weeks. It's not exactly like it's Liverpool or Tupelo or Athens or Aberdeen.
But the truth is if you do a bit of digging, even the most cynical would admit it makes for a cool story.
Benton is about 8000 people, and the 21st smalltown America tourist economy seems to be driven by the same things- wineries, antique shops, bed and breakfasts and generally somebody trying to cash in on the paranormal.
This is a pretty unique thing to Benton and it's pretty cool.
It's important to look at a calendar for perspective. February 1964 was when Beatlemania hit America.
Here is George, a stranger in town. Also radio was much different back then. Louise is credited (with some argument) with getting the first Beatle record on the air in America in July of that year.
George went to the local radio station, was interviewed by the DJ and they spun "She Loves You" which was about a month old and a hit in the UK.
Gerorge hit record stores and music shops. He bought Green Onions and Bobby Bland records and bought a 1962 Rickenbacher in Mount Vernon, Illinois. He also bought a contemporary single, you may have heard of - James Ray's "Got my Mind Set on You".
He played a couple of gigs with local band The Four Vests playing one in Benton and one in Eldorado (as well as Louise's living room). One gig was most Hank Williams songs with a few Beatles songs thrown in. The other at the Eldorado VFW Hall in front of a crowd of about 75 featured the rock standards the Beatles would have loved- Johnny B Goode, Matchbox, and Roll Over Beethoven.
This article adds a few more details to the story and is a good read, including a story of George losing his wallet, and visiting the Garden of Gods state park.
To me, I get a little buzz about reading about this and knowing that George was in the same area I grew up near. I will have to check out the museum at a later date.
This mural is just off the interstate and advertises Benton as a special destination for Beatles fans.
The short version of the story is Benton was where George Harrison's cousin, Louise lived, and George visited her on vacation in September.
The cynical part of me takes over and says who cares where George spent a couple of weeks. It's not exactly like it's Liverpool or Tupelo or Athens or Aberdeen.
But the truth is if you do a bit of digging, even the most cynical would admit it makes for a cool story.
Benton is about 8000 people, and the 21st smalltown America tourist economy seems to be driven by the same things- wineries, antique shops, bed and breakfasts and generally somebody trying to cash in on the paranormal.
This is a pretty unique thing to Benton and it's pretty cool.
It's important to look at a calendar for perspective. February 1964 was when Beatlemania hit America.
Here is George, a stranger in town. Also radio was much different back then. Louise is credited (with some argument) with getting the first Beatle record on the air in America in July of that year.
George went to the local radio station, was interviewed by the DJ and they spun "She Loves You" which was about a month old and a hit in the UK.
Gerorge hit record stores and music shops. He bought Green Onions and Bobby Bland records and bought a 1962 Rickenbacher in Mount Vernon, Illinois. He also bought a contemporary single, you may have heard of - James Ray's "Got my Mind Set on You".
He played a couple of gigs with local band The Four Vests playing one in Benton and one in Eldorado (as well as Louise's living room). One gig was most Hank Williams songs with a few Beatles songs thrown in. The other at the Eldorado VFW Hall in front of a crowd of about 75 featured the rock standards the Beatles would have loved- Johnny B Goode, Matchbox, and Roll Over Beethoven.
This article adds a few more details to the story and is a good read, including a story of George losing his wallet, and visiting the Garden of Gods state park.
To me, I get a little buzz about reading about this and knowing that George was in the same area I grew up near. I will have to check out the museum at a later date.
