George Harrison Archive
@harrisonarchive
An appreciation of George Harrison through verifiable quotes and in-depth research; curated by @akirsten83.bsky.social. | Also on & harrisonarchive.tumblr.com.
“George [Harrison] looks as I would expect Hamlet to look. Early morning, totally open, something going on in the mind, not trying to put anything on. It’s one of my best portraits.” - Henry Grossman, Brandeis Magazine (2013) Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/7132311....
A look at George Harrison’s Aston Martin DB5 (seen here as photographed in 1965 by Henry Grossman) and his Redford Mini De Ville GT (photographed in 1968 by fan Michael Herring). Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8224950....
On July 17, 1964, George purchased Kinfauns, a bungalow in Esher, home until early 1970, when Friar Park was bought. Here’s George photographed at Kinfauns by Leslie Bryce on October 7, 1965; all scanned from The Beatles Monthly. Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8224040...
“To me, George is George. He always has been and always will be. He’s not a bit like he is made out to be. […] He’s just an ordinary bloke.” - Peter Harrison (George’s brother), The Ottawa Citizen (1977) Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8223128....
Spotlight on Roberta “Bobby” Brown, the Beatles fan club secretary preceding Freda Kelly. Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8222230.... “They’re all lovely. They’ve each got individual characters.” - Bobby, Hit Parader (1966) Pic 1 by Harry Whatmough, 3 by @mikemccartney.bsky.social
Happy birthday to former Official Beatles Fan Club secretary Freda Kelly! Detailed quotes at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8221316... (and additional details in the alt text of these images).
George and Olivia with Bob Marley, backstage at the Roxy in West Hollywood on July 13, 1975. Photos by Kim Gottlieb-Walker, and Peter Borsari. “[B]est thing I’ve seen in ten years.” - George on Bob Marley & the Wailers Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/6896731....
“A big tour bus full of people looking for movie stars’ homes drove right by, and never noticed Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and Peter Sellers pushing Jim’s Mercedes to the gas station.” - Emil Richards Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8219509.... 📷 by Ed Caraeff
George Harrison with his E-type Jaguar, photographed by Leslie Bryce outside Whaddon House, Williams Mews, in London on July 11, 1964; scanned from The Beatles Monthly and Looking Through You. Read more about the car at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8218596... )and in the alt text of these pics).
George Harrison’s first two cars — a blue Ford Anglia and a green Jaguar MkII, photographed by Mike McCartney. Plus, in connection with that first car and George’s new mobility, more about George’s early girlfriend Marie Guirron. Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8217711....
“I used to go [to Aintree] whether it was a big or small meeting, take my butties and sit on the Railway Straight embankment to watch the race. […] I had a box camera and went round taking pictures of all the cars.“ - George Harrison, Motor (1979) More at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8216782....
Meeting the press to promote the movie Yellow Submarine, July 8, 1968. This ITV footage is courtesy of Getty Images. Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8215878....
“I remember years ago Ringo saying to me he’d love to have a Number 1. And I said, What for? You are the Number 1. It doesn’t matter about the record.” - George Harrison, Q Magazine (1988) Celebrating Ringo and George’s friendship at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8214985....
If you’ve ever wondered why George’s hair was called Arthur (as divulged in this scene from A Hard Day’s Night)… George’s childhood friend Arthur Kelly: harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/7223814...
“We did stay friends for a long time. [George Harrison] tried to help me get an acting job when I first went down to the Smoke and he would always come and see me even after they became famous.” - Arthur Kelly, Liverpool Echo (1982) Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/7223814....
George Harrison on Marcos, and The Beatles departing Manila (60 years ago today), from his interview with Rona Elliot the Today Show (1986). Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8213163....
“It’s kind of stupid what we didn’t do more. I used to say, ‘Just flash the big W in the sky like the bat signal, and we’ll all come.’ We just thought we had all the time in the world.” - Tom Petty, Men’s Journal (2014) Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8212262.... Photo by Tony Fornaro
“[George Harrison] came in to see me and asked how things were. I told him it was a little slow and he said “I’ll give it a little push for you.” He then bought almost every tree I had in stock.” - Konrad Engbers, Henley Standard (2001) More at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8211348....
“There were a couple of spots in the garden where George would sit, watch the sun go down and meditate. [Night scented stock plants were planted, reminding] him of his mother who used to plant the same flowers in their council house home.” Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8210444...
“After the tapes [for the interview] had been turned off [George] poured us a cup of tea, picked up the paper bag and said, ‘Oh, there’s some flapjacks my wife [Olivia] has made here. Would you like one?’” - Mark Radcliffe Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8209541.... 📷 by Alan Davidson
“I had the great pleasure of working for George and the rest of the Beatles in the late ‘60s, just before their split. George was one of the sweetest and gentlest people I have ever met.” - Jeni, BBC’s Your Tributes (2001) Inside 3 Savile Row in 1969, at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8208647....
“Once, [George’s mum] Louise let me sit in the front of George’s Ford Anglia. I asked if I could wash the car. ‘Are you soft?’ she shrieked. ‘Well, I suppose so, if you really want to. You can come back on Sunday and do it.’” - Yeah! (1995) Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8207769....
“…it’s all well and good being popular and being in demand, but, you know, it’s *ridiculous*, really. I think from then on I didn’t enjoy fame. That’s then the novelty disappeared, around 1966.” - George, Rolling Stone (1987) More at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8207727.... 📷: R. Whitaker
“[Hawthorne High School classmate Ron Arias] had this little sister. […] This young girl turned out to be Olivia Harrison. It’s just —‘ [Chris Montez, who toured with The Beatles in 1963] laughed. ‘It’s funny. Everything came full circle.’” Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/7114217....
George, Olivia (along with Mary Hopkin and Tony Lane), Dhani and (in the color photo) Joe Brown and Jenny Hanley protesting to save the Regal cinema in Henley-on-Thames. Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8205911....
Some of The Beatles’ Hamburg press conference, June 26, 1966. Read more about the band’s return to the city at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8205009...
On this day in 1966, The Beatles returned to Hamburg. Read and see more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8205009....
Happy Global Beatles Day! “[A]fter the years away from it, I thought ‘no — we had fun, and had a good little band, and had more laughs than misery. It’s just that the misery got broadcast more than the fun.’” - George Harrison, The Guardian (1988) More at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8204102...
“There’s some little magic chemistry that happened between us, and somehow it got in the grooves of those records.” - George Harrison, Off The Record (1988) Happy Global Beatles Day! Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8204102.... (Photos by Astrid Kirchherr, Robert Freeman.)
At Munich’s Bayerischer Hof, where The Beatles stayed from June 23-24, 1966. Photo 1 scanned from Bravo, photos 2-4 Robert Whitaker (the latter scanned from Whitaker’s book, Eight Days A Week: Inside The Beatles’ Final World Tour). Read more at harrisonarchive.tumblr.com/post/8203192....