English beat, Beatle treat: Harrison’s sister lends credence to Liverpool Legends

Louise Harrison has this vivid memory of her late brother, George — the “Quiet Beatle.”

It stems from a birthday party, “back when we were kids.”

Her mum was pouring from a teapot.

“George looks, and he says, ‘Oh wow, silver tea!’ ” Harrison recalled in a recent phone interview.

George — who was probably around 6 or 7 years old at the time — wasn’t actually witnessing something wondrous.

“It was just plain water coming out,” said Harrison, noting that her mother simply forgot to add tea leaves.

Harrison and her famous sibling had fondly recounted the humorous episode at a time when the end was approaching for George, who died in 2001 following a lengthy battle with cancer.

Seven years after George’s death, his older sister is using her sway to carry on the spirit of the Fab Four.

Harrison’s familial link to the Beatles helps lend distinction and credibility to Liverpool Legends, a tribute band that salutes the look, attitude and music of John, Paul, George and Ringo.

At 77, Harrison is a spokeswoman and promoter for Liverpool Legends, which performs regularly in the entertainment mecca of Branson, Mo.

The mop-tops are, however, trekking to Merrillville for a groovy Saturday concert at the Star Plaza Theatre.

There are numerous Beatle-impersonator bands in America, but Harrison thinks her boys have some separation from the pack.

“They really can portray the magic — that kind of excitement the Beatles produced,” said the mother of two and grandmother of two. “The very fact that the four of them onstage are enjoying what they are doing kind of pulls the audience in.”

A hit at the Starlite Theatre in Branson, Liverpool Legends re-create –in sound and costuming — the different eras of the Beatles, traipsing from the Beatlemania years of “She Loves You” to the trippy feel of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

There is likewise a nod to the “Abbey Road” days that gives fans one last whiff of the quartet’s latter works, before the group’s breakup in 1970.

Raised in the Beatles’ hometown of Liverpool, England, Harrison is a part of the performances given by her band.

She typically has an intermission chat with the audience, fielding questions and dishing anecdotes about life as the sister of a pop icon.

She stressed there is one overriding message to the public:?”I’m really happy to be keeping alive the idea of love and peace.”

Although still boasting a crisp British accent, Harrison has lived in the United States since 1963.

Her husband’s job as a mining-equipment engineer brought her here.

No longer married, Harrison resided in southern Illinois before moving to Branson, which also is now home to Marty Scott and Kevin Mantegna, who portray George and John Lennon, respectively, in Liverpool Legends.

Both hail from Schaumburg, Ill.

Scott, who started the group, said he and his mates are not interested in ad-libbing their way through Beatles classics.

“We don’t really mess around with the music too much,” the singer/guitarist said. “We do it note for note.”

Although he’s been cranking out Beatles tunes professionally for years, Scott never really tires of the material, alluding to the massive catalog of recognizable Fab Four fare.

“The Beatles have more hit songs than anyone else in the world to choose from,” he said. “They’re kind of the best songs ever written anyway.”

While Scott and company lovingly masquerade as British treasures, Louise Harrison has helped her boys look their Beatle best.

The Beatle sister managed details by “sewing buttons on our jackets,” Scott said.

“She’s kind of more like our mother than our manager,” Scott said.

Harrison has endorsed Liverpools Legends because they meet her criteria for tribute artists.

“I want them always to represent the Beatles in the most respectful way and loving way,” she said. “I’m very proud of being able to do this.”

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