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Only a Branson Song

A chat with Louise Harrison, sister of the Quiet Beatle.

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Photo Edward Biamonte Louise Harrison with the Branson-version doppelgangers of her brother, George Harrison's, famous band.

Louise Harrison sits in her cluttered office with Marty Scott, the performer who plays her brother, George Harrison, in the Liverpool Legends show. Scott is in full early-Beatles garb, complete with the moppy hair and black suit. For the next few hours he will be George. Applying her stage make up, Harrison is getting ready for her appearance later in the show. She and Scott are comfortable with each other, completing each other’s sentences and discussing the button that Harrison just fixed on Scott’s coat. They are an odd pair to be embodying brother and sister, as one of the pair appears frozen in time and the other is traveling through it and has developed arthritis that acts up when it rains, as it is now.

“Every time people ask me how I ended up here, I tell them I haven’t ended yet,” explains Harrison with her lingering British accent. She is part promoter, part “mum” and part sage. She still speaks about those very ’60s virtues of peace and love. Her experiences from the extraordinary to the mundane to her point to more fundamental truths about herself and people in general. As the only Beatles sister, those experiences on the extraordinary end intimately tie her to some of the historic moments of the 20th century. Harrison’s energy and charm are evidence that she certainly has not ended yet, but how she got to Branson is a story worth telling.

George: Lost and Found

Harrison’s road to Branson began in March of 2002, just a few months after George died. “It was just sort of a freaky thing,” says Scott. “I was performing at a Beatle convention, and [Louise] was there as a guest star.” They hit it off right away.

“We recognized each other as though we’d always known each other,” remembers Harrison. “So immediately I said, ‘You’re my new kid brother.’ And it’s been like that way ever since.” And the Liverpool Legends were born. After rounding out all the members of that band that impersonates the Beatles, the group went touring around the country with Harrison leading the way. “I was doing all of the bookings, all of the cold-calling to club owners and performing arts theaters all over the country, something I’ve never done before.”

As is the case with many entertainers who settle in Branson, the Liverpool Legends had grown tired of the road and desired a place where they can just stay put. “We’ve already got our stuff there, and when we’ve done the show we can leave it there,” explains Harrison.

After playing at a couple of different theaters, the group had a chance introduction at a fundraiser to Bill Killian of Killian Construction. He had been working on Branson Landing, vesting his interest in the success of Branson as a whole. Killian and other investors bought the Starlite Theatre for the group. Harrison freely admits that the Liverpool Legends didn’t have much money and were grateful for the investment. Harrison explains, “We’re hoping by our good performances, our good behavior, and our goodwill within the city and how we react with the local people that we will make it successful, not just for us, but for the people who’ve invested in us and people who believe in us.” With a reminder that what they’re representing is a multi-generational phenomenon and not just a band, Harrison adds that she also wants it to be successful for all the “Beatles people all over the world.”