In 1963, 20-year-old George Harrison visited his sister Louise, who lived in Benton, Illinois, accompanied by his brother Peter. George had traveled to the United States to spend a few days with her, on a visit that made him the first Beatle to set foot on American soil, several months before the group’s triumphant arrival in New York in February 1964. During his stay in Illinois, Harrison was able to experience firsthand the American music he so admired. He played with local musicians and visited music stores, where he ended up buying a Rickenbacker 425, a guitar he later modified and used during the early years of Beatlemania. The photograph shows George with Peter, Louise, and his niece in Benton. For Harrison, those days were much more than just a family vacation, they represented his first encounter with the country whose music, especially rockabilly, country, and the blues, had profoundly influenced his development as a guitarist and the sound of The Beatles.

Young girl going wild at an Elvis Presley concert in 1957

On September 30, 1961, John Lennon and Paul McCartney left Liverpool for Spain, using the birthday money John had received from a relative; they hitchhiked, wearing bowler hats as a visual cue to get cars to stop. Upon arriving in Paris, their plans changed: tired from the trip and enchanted by the city, they decided to stay instead of continuing on to Spain. They walked around Montmartre, frequented cafés, and ran into their German friend Jürgen Vollmer, whom they had known from their time in Hamburg; they liked his slicked-back hairstyle so much that they asked him to cut their hair the same way. Thus was born the distinctive “mop-top,” the hairstyle that would later become globally associated with the Beatles. John also turned 21 during that same stay in Paris, on October 9, 1961, while still with Paul.

In 1964, John Lennon commissioned a Rolls-Royce Phantom V that would go on to become one of the most recognizable cars in Rock History. When he took delivery of it in June 1965, it was entirely black and reflected the brand’s traditional elegance. However, two years later, Lennon decided to transform that understated look into something much more daring. In 1967, during The Beatles’ most experimental period, the car was painted yellow and decorated by artist Steve Weaver with Romani-inspired motifs. Spirals, flowers, and vibrant colors covering the entire body. The result sparked reactions ranging from surprise to outrage, but it fit perfectly with the countercultural spirit of the era and the creativity surrounding the band. This very same Rolls-Royce had transported The Beatles to Buckingham Palace in 1965, when they received their MBE honors. Today it is part of the collection at the Royal BC Museum in Canada, having become a symbol of the music, design, and rebellious spirit of the 1960s.