Illinois Invaded!

[@Rob-yr3vw]

Thank you, HG, for covering this. I'm in Illinois, and at age 67 this has been local lore for most of my life.

[@daniellinehan63]

Just saw a great George Harrison Music Display along the Highway going into Carbondale during the Eclipse

[@alansands256]

There's an In n Out Burger near where I live that George Harrison apparently visited in 1980.

[@citetez]

Given the non-stop screamfests that Beatles concerts became, the people of El Dorado may also have been the last Americans to actually *hear* a Beatle play live.

[@PrimeTX]

Not to mention one of the last times he could walk around and just be a guy. What a great story!

[@Jominycrocket0]

He did “ Roll over Beetoven “ solo a x got a SO

[@damogranheart5521]

I had an opportunity to go see them live. I declined on the grounds that I wanted to really hear their music. I had seen live performances on TV. You could barely hear their singing at all. If someone had started screaming in my ear, I probably would have been sorely tempted to deck them. Painful ears at a concert is not my idea of a good time.

[@ErnieReid]

That was funny!

[@teryl4708]

Good point!!

[@abcedertreetoo]

I just read the 2020 Smithsonian article about Harrison coming to Illinois. He bought the Rickenbacker guitar at Fenton Music Store, in Mt. Vernon, IL. (The town of Fenton, IL, is over 300 miles north, not ‘nearby’.)

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Fair point. I apologize for the error.

[@abcedertreetoo]

@ You’re good. I’m not from the area. It just seemed odd to me that towns named Benton and Fenton would be near each other, so I looked into it and found the article (for which I have YOU thank for prompting me to find). I had never heard this fact about George before. And I appreciate your content a great deal!

[@redwater4778]

Bet he paid a hefty duty to get it back in the UK.

[@lukespread]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel That's because your a good guy.

[@dukecraig2402]

It's nearby when you're coming all the way from England.

[@srslyawkward3095]

I have wondered why Benton had a Beatles display off of their southbound exit on I-57. Now I know. Thank you for sharing this.

[@Darth.Fluffy]

This is why I love the History Guy.

[@cee8mee]

I was a beatlemaniac as a preteen and I'd never heard that story before, and I'm from Illinois!

[@jayalan2223]

I'd read that George went to record store and asked they had any records by The Beatles. He was told no, they'd never heard of them.

[@SodapopTheOutsider]

Learn something new everyday. Thanks, History Dude. Enjoy what's left of the weekend!

[@robertjensen1438]

Biologists say Beetles have 6 legs. They forgot about Ringo. What's got two legs and lives off dead beetles? Yoko Ono.

[@JoeVington]

Ok

[@Farsider3955]

🤔…..”Stand Up” is most likely not your calling.

[@rogink]

Miaow

[@tammypearre5033]

Too soon man

[@mikediamond353]

BOOoo...

[@twj2002]

This would make a great movie.

[@Plunderkind]

Fun fact: the Beatles broke in Canada in 1963, a year before they did in the States.

[@AsukaLangleyS02]

America

[@henryrodgers1752]

Thanks for posting this, “Mr. H. Guy.” As I recall, in the Fall of that year, the Beatles made their big splash in the U.S. with “I wanna hold your hand.”

[@srslyawkward3095]

Also, thank you for saying El-doh-RAY-doh the way the locals do. It can be hard to hunt down the way locals say things, but this attention to detail is what makes your channel stand out. It is much appreciated.

[@barahng]

Had no idea locals pronounced it like that. Thought it was just an error but it was HG being a thorough researcher.

[@jeffsanders663]

Right? There's a town in Switzerland that, phonetically, it's pronounced VEE-ENNA, And there's a town in southern Illinois that, phonetically, it's pronounced VIE-ENNA,

[@srslyawkward3095]

@jeffsanders663 Exactly! For another example, any time I hear someone say the name of Cairo, IL in the same way they say Cairo, Egypt, I don't trust anything they say after that. Call it Kay-roh or Care-oh (depending on your accent), or you've lost me.

[@thomasdupee1440]

Greenwich, Ohio is not GREN-itch. It's GREEN-witch.

[@brandoncochrone5582]

The new zesty flavor el dorito

[@ML-ul2zq]

George's sister wrote a book about it before she passed. My best friend in high school got to meet George and his brother Peter at a family reunion while in Benton.

[@robiandolo]

I knew this story but I love George and all 4 so it’s great to hear stories like this.

[@Henry-z1y1c]

And to think, just 6 years later, the other Beatles couldn’t cajole George to tour or perform live at all, and here, he was willing to go out of his way to play live.

[@UncleDansVintageVinyl]

I used to live in southern Illinois (Carbondale and Murphysboro). I remember reading about this years ago, but I had forgotten. Thank you for the reminder!

[@rhiannonrede]

RIP, George. We love you.

[@berthalloway8182]

Wish I could send to my mom. May she rest in peace

[@Luciddreamer007]

Talk about a scoop !! I have probably read over 100 books on the Beatles and have never heard about this. That is so freaking cool.

[@normanpearson8753]

In '61 ,, two of the Beatles hitch hiked to the West Country .One night , at least , in a pub , they were invited to play a couple of sings with the resident group.( It was , maybe still is , the way things were , then). That little group , two years later could boast , " Oh , yeah , we gave them their first break !"

[@Luciddreamer007]

@ I’m a ‘61 Model 😂. Fascinating.

[@danstotland6386]

And nearby Cairo is pronounced Kay roh.

[@imam.pramono]

Its local pronunciation

[@johnsayles4316]

This is a nice piece of history. Thanks for all that you do.

[@skydiverclassc2031]

George Harrison playing Hank Williams songs. Now there's an image.

[@StuStevens-rn7rb]

Can you see him with a Stetson and Boots?

[@m.whitleyacton821]

HG, you rock! I’m from Danville, ILL and I never knew this.

[@4mproductiondrones472]

I’m a Beatle fanatic and I’ve never heard this story. Gotta love the History Guy!

[@SquatchStomper]

I now want to hear him sing your cheating heart

[@StuStevens-rn7rb]

LOL 🤔😯😊👍😎

[@drivestowork]

I love stories like this! Heartwarming and funny! Saw a similar story about Namie Amuro, a Japanese artist (read: SUPER MEGASTAR at the time!!!) going to a quiet college in the US.

[@starlamytruelove]

I live a couple minutes from benton, neat.

[@theemmjay5130]

From the video's title, I expected this to be about one of those little-known military accidents you sometimes cover.

[@putinslittlehacker4793]

First car is a Pontiac tempest btw

[@jeffjohnson6709]

That's George Harrison. His sister lived there a long time. May still live there. He'd go there and visit sometimes. Didn't know that until she was on the radio talking.

[@RabidWildCreature]

Damn a non-American buying a root beer? Wow

[@Pr1ckles]

Damn, that's like, say, Peter Gabriel playing live in Aylesbury before he got famous in Genesis. Oh, wait...

[@mc76]

Pronouncing the town "El DoRaydo" is the most Hoosier thing ever.

[@dielaughing73]

Oh I thought it was just an A.I. mistake

[@alvinwagner6085]

And now you know……. the REST of the story.

[@pamhildreth4858]

What an awesome story. Thanks for sharing.

[@joepeach997]

Great History, thank you!!!

[@theequalizer9154]

Great story.

[@audikennedy8112]

Wow! That’s an amazing bit of history!

[@ron3676]

Thanks ,,, I never knew George Harrison played in AMERICA Before his band the fab4 came to AMERICA. ❤it.

[@mikekathynicholas4832]

George traveled to the USA first

[@sandrasanders706]

What an awesome story!!

[@rustyking8783]

El Dorado. Fabled city of gold records.

[@jaywalker9985]

Honestly! That is really cool 😎!

[@tmgco]

I’m born and raised in Illinois and have never heard this story. Mind you, I’m from Chicago which is 300 miles from Benton.

[@berniemarkley]

Originally being from Illinois, i appreciate your pronunciation of Eldorado. Illinois also has a town by the name San Jose pronounced "San Joes" rhymes with snows.

[@thetruthis24]

That’s such a great story. Thank you!

[@notintohandles]

That's too cool. Thanks for the little known history.

That is a great story. New to me.

[@christianfreedom-seeker2025]

Go through that town today? It's dead. Like literally a ghost towm.

[@vanroeling2930]

How close is Benton to O’Fallon?

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Not far.

[@rubberneckinc.8937]

That is my favorite Beatle and maybe my favorite Beatles (non Beatles?) story ever.

[@quinnnewman9538]

Hah i love learning stray beatles lore

[@normanpearson8753]

Near me N.W. U.K......is a water treatment plant , where John Lennon worked briefly I made a long detour , going to Southport , just to see it . Sad , I know !

[@GeneralBulldog54]

The legends of old rockers passing through Southern Illinois is something that needs to be remembered. I remember stories of how various acts used to land in Carbondale (a college town) off the City of New Orleans train and do these impromptu shows or just chill out away from the hoards.

[@mikediamond353]

hordes

[@robertdouglas8895]

Jim Croce did a concert at the university there Wed Oct 25 1972

[@gothboschincarnate3931]

I met George just a few years ago for about ten seconds.

[@WilburJaywright]

Pretty sure Dorado doesn’t rhyme with Play-Doh, but maybe the town changed it?

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

@WilburJaywright the local pronunciation is “el-do-ray-do.”

[@WilburJaywright]

@ Thx. I heard somewhere that apparently El Dorado was native for “great big rock.”

[@theemmjay5130]

​@WilburJaywright"I understood that reference."

[@fearthehoneybadger]

Original name, for the handful that don't know, was the Scruffy Beatles.

[@shawnr771]

That is cool.

[@Oneshot8242]

That is SOOOO COOL!!!

[@FE428Power]

WOW! My mom was born in El daredo in 1918, but moved away before WW 2.

[@gradientApostle]

It was probably so nice just to walk around and feel normal

[@peterjansen592]

Just going to note the lack of negative comments...on the internet. You seem to be doing something right.

[@AV57]

Wow! Someone’s talking about Southern Illinois!?!?!?!?

[@Rosie-g4r]

Wow, I didn't know any of this. Thank you

[@JamesKubajak-c1i]

Fancy that!🤯

[@donaldmorckel1684]

Fascinating .... I never knew !

[@movingforwardLDTH]

Props for pronouncing “El Dorado” the Southern Illinois way!

[@Dr_Larken]

Oh boy A&W, man I could go for that right now! Root beer and chili cheese fries! Love to know what kind of axe he bought? Probably Gibson or Rickenbacker.

[@killianweir6058]

Benton is a nice, beautiful town. Southern Illinois is way underrated

[@Reed9277]

Ha! That’s about the same time that my history teacher’s older sister brought back a few singles “by a funny English group with lyrics like ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ and ‘I wanna hold your hand,’ I didn’t think they would last…” 😂

[@nealenewton4193]

Interesting...don't recall reading or hearing this before. They would have been thrilled with George, for he was a top guitarist 👍🎶

[@pamelas1002]

WoW!

[@hoosez]

🤯 wow!!!

[@stevenscoggins170]

Awesome!

[@JoyCelebrating]

😂 I wonder if he played “ love me do “

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

No- they didn’t play any Beatles songs.

[@quetzalflight5790]

😅THAT MUST OF HAD JOHN LENNON REALLY HAPPY....SINCE HE LENNON LIKED ALLLLLLLLLL THE ATTENTION. LENNON DIDN'T LIKE HARRISON SINGING LEAD.

[@dw-fe2ww]

I learned something today😊

[@Silas-e5t]

👍📞📀 Cool beans

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

What is the story of the 5th guy? Pete Best? What happened with him?

[@Flowboat]

el dough ray dough

[@normanpearson8753]

George'd say ,"El doh rah do " . ( As it should be pronounced......Just kidding !! )

[@halolightnin]

Holy cow that’s really close to home I didn’t even know any of that…

[@wazza33racer]

Ned Flanders "Dam Beatnix".

[@federalisticnewyorkians4470]

Thanks to Mr.Reverb (Dave Dexter) who rejected all the Beatles singles until I want to hold your hand in 1964, and that only because George Martin called the head of Capital about what the hold up was.

[@greggbaker7120]

He really liked, playing with them....

[@jamespettit1792]

George is Awesome

[@jackvoss5841]

Baker Foxtrot Delta! Courtesy of Half Vast Flying

[@Kenneth-c4j]

George Harrison was amazing. May GOD rest his soul.🙏🙏❤️🛐🛐🛐

[@cristiancabrera6564]

“”” EL DOE-RAD-OH””” cmon now…

[@Sandy-r7t]

Very cool!

[@gregoldenburg8035]

Benton and Fenton? 😮

[@lycian123]

El Dor-ray-doe?

[@RolfYeager]

Never heard that way of pronouncing Dorado before lol

[@magnum8264]

Interesting!

[@honeybadgerisme]

😂"long hair"

[@williamgunter6801]

I never knew this.

[@tTenKay]

El-Doe-Ray-Doe huh 🤔 😅 someone’s uncultured

[@sharongeorge4585]

George Harrison. 😊

[@JeffCarrozzo]

George Harrison

[@MrJohnnyDistortion]

What flavor ice cream did he like?🤦🏻‍♂️

[@angelabarnes7588]

My Mom was waddling around, all pregnant with me!! Lol! November Baby!

[@unfilledflag]

"do ray do"?