The History of George's Futurama

For a limited time only from 3rd – 23rd October 2024, George Harrison’s Futurama Guitar will be on display at The Beatles Story Museum at Liverpool’s Royal Albert Dock. In collaboration with LA-based Julien’s Auctions, we are delighted to bring this iconic guitar from George’s early career back home to Liverpool, giving you the rare chance to see it before it’s sold at auction. In this article, we explore the history of the guitar, how it came to George and how it left him, and the stories along the way.

1959: All Those Years Ago

After leaving school aged 16 against his father’s wishes, George found a job as an apprentice electrician at the famous Liverpool department store Blackler’s, which was located in the building where The Richard John Blackler Wetherspoon pub now occupies on Great Charlotte Street. For the first time in his life, George had wages.

Google Street View of The Richard John Blackler Wetherspoons in Liverpool.

Harrison was in search of a Fender Stratocaster after seeing Buddy Holly’s on the album cover of Chirping Crickets. However, the Strat was unavailable in the UK at the time due to restrictions on US-imported goods. The Futurama, which was inspired by the design of the Strat, was the closest thing he could find in Liverpool.

In November 1959, together with Paul, George headed to Hessy’s music shop – which was located where Wong’s Jewellers now stands on Whitechapel, Stanley Street – to purchase the Futurama guitar through a hire-purchase agreement.

Paul came with me when I bought the Futurama. It was on the wall with all the other guitars, and Paul plugged it into the amp but he couldn’t get any sound out of it, so he turned the sound right up. The guitar had three rocker switches, and I just hit one and there was an almighty ‘boom’ through the amplifier, and all the other guitars fell off the wall.

– George Harrison, The Beatles Anthology

1959-1961: Plug Me In

According to Beatles historian Andy Babiuk, Harrison played 324 shows with the Futurama, among them some pivotal moments in The Beatles’ career. The Futurama strummed through some of the band’s iconic Cavern performances, their first professional recording session backing Tony Sheridan, their first residencies in Hamburg, and through monumental name changes: from The Quarrymen to The Silver Beetles, and finally, The Beatles.

Some might say the Futurama even helped the band land their first tour outside of the country. Harrison played the guitar during The Beatles’ audition for music impresario Larry Parnes, which allowed them to secure their 1960 tour of of Scotland with Johnny Gentle. The audition took place at Liverpool’s Wyvern Tavern, which would become the Blue Angel nightclub owned by Allan Williams, The Beatles’ first manager.

Google Street View of the Blue Angel club in Liverpool.

In July 1961, after returning from The Beatles’ second Hamburg residency at the Top Ten Club, George bought his iconic black Gretsch Duo Jet. With that, the Futurama was effectively retired.

1964: If You Belonged to Me

Fast forward to the dizzying heights of Beatlemania, and in 60 years ago this month in the October 1964 issue of Beat Instrumental magazine, a unique competition was launched: “Win George Harrison’s Futurama Guitar”.

To win, readers were told to send a postcard with a list of considerations when buying a guitar, in order from most to least important: shape, price, tone range, size, weight, machine heads, colour, make, action, and arrangement of controls.

About the competition, George said: “I hope that whoever wins has as much fun with it as I did. It’s a great guitar.”

The following month’s issue of Beat Instrumental announced the winner as A.J. Thompson of Seaford, East Sussex. However, at the prizegiving, magazine editor Sean O’Mahony asked the winner if he played guitar – the answer was no. A cash alternative was accepted instead, and O’Mahony kept the guitar.

2024: Handle With Care

Now, the iconic Futurama is returning to Liverpool, 65 years after it was first bought by George at Hessy’s.

Over two decades since his passing, it’s particularly poignant to remember George through his beloved guitar, which played such an instrumental part in The Beatles’ early years.

The guitar will be on display at The Beatles Story Museum at The Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool from 3rd – 23rd October 2024, where visitors will be given the rare chance to see this piece of music history in the flesh before its auction in Nashville, courtesy of Julien’s Auctions.

Alongside the Futurama, the guitar’s original crocodile hardshell case will also be on display, which bears worn and torn stickers from The Beatles’ Hamburg trips. The handwritten letters ‘RR’ can still be seen on the case, presumably the remains of the word: HARRISON. These are displayed alongside original issues 18,19 and 20 of the Beat Instrumental magazine.