It was a grand event Tuesday night at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, as the venue’s newest exhibition “George Harrison: Living in the Material World” was unveiled to a VIP crowd.
Offering a rare look into the prolific musician’s life – both public and private – the exhibition features items as iconic as his Gretsch Duo Jet guitar to notebooks and clothing, such as the cream-colored Nudie Cohn suit he wore at the Concert for Bangladesh, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Fans have been wanting to see these things,” Olivia Harrison, George’s widow, told the Times. “The guitars are beautiful, and I know they should be seen and shared. George always said that instruments should be played. When he came across somebody who had collected a thousand instruments, he thought it was wrong that they were kept locked away in a warehouse somewhere.
“Maybe one day we’ll be able to have it where people can actually pick up and play some of them.”
Those in attendance included former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, Doors drummer John Densmore and former Traveling Wilburys bandmate Jeff Lynn, according to the Times.
Harrison once referred to the Duo Jet as his “first real decent guitar,” and it was used on The Beatles’ Please Please Me album, along with his 1987 solo album, Cloud Nine.
In July, Gretsch released the G6128T-GH George Harrison Signature Duo Jet, which mirrored the black-and-white beauty. Gretsch also put out a limited edition run of 60 Tribute Duo Jets in January that burrowed down to the most-miniscule detail.
Here’s a video of Harrison’s Duo Jet Tribute guitar:
Unfortunately, all instruments at the exhibit are behind Plexiglas, which prohibit attendees from playing them, but there are interactive aspects of the exhibit, including the ability to play producer with parts of his 1973 song “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth).”
The show runs through Feb. 12, 2012 in Los Angeles.