Andy Fairweather Low Recalls His Failed Attempt To Reject George Harrison’s “Life-Changing” Offer

Although producing a promising solo career, many will remember George Harrison for his time with the legendary band The Beatles. Gaining the name “the quiet Beatle”, the musician watched as the band sold over 600 million albums. The band was so successful they landed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the first year they were eligible. Outside of his stardom with the Beatles, Harrison explored his solo career with albums like Dark Horse and Somewhere in England. Also going on tour, guitarist Andy Fairweather Low recalled how Harrison wanted him to go on the road no matter what. 

Speaking with Guitar World, Low remembered what it was like to spend time with Harrison. Sadly, Harrison passed away back in November 2001. As his legacy continues on, it seemed that Low caught the eye of Harrison. “We’d met a couple of times backstage at different Ry Cooder gigs and just said hello to each other and nothing more. Then I got a phone call from Roger Forrester, who was Eric’s manager at the time, and he says, ‘George wants you to come and do the tour to Japan to play all the intricate slide parts because that’s what he wants you to do. He doesn’t want to do it.’” 

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Andy Fairweather Low Tried To Get Out Of Touring With George Harrison

From small interactions to performing on stage with Harrison seemed like a whirlwind for Low. But the musician admitted he never played slide as he was a rhythm guitarist. Still, not wanting to turn Harrison down, he continued, “Though I don’t play slide and never did, I knew this was a life-changing moment – one of those moments where everything’s going to change if it happen. I thought, well, I’m either going to turn up at the rehearsal and they’re going to realise I’m an absolute no-go, or I can phone George and own up.”

Getting the chance to speak with Harrison, Low told him, “ I told George, ‘I know we met at the Ry Cooder concert, and I’m a big fan of Ry, too, but I’m never going to do that [play slide]. I’m having enough trouble with my fingers without putting a metal or glass bar in the way. I’ll stick to what I do.’ But George said, ‘I tell you what, everybody seems to like you, so why don’t you just come up?’”

Even after Low consistently tried to find ways out of going on tour with Harrison in Japan, he concluded, “he wouldn’t have it.”

(Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)