Remembering George Harrison’s ‘American friend,’ Gerald ‘Gabe’ McCarty of Benton
When Gerald “Gabe” McCarty first started playing the bass guitar in 1958, people called him “One String Gabe.” That’s because his bass parts were so simple that he generally just stuck to one string. But the Benton native, who died July 3 at the age of 83, eventually shed the moniker and became widely known as a skilled player with an impressive musical résumé.
He’d befriended George Harrison just months before the Beatles exploded into international fame. “George Harrison once referred to Gabe, (speaking) to the other Beatles, as his ‘American friend,’” said Jim Kirkpatrick, author of “Before He Was Fab: George Harrison’s First Visit to America.”
It all began in September 1963, four months before the Beatles’ appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” turned them into a household name in the United States. Harrison was visiting his sister, Louise Caldwell, who lived in Benton with her husband. “At the time when he came over here, nobody really knew who George was,” Kirkpatrick said.
In those days, McCarty was the leader of a band called The Four Vests, a rock ’n’ roll outfit that played regularly at local venues and teen towns. On Sept. 28, 1963, Caldwell brought her brother to the Eldorado VFW to see them.
By: K Janis Esch
Source: The Southern
