Personal Preference (George Harrison)

Prologue: Before the Beatles

Before we start my story, we need to figure out just what happened in the years leading up to my life changing decision to tour with the Beatles on the U.S leg of their 1965 tour.

First, I must introduce myself, I am Johanna Leigh (pronounced Lee) Johnson. I was born on the 20th of September in 1944. I was born into a family of wealth and I grew up in the Greenwich Village of New York City. I am one out of the three children that my parents were blessed to have, I was also, unfortunately, the middle child. Leaving me feeling forgotten and unwanted for most of childhood and adult years of life.

Before me, there was only my brother, Alexander Burke Johnson, born on the 10th of December in 1940. For years, Burke had been the only child that my parents had. Mainly because my father was a military man, a doctor, stationed in France during the second World War. However, upon my father's return home for Christmas in 1943, I had been conceived and things changed from then on out. However, that didn't change the fact that Burke was still the favorite child in the household.

After me came the baby that would change everyone; Stella Jayne Johnson entered this world on the 5th of March 1946 and was the last child my parents were blessed with before my mother was instructed by a team of doctors that she shouldn't have had children to begin with and that another child could very well kill her. After Stella came along our parents felt as if no one but Stella existed and in their eyes, she could do no wrong.

With all that said and the background of the two main characters in this story known, we must proceed.

Although three years passed between mine and Stella's birth, that didn't keep the two of us from being the best of friends and sisters. Of course, there were days in which all Stella and I could do was fight, but there were also days when the only person that could cheer the latter up was one of us. From a young age, my mother instilled in Stella and me a deep resounding love for music. Around the age of 5, I was already playing the guitar and piano and taking lessons to better my singing voice. Stella started at an older age, always afraid that her voice wasn't near as good as it should've been compared to mine. Later on, that thought of her's would result in a competition between the two of us that we really didn't need.

Shortly before the beginning of the 1960s, Stella and I were discovered by a talent agent and were given a manager. Our first manager was Albert Oswald, an older man who was short in stature and didn't really have a lot to say. Albert helped us with procuring studios to record music in and some of our first tours as opening acts. I loved Albert and he was like the grandfather I always desired. However, shortly before the end of 1962, he passed away in his sleep leaving us without a manager and any guidance for the years to come.

In the spring of 1963, Stella and I were picked up by another talent agent and he assigned us to a manager who I couldn't stand and vice versa. Greg Sanders was our second manager and the manager who consequently was able to get us a record deal with Columbia Records during the early months of 1963. During that same time, we were given our first real opportunity to record a real LP and tour with an already established and well-known act, Dion DiMucci. At the end of summer Stella and I completed our first tour and were signed for another album, however, we were not asked to sign an extension of our contract. Dion and I had a short-lived affair that ended with his marriage to Susan Butterfield and left us incredible friends and after that, my love life changed for the better.

After the assassination of our president in November of 1963, I tracked down a folk singer who had captivated me for years. To begin, I had only wanted permission from him to cover his song Blowin' in the Wind on mine and Stella's next album. However, after multiple meetups and long conversations concerned with politics, music, etcetera, I found myself falling head over heels in love with him. If you haven't figured it out, the folk singer was a native of Minnesota and was known as Bob Dylan to his fans. Bob and I have been together ever since.

In the winter months of 1963 and 1964, Stella and I finished recording our second album without a hiccup. The album was released in May of 1964 and was an okay seller, however, it hadn't gone platinum or anything. So to support album selling efforts, Stella and me hit the road again, this time, we toured with an even more, well-known act, the Everly Brothers. From the get-go, I loved touring with Don and Phil, however, I couldn't have loved it more than Stella. During the second half of 1963 and early part of 1964, Stella had blossomed and really and truly become a woman. This didn't go unnoticed, especially with Don Everly. However, to me, she was still my seventeen-year-old little sister. The longer we were on tour the more obvious it became to me, Don liked Stella and Stella was falling at the feet of Don. Don was married, though, and I tried my best to steer Stella away. Stella would not take no for an answer and continued to tease and tempt Don to the best of her abilities. By the end of the tour, they were sneaking off together and Stella was no longer pure.

The tour ended, but the affair between young Stella and much older Don was still in full swing. So, I did what any good sister would do... I informed my parents that I felt as if Stella was up to no good. Of course, my parents seemed to doubt me and they chose not to listen to me, even though Stella continued to leave at all hours of the night and not return anywhere from an hour to two days later. Finally, tired of all the secrets and white lies I decided to move to the Chelsea Hotel where I could live with Bob and not concern myself with Stella when we weren't on tour.

Another single from the two of us was released mid-July of 1965 when both Stella and I had decided that we were ready to tour again. The single was met with great approval and it sold more than enough copies. With the new found fame from our single, Stella and I were booked on multiple tv programs including, the Ed Sullivan Show, a show in which both of us had desired to perform on for the longest time. However, with all the new found glory came the prospect of another tour. I had told the management team and Columbia Records early on in the year that if Stella and I were to tour as the Johnson Sisters again, I refused to tour with the Everly Brothers again and that I would much rather tour with Dion again. However, Stella feeling the pressure of being away from her love, Don Everly, chose to go behind my back and request another tour with them. Thankfully, neither of those tours were to come, instead, Greg Sanders booked us a tour with Brian Epstein's new sensation, The Beatles, much to my dismay, leading us to where we are now...