Pattie Boyd

Patricia Anne "Pattie" Boyd (born 17 March 1944), model and photographer, is best known as the wife of two famous rock musicians and the possible inspiration for several memorable rock love songs. After meeting on the set of A Hard Day's Night, Pattie married George Harrison in 1966, during the heyday of his group, The Beatles. Unfortunately, Harrison's friend Eric Clapton, first of The Yardbirds, then of Cream, also fell madly in love with her. Pattie went on to divorce Harrison in 1977 and later marry Clapton in 1979. She eventually divorced Clapton as well in 1988.

Related Topics:
17 March - 1944 - Rock - A Hard Day's Night - George Harrison - The Beatles - Eric Clapton - The Yardbirds - Cream - 1977 - 1979 - 1988

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Legend has it that Pattie was the inspiration for one of George Harrison's most famous tunes, Something, one of the few Beatles hits not written by fellow bandmates John Lennon and Paul McCartney; the song was called "the greatest love song ever written" by Frank Sinatra. However, Harrison himself later said he had pictured Ray Charles singing it and did not really have anyone else in mind when writing the song. Harrison also wrote For You Blue, I Need You, So Sad, and Think For Yourself?all said to be inspired by Boyd?but how many of these actually were is not known.

Related Topics:
Something - John Lennon - Paul McCartney - Frank Sinatra - Ray Charles

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During Clapton's tenure in Derek and the Dominos, their only album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, was dedicated to the unrequited love between him and Pattie which consumed Clapton at the time. Clapton's tortured passion for his best friend's wife produced one of his most famous songs, Layla from the album, a rock ballad that became a pop hit in two different decades with two different versions. Clapton's desire for Pattie drove to him to a terrible heroin addiction that forced him to go on a music hiatus for several years in the early seventies. Once the two were finally together Clapton released a more sentimental hit Wonderful Tonight for Pattie, as well as his tunes Never Make You Cry and Pretty Girl.

Related Topics:
Derek and the Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs - Layla - Heroin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pattie wasn't the only Boyd family member to inspire such fondness among musicians. Her younger sister Jenny Boyd (born Helen Mary Boyd, but nicknamed 'Jenny' after one of Pattie's childhood dolls) caused her own rock-musician rivalry as the muse for Donovan Leitch's pop hit Jennifer Juniper, while marrying Mick Fleetwood, founder of Fleetwood Mac.

Related Topics:
Jenny Boyd - Muse - Donovan Leitch - Mick Fleetwood - Fleetwood Mac

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An exhibition of photographs taken by Boyd during her days with Harrison and Clapton opened at the San Francisco Art Exchange on Valentine's Day 2005, fittingly titled Through the Eyes of a Muse.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~