La relación de los Beatles con las guitarras Ramírez sigue dando jugosas sorpresas. En el Hard Rock Café Uyeno-Eki, de Tokio, se conserva una guitarra Ramírez con una placa en la que se menciona que fue regalada por George Harrison a Mary Hopkins en 1968. Naturalmente, esta circunstancia hizo que se activasen los dispositivos necesarios para poner en marcha una investigación que condujese a reproducir, del modo más aproximado posible, el contexto relacionado con este instrumento.
Mary Hopkins era una joven cantante galesa de 18 años que, en 1968, había sido llamada por Paul McCartney para que este le produjese su primer disco en los estudios Apple, fundados por los Beatles aquel mismo año. Tal y como relata Jessica Morgan, la hija de Mary Hopkins, durante una de esas sesiones George Harrison le dijo a Mary que necesitaba una guitarra de buena calidad. George salió del estudio y volvió al poco tiempo con la Ramírez para regalársela allí mismo a Mary. Según las propias palabras de la joven galesa, le pareció un regalo enormemente generoso. Además, recordaba que fue el mismo día del estreno de la película Yellow Submarine, por tanto, el 17 de julio de aquel año
THE RAMIREZ OF GEORGE HARRISON AND MARY HOPKINS
The relationship between the Beatles and Ramírez guitars continues to throw up some colourful surprises. At the Uyeno-Eki Hard Rock Café in Tokyo, they keep a Ramírez guitar with a plaque which states that it was given to Mary Hopkins in 1968 as a gift by George Harrison. Of course, this means that the necessary steps need to be taken to carry out an investigation in order to be able to establish, as nearly as possible, the context associated with this instrument.
In 1968, Paul McCartney called Mary Hopkins, an 18-year-old Welsh singer, and offered to produce her first record at Apple Studios, which had been founded by the Beatles that same year. Jessica Morgan, Mary's daughter, tells the story that, during one of the sessions, George Harrison told her that she needed a good quality guitar. George left the studio and returned shortly afterwards with a Ramírez guitar which he gave to Mary there and then. Mary herself felt that this was an extremely generous gift, and she also recalls that that day, 17th July 1968, was the day of the premiere of the film Yellow Submarine.
We have received from the Hard Rock Café in Tokyo a photograph of the label on the guitar, which shows the serial number, the year of CONSTRUCTION and its quality classification as a 1° professional guitar, with a cedar wood finger board, made in 1967. From this, we were able to ascertain that the guitar was sent to the then Ramírez distributor in London, Ivor Mairants, on 31st August 1967.
According to Jessica, Mary used the guitar over a number of years over the course of her career. In 1997, she decided to sell it and it was auctioned at Bonhams on 15th May , when it was bought by the company which manages the Hard Rock Cafes.
Also according to Jessica, her mother would be very happy if someone would play the guitar again one day. This would be way both of keeping alive the memory of George Harrison and the spirit of another important Ramírez guitar associated with the Beatles.
Dr. Xosé Crisanto Gàndara Eiroa
Doctor of Philology and Music at the University of La Coruña
Chair of Music, CMUS 'Xan Viaño' Ferrol
Associate Professor of Music History
Department of Humanities
University of Rioja
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