Layla by Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clapton)

Patricia Anne Boyd was a famous 60s model who starred as a schoolgirl in the Beatlemania flick, “A Hard Day’s Night.”

She was probably the most famous muse of rock and roll in the 20th century. 

The first of six children, she was born in Hampstead, England, but also lived in Kenya. Pattie moved to London in 1962, where she became a successful model.

It was on the set of “A Hard Day’s Night” that Pattie first met George Harrison, the guitarist for The Beatles.

The two married on January 21, 1966. As one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most famous muses, she inspired such great Beatles tunes as “I Need You,” “For You Blue,” and the classic “Something.”

She would later go on to marry Eric Clapton, another rock legend, and for whom she inspired such songs as “Pretty Girl,” “Wonderful Tonight,” “Never Make You Cry,” and the classic “Layla.”

For the first time, Pattie Boyd, former wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton, a high-profile model whose face epitomized the swinging London scene of the 1960s, has broken her forty year silence, and tells the story of how she found herself bound to two of the most addictive, promiscuous musical geniuses of the twentieth century and became the most famous muse in the history of rock and roll. 

Her book is rich and raw, funny and heartbreaking-and totally honest, open,  and breathtaking. 

I’m really not sure who is the artist of the painting above of Layla. There is a signature on the lower left of the painting. The artist may have been Pattie herself. If anyone knows, just leave a comment below ! 

In my opinion, Pattie Boyd could have been just as famous without the Beatles. She definitely did not get the credit she deserved for all the influence she had over the Beatles and the rest of the world.

Pattie was already involved in meditation and Eastern philosophy when she became involved with George Harrison.

She was already an accomplished model in Europe. The Beatles didn’t make her famous for that. She later had been on the cover of Vogue magazine a few times in Europe. She probably had just as many modelling assignments as Christy Brinkley, but in the beginning, she was mostly in teenage glamour magazines, showing girls how to put make-up on for the first time, and how to do their hair (like hers).

I would spend hours in front of the mirror, trying to do my hair like hers. I finally gave up. I guess you just can’t get wirey, mousey brown hair to look shiney and straight if you weren’t born that way. There were no straightening irons then, besides, I was only maybe ten years old at the time. That would make my big sister, Sans Souci about sixteen.

I was reading one of her Seventeen magazines one day, when I came across the picture of Pattie pictured above. It just said, “British Invasion”. I looked at the face in the picture and realized that it had to be her. I was so excited, that I showed it to my sister. It was her. She had such a unique face.

Today, Pattie herself is a photographer. She is about 61 years old and she is still strikingly beautiful. She still wears her hair the same way. She changed the way women perceive what beautiful is, but she is beautiful inside and out.

The Muse With a Camera

deletereply stillybee wrote on Apr 27, ’08 oh YEA!!!!!! Im a GROOVING!!!!  Great info on the 60’s here… I go add you to my FABBY list…

deletereply stillybee wrote on Apr 27, ’08 Im diggin that artwork up there 🙂 I DIG alot of things.. 🙂

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Apr 27, ’08 Alright !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Apr 27, ’08 Does anyone know who did the album cover painting ?

deletereply nemo4sun wrote on Apr 27, ’08 of the rock wives…pallenberg, bebe buell, bianca, etc…of the time she seemed down to earth 🙂

deletereply nemo4sun wrote on Apr 27, ’08 according to wiki: Painting by Frandsen De Schonberg

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Apr 27, ’08 Really ? I never heard of him. Are you sure ? I’ll do some research, too.

deletereply nemo4sun wrote on Apr 27, ’08 that’s what the internet is saying 🙂

deletereply sanssouciblogs wrote on Apr 27, ’08 Interesting! I know you were in awe of her when you were a kid, even did a drawing of that photo. She was adorable, but the men just kept wandering. Very cool idea for a theme.

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Apr 27, ’08 She had every rock musician on the run for her for years !!!

deletereply philsgal7759 wrote on Apr 27, ’08 Funny you mentioned christy that was who I thought of when I saw this. I think i’ll post some of Billy’s music she inspired

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Apr 27, ’08 That would be great, Narice !

deletereply philsgal7759 wrote on Apr 27, ’08 Well I could only find the one I’ll keep looking

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Apr 28, ’08 I’ll see if I could come up with a few myself