Friend of The Beatles, Clapton, The Rolling Stones and others to speak at UAFS

story submitted by the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith

Some of the most pivotal, personal and private moments in rock-and-roll history fill the pages of a recent book released by a Keota, Okla., native who was on the scene for it all and will appear at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith in April.

Chris O’Dell will speak from 5 to 6:30 p.m. April 14 in Breedlove Auditorium, with a book signing to follow. Her book is titled "Miss O’Dell — My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved." The event is free and open to the public.

Arranging for O’Dell’s appearance in Fort Smith came by accident, said Keith Fudge of Van Buren, UAFS assistant professor of English. Fudge said he remembers listening to many 45 rpm records as he grew up, including the George Harrison song, "Miss O’Dell."

"When I heard the book was coming out and realized she was the same Miss O’Dell that I had heard about through music, I went to the Web and contacted her," Fudge said. "Discovering she was from Keota, I asked if she ever got back here and told her about my class."

Fudge teaches a class titled "The Beatles: In their Own Write," a class that deals with the massive research performed on the history of the band and the cultural context that surrounds the group’s enduring influence.

"We started a dialogue, and now she’s coming to UA Fort Smith," he said. "And she expects some people from Keota will be here when she speaks."

In addition to the George Harrison song, O’Dell was also the subject of two other songs, "Hummingbird" and "Pisces Apple Lady," both by Leon Russell. O’Dell originally traveled to London with no job, no money and no home in the hopes of working for Peter Asher, head of the A&R division of Apple Corps Ltd., the media company owned by The Beatles. She did get a job there and became the go-to person for rock tours.

O’Dell was in the studio when The Beatles recorded "The White Album," "Abbey Road" and "Let It Be." She also sang in the chorus for the final cut of "Hey Jude." She toured with The Rolling Stones as their personal assistant on the 1972 tour, even doing a drug run for Keith Richards.

She became best friends with Pattie Boyd, when Pattie was married to George Harrison. She also witnessed the early days of Pattie and Eric Clapton’s relationship and was a bridesmaid at their wedding.

O’Dell was the "woman down the hall" in Joni Mitchell’s song "Coyote," a song which tells the story about a "coyote" and the three women in his life, which includes O’Dell. O’Dell was also part of a love triangle between Ringo and Maureen in 1974.

"Chris O’Dell also lived at Friar Park, George’s mansion, with George and Pattie during the traumatic last months of the breakup of The Beatles," said Fudge. "And she was on the roof for the last Beatles concert, sitting on a bench with Yoko Ono and Maureen Starkey, just a few feet from the band."

O’Dell worked in the music world from 1968 to 1984 and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs and been interviewed for print media. She is also been written about in books written by George Harrison, Sam Shepard, Patti Boyd and Eric Clapton. She works as a licensed professional counselor and a licensed substance abuse counselor in Tucson, where she lives with her husband and 23-year-old son.

"While Chris O’Dell weaves a tale of rock-and-roll legend and lore through her associations with Leon Russell, Stephen Stills, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton," said Fudge, "and while she continuously reveals the highs and lows of working in the music business during what could be considered its greatest period to date, there is a depth to her narrative that is more than a sordid tale of sex, drugs and rock and roll.

"This is a story about relationships, as is demonstrated to this day by her enduring close friendship with Pattie Boyd, and it is a testament to one’s own growth, both personally and professionally, as Chris fought her way through addiction and recovery to now serving others as a licensed substance abuse counselor."

Fudge says the book is a story about women in a business in an era that portrays them in a context that is seldom addressed in such personal terms. Fudge said the book blasts the perception that women in the music business circles were no more than groupies.

"Just to set the record straight, Chris O’Dell is no groupie. And for those who think she is, they missed the point of the story entirely," he said.

The book was co-authored by Katherine Ketcham, who is the co-author of 14 books, including the New York Times bestseller "Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption" by William Moyers.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase at UAFS for $26, either from the UA Fort Smith Lions Bookstore or at the Breedlove Building at the event. For more information on O’Dell’s talk and book signing, contact Fudge by telephone at (479) 788-7265 or by e-mail [email protected]