What does it really mean to be a muse? Few know the answer to this better than the Boyd sisters, some of classic rock's ultimate muses.
Pattie and Jenny Boyd were the first two daughters born to Diana and Colin "Jock" Boyd. Born in England, the sisters, along with their brother and sister, were raised in Nairobi until their parents' divorce in 1953. The Boyd children all moved back to England with their mother. Pattie attended multiple schools until she was seventeen and left, on her own, for London, where she worked in a salon as a shampoo girl. Soon enough, she was noticed by a client who worked for Honey magazine and convinced her to pursue modeling. Pattie began modeling for small spreads in Vanity Fair, Elle, and Honey, and before long she was plastered on the covers, even making the cover of British Vogue. She became the epitome of the 'British female look,' alongside Jean Shrimpton, and inspired other models, like Twiggy, when it came to looks. She began to appear in commercials, as well, for things like hair products or, in 1964, an advert for Smith’s Crisps.
It was on this particular project that she met director Richard Lester, who would go on to direct The Beatles’ film, "A Hard Day's Night," later that year. Lester recalled Boyd’s talent and looks and called her to offer her a small part for the film. On set, she inevitably met The Beatles, including George Harrison, who she claimed to be the most handsome man she had ever seen. Harrison, too, became instantly smitten and immediately asked Boyd to marry him - or at least go out to dinner. Pattie, however, declined, understandably because she was already dating someone, or perhaps to be able to say that she turned down a Beatle. Her pre-existing relationship didn’t last much longer, however, and Pattie soon agreed to have dinner with George. They would immediately become London’s “It Couple,” skyrocketing Pattie’s modeling career and granting her the opportunity to write a column entitled “Patti’s Letter from London.” George and Pattie would eventually marry in 1966. Their love would inspire Harrison to pen quite a few songs, including I Need You, For You Blue, and So Sad (Contrary to popular belief, Harrison has stated that Something is not actually about Pattie).
After the death of Brian Epstein, however, their relationship took a turn for the worse. A wedge had been driven between the two, and it would only be worsened by George’s best friend, Eric Clapton. Clapton had fallen head over heels with Pattie, writing her mysterious letters signed with only an “E” and even writing the hit song Layla about his unrequited love, choosing the album cover because it resembled her. He was infatuated and made no attempt to keep his affection a secret. Boyd, shocked and flattered, initially declined Clapton’s advances, sending him spiraling into a deep depression and heroin addiction.
Harrison and Boyd would both engage in extramarital affairs before their divorce, including Pattie’s rendezvous with future Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who would write even more songs about her. Wood penned Mystifies Me and Breathe on Me for Boyd and often told her that she went unappreciated (the pair remain close friends). Boyd and Harrison would officially divorce in 1977, and two years later she wed Eric Clapton.
Clapton penned Wonderful Tonight, She’s Waiting, and Bell Bottom Blues about Pattie, but their marriage was rocky from the moment it began. It only went downhill as Clapton would fall back into addiction, pulling Pattie with him, and engaged in multiple affairs, resulting in their divorce in 1989.
Throughout the entirety of her marriages and life in the world of rock and roll, Pattie harbored a passion for photography and captured hundreds of photographs of musicians and friends, even becoming a member of the Royal Photographic Society. It wasn't until 2004, however, that she felt emotionally ready to revisit the photos from her marriages. In 2005, she was able to exhibit her photographs at a show titled Through the Eye of a Muse. The exhibition would appear again in San Francisco and London in 2006, and La Jolla, Dublin, and Toronto in 2008, eventually making it to Sydney and Kazakhstan in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, Pattie’s photographs were shown in Santa Catalina Island and the National Geographic Headquarters in Washington, D.C. at an exhibition titled Yesterday and Today: The Beatles and Eric Clapton.
Pattie would also become heavily involved in charity work after her second divorce, even founding SHARP (Self Help Addiction Recovery) in 1991 with Barbara Bach, wife of Ringo Starr.
However, Pattie was not the only Boyd girl to inspire and marry multiple rockstars. Jenny Boyd, three years her junior, followed a very similar path. She, too, began as a model, although she still suffered from her own bouts of insecurity, worrying that she was just an extension of her sister. Jenny was, in fact, quite a pivotal person in Beatle history, as she was the one who told Pattie about transcendental meditation, resulting in the Beatles' trip to India, which Jenny was a part of. Folk singer Donovan was also on this trip, and the two engaged in what she called a courtly flirtation, ultimately inspiring him to write the song Jennifer Juniper. She also was the one who told George Harrison about the quote, “Life goes on within you and without you,” inspiring his song Within You Without You. She managed the Beatles’ Apple Boutique, as well as ran a small boutique with her sister, also called Jennifer Juniper.
Jenny did not, however, need her sister’s connections to enter the world of rock and roll. When she was fifteen, she met schoolmate Mick Fleetwood, and they bonded over their many similarities. Fleetwood was already in a band called the Chaynes, who often supported the Yardbirds and the Stones. Jenny became immersed in this world and was even told by Mick Jagger that he had written a song about her - although, he failed to ever tell her which one. Jenny and Fleetwood had an on-again/off-again relationship for six years until they married in 1970. Soon after, Fleetwood encouraged his band, now Fleetwood Mac, to all move in together and they then began working on their album Kiln House, named after the place they lived. Jenny would participate in these sessions, even writing the entirety of Purple Dancer and some of Jewel Eyed Judy. All of her writing credits, however, went to her husband. Soon enough, the band would tour America, leaving Jenny to deliver her first child alone.
Her loneliness was the cause of an affair she had with Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Weston, who was, subsequently, fired. Racked with guilt, Jenny immediately returned to her husband, who was by no means innocent, engaging in his own affairs, including one with bandmate Stevie Nicks. Jenny found solace in alcohol and drugs and worked up the courage to leave Fleetwood multiple times, taking their two children. At one point, she stayed with her sister Pattie and her husband Eric Clapton, but Clapton’s alcoholism had begun to rub off on Pattie, leaving Jenny horrified. Jenny and Fleetwood divorced in 1976 but remarried a year later, only to divorce once again in 1978.
Jenny would soon marry King Crimson drummer Ian Wallace in 1984, only to divorce in the 90s. It was at this point that Jenny decided to start over, dropping the alcohol and drugs and earning herself a degree in psychology. She started her true career by opening an addiction treatment center in England and wrote a book entitled Musicians in Tune, where she interviewed 75 musicians about their creative process. One of these musicians was her ex-husband, Mick Fleetwood. The pair would forgive each other and eventually form a beautiful friendship. Jenny would even receive an apology from Stevie Nicks, whom she quickly forgave, and continued to support Fleetwood Mac.
Although both sisters dealt with a myriad of rocky rock and roll marriages and relationships, they both ended up finding love in non-musicians. In 1997, Jenny married David Levitt, an architect and member of the Mayor of London’s design council. Pattie married Rod Weston, a property developer, in 2015, after decades together. In the sixties, the Boyd sisters were known for their pretty faces and famous husbands, but they became so much more, both working diligently to become recognized for their individual achievements. They may have inspired many songs, but their resilience and strength inspire many more young women today.
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