Peter Blake and Jann Haworth have supper at Paul’s

The Beatles began working on the design for the packaging of their “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album about two months before the recording sessions ended. Their friend and art dealer Robert Fraser suggested that they ask the pop artists Peter Blake and his then-wife Jann Haworth to create the album artwork. Over a series of meetings held at Paul McCartney’s London home, EMI Studios at Abbey Road, or the artists’ home, the concept for the cover started to take shape.

According to “The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years” by Barry Miles, one of these meetings took place on this day at Paul’s house. Paul and his girlfriend Jane Asher had supper with Peter Blake and Jann Haworth, and Paul played them an acetate of “Lovely Rita“.

At 7 pm, Paul was at Abbey Road to continue the recording of “Lovely Rita”.

Paul invited us to his home, driving through a crowd of screaming, crying fans, to play us a few tracks from the album. I wish I’d heard Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, because I would have painted the sky black instead of blue.

Jann Haworth – From Express.co.uk, May 13, 2017

There was a lot of running to and fro. I went out a couple of times to Peter [Blake]’s and he came to Cavendish Avenue a couple of times. Robert [Fraser] would say, ‘Do you mind if we do this?’ or “This would be great,’ and ‘Peter would like to do this,’ ‘Peter wants to go to Madame ‘Tussauds and he wants to use your waxwork models and Sonny Liston’s.’ So it was great, great, great. It was really developing fine.

Paul McCartney – From “Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now” by Barry Miles, 1997

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