George said that, when he was 12 or 13, he had an "epiphany" of sorts - riding a bike around his neighborhood, he heard
Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" playing from a nearby house and was hooked. From that point on, the former "good student" lost interest in school and began sitting in the back of class, drawing guitars and dreaming. He became rebellious, wearing tight, "drainpipe pants" and growing his hair long - against school regulations. With £3 10s from his mum ("a lot of money for us then"), George bought an acoustic guitar and began learning rock riffs, forming a skiffle group called "The Rebels".