For James Paul Lynch, who portrays George Harrison in the Beatles tribute band American English, getting into character happens right before stepping onstage.

“In the dressing room, we start telling jokes in character,” said Lynch, who has been with the group five years. “You have to have the British accent ready. You have to have your heartbeat up. You’re an actor. You have to be into that part when you hit the stage.”

American English will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at RiverEdge Park in Aurora as part of the city of Aurora’s “Downtown Alive!” concert series.

American English performs the songs of The Beatles from 1963 to 1970, incorporating costume changes and vintage instruments from every Beatles era. The show is presented in chronological order, beginning with the early years on TV’s “The Ed Sullivan Show,” followed by the psychedelic Sgt. Pepper years and continues through to Abbey Road and their final rooftop concert.

Lynch decided to pursue a life portraying members of the Fab Four after seeing American English in concert.

“I was a fan,” he said of American English. “I started doing it myself. I was a fill-in for members of the group for many years before I started full time. Sometimes I’d play George, sometimes I’d play John.”

“I am a full-time musician,” continued Lynch. “About 90 percent of my work is with American English. I started as Paul McCartney. I learned to play left-handed bass. George Harrison probably suits me the best. It is more in my vocal range, and I play lead guitar. I watched the old Ed Sullivan TV shows to get some ideas: how George holds his guitar, how he holds his guitar pick. I zero in on those types of things.”

In addition to Lynch as Harrison, American English features Eric Michaels as McCartney, Tom Gable as Ringo Starr and Jim Irizarry as John Lennon. There is also a “fifth Beatle,” as the group likes to refer to Ken Zemanek. As the keyboardist and sound architect for American English, Zemanek performs all the orchestrations and special effects live, without any tapes or recordings. Irizarry joined the group in January 2017, so the current members have been together about seven months.

“With any band, when you bring someone else in, there’s a different element,” Lynch said. “Everyone has a different take on the characters, especially with John Lennon. Sometimes he was political, or he was goofy. He was cool, then he was angry. Jim zeroes in on that. Jim has a passion for the vocals. His tonality and timbre are amazing.”

Also amazing, Lynch says, is the impact that The Beatles made on music.

“When they came out, they were so very different than anyone in this country,” Lynch said. “You had The Supremes, you had Frankie Valli, but people were ready for something different. Their look, how they talked, what they wore; people still get a kick out of it. They created a culture. That wave is still happening. They changed the world.”

Randall G. Mielke is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News.