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Aside from a song on the ''[[Porky's Revenge]]'' soundtrack in 1984 (his version of a little-known [[Bob Dylan]] song "I Don't Want To Do It"), Harrison released no new records for five years after 1982's ''[[Gone Troppo]]'' received apparent indifference. In 1985, Harrison made a rare public appearance on the [[Showtime]] special ''[[Carl Perkins]] and Friends'' along with Starr and Clapton among others. He only agreed to appear because he was a close admirer of Perkins. |
Aside from a song on the ''[[Porky's Revenge]]'' soundtrack in 1984 (his version of a little-known [[Bob Dylan]] song "I Don't Want To Do It"), Harrison released no new records for five years after 1982's ''[[Gone Troppo]]'' received apparent indifference. In 1985, Harrison made a rare public appearance on the [[Showtime]] special ''[[Carl Perkins]] and Friends'' along with Starr and Clapton among others. He only agreed to appear because he was a close admirer of Perkins. |
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In 1987, Harrison returned with the critically acclaimed platinum album ''[[Cloud Nine (George Harrison album)|Cloud Nine]]'', co-produced with [[Jeff Lynne]] of [[Electric Light Orchestra]] |
In 1987, Harrison returned with the name "Jerry Harrison and the Casual Gods".. their critically acclaimed platinum album ''[[Cloud Nine (George Harrison album)|Cloud Nine]]'', co-produced with [[Jeff Lynne]] of [[Electric Light Orchestra]] span off several hit singles including his rendition of [[James Ray (singer)|James Ray]]'s early 1960s number "[[Got My Mind Set on You]]" ( a number one in the US ( number two in the UK) ) followed by "[[When We Was Fab]]", a retrospective of The Beatles' days complete with musical flavours for each bandmate. Other tracks "Rev it up", "Devil's Radio", "[[This Is Love (George Harrison song)|This Is Love]]" and "Cloud 9" also gained wide spread airplay on radio and television. |
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===Live performances (1971–1992)=== |
===Live performances (1971–1992)=== |
Revision as of 04:01, 28 March 2010
George Harrison |
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George Harrison,[1] MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001)[2] was an English rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist in The Beatles.[3][4] Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle",[3] Harrison embraced Indian mysticism, and helped broaden the horizons of the other Beatles, as well as those of their Western audience.[5] Following the band's breakup, he had a successful career as a solo artist and later as part of the Traveling Wilburys, and also as a film and record producer. Harrison is listed number 21 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 100 Best Guitarists of All Time".[6]
Although most of The Beatles' songs were written by Lennon and McCartney, Harrison generally wrote one song per side from the Help! album onwards.[7] His later compositions with The Beatles include "Here Comes the Sun", "Something", "I Me Mine", "Taxman", "Within You Without You", "Think For Yourself", "If I Needed Someone", "The Inner Light", "Old Brown Shoe", "Piggies", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Savoy Truffle". By the time of the band's breakup, Harrison had accumulated a backlog of material, which he then released as the acclaimed and successful triple album All Things Must Pass in 1970, from which came two singles: a double A-side single, "My Sweet Lord" backed with "Isn't It a Pity", and "What Is Life". In addition to his solo work, Harrison co-wrote two hits for Ringo Starr, another ex-Beatle, as well as songs for the Traveling Wilburys—the supergroup he formed in 1988 with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison.
Harrison embraced Indian culture and Hinduism in the mid 1960s, and helped expand Western awareness of sitar music and of the Hare Krishna movement. With Ravi Shankar he organised a major charity concert with the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh, and is the only Beatle to have published an autobiography, with I Me Mine in 1980.
Besides being a musician, he was also a record producer and co-founder of the production company HandMade Films. In his work as a film producer, he collaborated with people as diverse as the members of Monty Python and Madonna.[8] He was married twice, to the model Pattie Boyd in 1966, and to the record company secretary Olivia Trinidad Arias in 1978, with whom he had one son, Dhani Harrison. He was a close friend of Eric Clapton. Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001.
Early years: 1943–1959
Harrison was born in Liverpool, England, on 25 February 1943,[9][10] the last of four children to Harold Hargreaves Harrison and his wife Louise, née French.[11]
He had one sister, Louise, born 16 August 1931, and two brothers, Harry, born 1934, and Peter, born 20 July 1940. His mother was a Liverpool shop assistant, and his father was a bus conductor who had worked as a ship's steward on the White Star Line. The family was Roman Catholic;[9] his maternal grandfather, John French, was born in County Wexford, Ireland, emigrating to Liverpool where he married a local girl, Louise Woollam.[12]
Harrison was born in the house where he lived for his first six years: 12 Arnold Grove, Wavertree, Liverpool, which was a small 2 up, 2 down terraced house in a cul-de-sac, with an alley to the rear. The only heating was a single coal fire, and the toilet was outside. In 1950 the family were offered a council house,[13] and moved to 25 Upton Green, Speke.[14]
His first school was Dovedale Primary School, very close to Penny Lane,[15] the same school as John Lennon who was a couple of years ahead of him.[16] He passed his 11-plus examination and achieved a place at the Liverpool Institute for Boys (in the building that now houses the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts), which he attended from 1954 to 1959.[17] When Harrison was 14 years old, he sat at the back of the class and tried drawing guitars in his schoolbooks: “I was totally into guitars. I heard about this kid at school who had a guitar at £3 10s, it was just a little acoustic round hole. I got the £3 10s from my mother: that was a lot of money for us then.” Harrison bought a Dutch Egmond flat top acoustic guitar.[18] While at the Liverpool Institute, Harrison formed a skiffle group called The Rebels with his brother Peter and a friend, Arthur Kelly.[19] At this school he met Paul McCartney, one year older, who played in a band called The Quarrymen.[20]
The Beatles: 1960–1970
Harrison became part of The Beatles when they were still a skiffle group called The Quarrymen. McCartney told Lennon about his friend George Harrison, who could play "Raunchy" on his guitar.[21] Although Lennon considered him too young to join the band, Harrison hung out with them and filled in as needed.[21] By the time he was 16, Lennon and the others had accepted him as one of the band.[22] Since Harrison was the youngest member of the group, he was looked upon as a kid by the others for another few years.[23]
Harrison left school at 16 and worked as an apprentice electrician at local department store Blacklers for a while.[24][25] When The Beatles were offered work in Hamburg in 1960, the musical apprenticeship that Harrison received playing long hours at the Kaiserkeller with the rest of the group, including guitar lessons from Tony Sheridan, laid the foundations of The Beatles' sound, and of Harrison's quiet, professional role within the group;[26] this role would contribute to his reputation as "the quiet Beatle".[27] However, the first trip to Hamburg was shortened when Harrison was deported for being underage.[28]
When Brian Epstein became The Beatles' manager in December 1961 after seeing them perform at The Cavern Club in November,[29] he changed their image from that of leather-jacketed rock-and-rollers to a more polished look,[30] and secured them a recording contract with EMI. The first single, "Love Me Do", with Harrison playing a Gibson J-160E,[31][32][33] reached number 17 in the UK chart in October 1962,[34] and by the time their debut album, Please Please Me, was released in early 1963, The Beatles had become famous and Beatlemania had arrived.[35]
![Black-and-white picture of four young men outdoors in front of a staircase, surrounded by a large assembled crowd. All four are waving to the crowd.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/The_Beatles_arrive_at_JFK_Airport.jpg/220px-The_Beatles_arrive_at_JFK_Airport.jpg)
Harrison was popular with girls, receiving an estimated 30,000 gifts and cards for his 21st birthday. After he revealed in an interview that he liked jelly babies, audiences showered him and the rest of the band with the sweets at concerts,[36] and fans sent boxes of them as gifts, with Harrison's least favourite black-coloured ones removed.[citation needed] Unfortunately American fans could not obtain this soft British confection, replacing them with the harder jelly beans instead. To the group's discomfort, they were frequently pelted with jelly beans during concerts in America.
The popularity of The Beatles led to a successful tour of America, the making of a film, A Hard Day's Night (during which Harrison met his future wife Pattie Boyd), and in the 1965 Queen's Birthday Honours, all four Beatles were appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).[37] Harrison, whose role within the group was that of the careful musician who checked that the instruments were tuned,[38] by 1965 and the Rubber Soul album, was developing into a musical director as he led the others into folk-rock, via his interest in The Byrds and Bob Dylan,[39] and into Indian music with his exploration of the sitar.[40][41] Harrison's musical involvement and cohesion with the group reached its peak on Revolver in 1966 with his contribution of three songs and new musical ideas.[42][43] By 1967, Harrison's interests appeared to be moving outside The Beatles, and his involvement in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band consists mainly of his one song, "Within You Without You", on which no other Beatle plays,[44] and which stands out for its difference from the rest of the album.[45]
During the recording of The Beatles in 1968, tensions were present in the band;[46] these surfaced again during the filming of rehearsal sessions at Twickenham Studios for the album Let It Be in early 1969. Frustrated by ongoing slights, the poor working conditions in the cold and sterile film studio, and Lennon's creative disengagement from the group, Harrison quit the band on 10 January. He returned on 22 January after negotiations with the other Beatles at two business meetings.[47]
Relations among the Beatles were more cordial (though still strained) during recordings for the album Abbey Road.[48] The album included "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something", which was later recorded by Frank Sinatra, who considered it "one of the greatest songs of the last twenty years".[49] Harrison's increasing productivity, coupled with his difficulties in getting The Beatles to record his music, meant that by the end of the group's career he had amassed a considerable stockpile of unreleased material.[50] Harrison's last recording session with The Beatles was on 4 January 1970. Lennon, who had left the group the previous September, did not attend the session.[51]
Relationships with the Beatles
For the most part of the Beatles career, the relationships in the group were extremely close and intimate. According to Hunter Davis, "The Beatles spent their lives not living a communal life, but communally living the same life. They were each other's greatest friends." Harrison's wife Pattie Boyd described how the Beatles "all belonged to each other" and admitted, "George has a lot with the others that I can never know about. Nobody, not even the wives, can break through or even comprehend it."[52] Ringo Starr also stated, "We really looked out for each other and we had so many laughs together. In the old days we'd have the biggest hotel suites, the whole floor of the hotel, and the four of us would end up in the bathroom, just to be with each other." and added "There were some really loving, caring moments between four people: a hotel room here and there - a really amazing closeness. Just four guys who loved each other. It was pretty sensational."[53]
John Lennon stated that his relationship with George was "one of young follower and older guy." and admitted that "[George] was like a disciple of mine when we started."[54] The two would often go on holiday together throughout the 60s, and George paid tribute to Lennon with his song "All Those Years Ago".
Paul McCartney has often referred to Harrison as his "baby brother",[55] and he did the honours as best man at George's wedding in 1966. The two were the first of the Beatles to meet, having shared a school bus, and would often learn and rehearse new guitar chords together. McCartney stated that he and George usually shared bedrooms together while touring.[56]
Guitar work
Harrison's guitar work with the Beatles was varied, flexible and innovative; although not fast or flashy, his guitar playing was solid and typified the more subdued lead guitar style of the early 1960s.[57] The influence of the plucking guitar style of Chet Atkins and Carl Perkins on Harrison gave a country music feel to the Beatles' early recordings.[58] Harrison explored several guitar instruments, the twelve-string, the sitar and the slide guitar, and developed his playing from tight eight- and twelve-bar solos in such songs as "A Hard Day's Night" and "Can't Buy Me Love",[58] to lyrical slide guitar playing,[59] first recorded during an early session of "If Not for You" for Dylan's New Morning in 1970.[60] The earliest example of notable guitar work from Harrison was the extended acoustic guitar solo of "Till There Was You", for which Harrison purchased a José Ramírez nylon-stringed classical guitar to produce the sensitivity needed.[61][62][63]
Harrison's first electric guitar was a Czech built Futurama/Grazioso,[64] which was a popular guitar among British guitarists in the early 1960s.[65] However, the guitars Harrison used on early recordings were mainly Gretsch played through a Vox amp.[66] He used a variety of Gretsch guitars,[67] including a Gretsch Duo Jet - his first Gretsch, which he bought in 1961 second hand off a sailor in Liverpool;[68] a Gretsch Tennessean,[69] and his (first out of two) Gretsch Country Gentleman, bought new for £234 in April 1963 at the Sound City store in London, which he used on "She Loves You", and on The Beatles' 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.[68]
During The Beatles' February 1964 trip to the US, Harrison acquired a Rickenbacker 360/12 guitar. He had tried out the 12-string electric guitar during an interview with a Minneapolis radio station, and was given the guitar either by the Rickenbacker company or the radio station.[70] The 360/12 was an experimental 12-string guitar with the strings reversed so that the lower pitched string was struck first, and with an unusual headstock design that made tuning easier.[66] Harrison used the guitar extensively during the recording of A Hard Day's Night,[71] and the jangly sound became so popular that the Melody Maker termed it "the beat boys' secret weapon".[72] Roger McGuinn liked the effect Harrison achieved so much that it became his signature guitar sound with the Byrds.[73]
He obtained his first Fender Stratocaster in 1965 and used it for the recording of the Rubber Soul album, most notably on the "Nowhere Man" track, where he played in unison with Lennon who also had a Stratocaster.[74] Lennon and Harrison both had Sonic Blue Stratocasters, which were bought second hand by roadie Mal Evans.[75] Harrison painted his Stratocaster in a psychedelic design that included the word "Bebopalula" painted above the pickguard and the guitar's nickname, "Rocky", painted on the headstock. He played this guitar in the Magical Mystery Tour film and throughout his solo career.
After David Crosby of the Byrds introduced him to the work of sitar master Ravi Shankar in 1965,[76] Harrison---whose interest in Indian music was stirred during the filming of Help!, which used Indian music as part of its soundtrack---played a sitar on the Rubber Soul track "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)", expanding the already nascent Western interest in Indian music.[77] Harrison listed his early influences as Carl Perkins,[78] Bo Diddley,[79] Chuck Berry[80] and the Everly Brothers.[81]
Song writing and singing
Harrison wrote his first song published with the Beatles, "Don't Bother Me", while sick in a hotel bed in Bournemouth during August 1963,[82] as an exercise "to see if I could write a song", as he remembered.[83] "Don't Bother Me" appeared on the second Beatles album (With the Beatles) later that year, then on Meet the Beatles! in the US in early 1964, and also briefly in the film A Hard Day's Night. The group did not record another Harrison composition until 1965, when he contributed "I Need You" and "You Like Me Too Much" to the album Help!.
Harrison's songwriting improved greatly through the years, but his material did not earn respect from his fellow Beatles until near the group's breakup. McCartney told Lennon in 1969: "Until this year, our songs have been better than George's. Now this year his songs are at least as good as ours".[84][85] Harrison had difficulty getting the band to record his songs.[86][87] The group's incorporation of Harrison's material reached a peak of three songs on the 1966 Revolver album and four songs on the 1968 double The Beatles.
Harrison performed the lead vocal on all Beatles songs that he wrote by himself. He also sang lead vocal on other songs, including "Chains" and "Do You Want to Know a Secret" on Please Please Me, "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Devil in Her Heart" on With The Beatles, "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" on A Hard Day's Night, and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" on Beatles for Sale.
Solo work: 1968–1987
Before The Beatles split up in 1970, Harrison had already recorded and released two solo albums, Wonderwall Music and Electronic Sound. These albums, however, were mainly instrumental. Wonderwall Music was a soundtrack to the Wonderwall film in which Harrison blended Indian and Western sounds;[88] while Electronic Sound was an experiment in using a Moog synthesiser.[89] It was only when Harrison was free from The Beatles that he released what is regarded as his first "real" solo album, the commercially successful and critically acclaimed All Things Must Pass.[90]
All Things Must Pass (1970)
After years of being restricted in his song-writing contributions to The Beatles, All Things Must Pass contained such a large outpouring of Harrison's songs that it was released as a triple album,[90] though only two of the discs contained songs - the third contained recordings of Harrison jamming with friends.[50][89] The album is regarded as his best work;[91] it was a critical and commercial success, topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic,[50][92] and producing the number-one hit single "My Sweet Lord" as well as the top-10 single "What Is Life". The album was co-produced by Phil Spector using his "Wall of Sound" approach,[93] and the musicians included Eric Clapton, Dave Mason, Billy Preston, and Ringo Starr.[50]
Harrison was later sued for copyright infringement over the single "My Sweet Lord" because of its similarity to the 1963 Chiffons single "He's So Fine", owned by Bright Tunes. Harrison denied deliberately stealing the song, but he lost the resulting court case in 1976 as the judge accepted that Harrison had "subconsciously" plagiarised "He's So Fine". When considering liable earnings, "My Sweet Lord"'s contribution to the sales of All Things Must Pass and The Best of George Harrison were taken into account, and the judge decided a figure of $1,599,987 was owed to Bright Tunes.[94] The dispute over damages became complicated when Harrison's manager Allen Klein changed sides by buying Bright Tunes and then continuing the suit against Harrison. In 1981, a district judge decided that Klein had acted improperly, and it was agreed that Harrison should pay Klein $587,000, the amount Klein had paid for Bright Tunes - so he would gain nothing from the deal, and that Harrison would take over ownership of Bright Tunes, making him the owner of the rights to both "My Sweet Lord" and "He's So Fine" and thus ending the copyright infringement claim. Though the dispute dragged on into the 1990s, the district judge's decision was upheld.[94][95]
The Concert for Bangladesh (1971)
Harrison organised a major charity concert, The Concert for Bangladesh, with Ravi Shankar on 1 August 1971, drawing over 40,000 people to two shows in New York's Madison Square Garden.[96] The aim of the event was to raise money to aid the starving refugees during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Ravi Shankar opened the proceedings, which included other popular musicians such as Bob Dylan (who rarely appeared live in the early 1970s), Eric Clapton, who made his first public appearance in months (due to a heroin addiction which began when Derek and the Dominos broke up), Leon Russell, Badfinger, Billy Preston and fellow Beatle Ringo Starr. Tax troubles and questionable expenses tied up many of the concert's proceeds.[96] Apple Corporation released a newly arranged concert DVD and CD in October 2005 (with all artists' sales royalties continuing to go to UNICEF), which contained additional material such as previously unreleased rehearsal footage of "If Not for You", featuring Harrison and Dylan.
Living in the Material World to George Harrison (1972–1979)
Harrison would not again release an album that came close to the critical and commercial achievements of All Things Must Pass. Although 1973's Living in the Material World initially did well, holding number one spot on the US album chart for five weeks and reaching number two in the UK, and the album's single, "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)", was also successful, reaching number one in the US and the top ten in the UK, neither could match the sales of All Things Must Pass and "My Sweet Lord". The album was lavishly produced and packaged, and its dominant message was the power of Harrison's Hindu beliefs.[97] The one fully secular song, "Sue Me, Sue You Blues", expressed Harrison's disgust with the endless legal squabbling that had overtaken all of the former Beatles.[97] The Dark Horse album of 1974 written after Harrison's breakup with his wife Pattie Boyd and when he was suffering from laryngitis received harsh reviews,[98] as did the accompanying tour of North America. Harrison was criticised for poor songwriting and poor vocals on the album, and for over-indulging his love for Indian music during the tour.[99] The album and single "Dark Horse" did briefly make an appearance near the top of the US charts, but both failed to chart in the UK.[100]
His final studio album for EMI (and Apple Records) was Extra Texture (Read All About It), featuring a diecut cover. The album spawned two singles, "You" which reached the Billboard top 20 and "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)", which became Apple's final original single release in December 1975.[101] Following the former Beatle's departure from Capitol, the record company was in a position to licence releases featuring Beatles and post-Beatles work on the same album, using Harrison for this experiment. The Best of George Harrison (1976) combined his Beatles songs with a selection of his solo Apple work.
Thirty Three & 1/3 his first Dark Horse release, was his most successful late-1970s album, reaching number 11 on the US charts in 1976, and producing the singles "This Song" (a satire of the "My Sweet Lord"-"He's So Fine" court case ruling) and "Crackerbox Palace", both of which reached the top 25 in the US. With an emphasis on melody, musicianship, and subtler subject matter rather than the heavy orchestration and didactic messaging of earlier works, he received his best critical notices since All Things Must Pass.[102] With its surreal humour, "Crackerbox Palace" also reflected Harrison's association with Monty Python's Eric Idle, who directed a comic music video for the song.[102] After his second marriage and the birth of son Dhani Harrison, Harrison's next released a self-titled album. 1979's George Harrison included the singles "Blow Away", "Love Comes to Everyone" and "Faster". Both the album and "Blow Away" made the Billboard top 20.
In addition to his own works during this time, between 1971 and 1973 Harrison co-wrote or produced three top ten US and UK hits for Ringo Starr ("It Don't Come Easy", "Back Off Boogaloo", and "Photograph").[103] Harrison played electric, slide and dobro guitars on five songs on John Lennon's 1971 Imagine album ("How Do You Sleep?", "Oh My Love", "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier", "Crippled Inside" and "Gimme Some Truth"),[104] with his stinging slide guitar work on the first of these indicating that he took John's side of the intense Lennon-McCartney feud of the time.[105] Lennon later said of Harrison's work on the album, "That's the best he's ever fucking played in his life!"[104] Harrison also produced and played slide guitar on the Apple band Badfinger's 1971 top ten US and UK hit "Day After Day".[106]
During the decade, Harrison also worked with Harry Nilsson ("You're Breakin' My Heart", 1972),[107] as well as Billy Preston ("That's the Way God Planned It",[108] 1969 and "It's My Pleasure", 1975) and Cheech & Chong ("Basketball Jones", 1973).[109]
Somewhere in England to Cloud Nine (1980–1987)
Harrison was deeply shocked by the 8 December 1980 murder of John Lennon.[110] The crime reinforced his decades-long worries about safety from stalkers. It was also a deep personal loss, although unlike former bandmates McCartney and Starr, Harrison had little contact with Lennon in the years before the murder. Their estrangement had been marked by Harrison's longstanding dislike of Yoko Ono, his refusal to allow her participation in the Concert for Bangladesh, and his omission of any mention of Lennon in his autobiography, I Me Mine, published the year of Lennon's murder.[111] The omission had upset Lennon greatly, which Harrison had regretted, leading him to leave a telephone message for Lennon, but Lennon had declined to return the call and they had not spoken again.[110] Following the murder, Harrison said, "After all we went through together I had and still have great love and respect for John Lennon. I am shocked and stunned. To rob life is the ultimate robbery in life."[110]
Harrison modified the lyrics of a song he had written for Starr to make it a tribute song to Lennon. "All Those Years Ago" received substantial radio airplay, reaching number two on the US charts.[112] All three surviving ex-Beatles performed on it, although it was expressly a Harrison single. "Teardrops" was issued as a follow-up single, but was not nearly as successful. Both singles came from the album Somewhere in England, released in 1981. Originally slated for release in late 1980, Warner Bros. rejected the album, ordering Harrison to replace several tracks, and to change the album cover as well. The original album cover that Harrison wanted was used in the 2004 reissue of the album. In 1981, Harrison played guitar on one track of Mick Fleetwood's record The Visitor and Lindsey Buckingham's song "Walk a Thin Line".
Aside from a song on the Porky's Revenge soundtrack in 1984 (his version of a little-known Bob Dylan song "I Don't Want To Do It"), Harrison released no new records for five years after 1982's Gone Troppo received apparent indifference. In 1985, Harrison made a rare public appearance on the Showtime special Carl Perkins and Friends along with Starr and Clapton among others. He only agreed to appear because he was a close admirer of Perkins.
In 1987, Harrison returned with the name "Jerry Harrison and the Casual Gods".. their critically acclaimed platinum album Cloud Nine, co-produced with Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra span off several hit singles including his rendition of James Ray's early 1960s number "Got My Mind Set on You" ( a number one in the US ( number two in the UK) ) followed by "When We Was Fab", a retrospective of The Beatles' days complete with musical flavours for each bandmate. Other tracks "Rev it up", "Devil's Radio", "This Is Love" and "Cloud 9" also gained wide spread airplay on radio and television.
Live performances (1971–1992)
On 23 November 1971, Harrison appeared on an episode of The Dick Cavett Show in a band called Wonder Wheel performing a song written by Gary Wright called "Two Faced Man". George Harrison played slide guitar in this band as a favour since Wright had played piano on Harrison's album All Things Must Pass. The episode can be viewed on DVD "The Dick Cavett Show: Rock Icons: Disc 3".[113]
Harrison launched a major tour of the United States in 1974. Critical and fan reaction panned the tour for its long mid-concert act of Pandit Ravi Shankar & Friends and for Harrison's hoarse voice. Harrison had hired filmmaker David Acomba to accompany the tour and gather footage for a documentary. Due to Harrison's hoarse voice throughout most of this tour, the film was not released, but in 2007 Acomba placed a newly revised director's cut in the Harrison archive. It was the last time he toured in the United States.
In 1986, Harrison made a surprise performance at the Birmingham Heart Beat Charity Concert 1986 a concert event to raise money for the Birmingham Children's Hospital. Harrison played and sang the finale "Johnny B. Goode" along with Robert Plant, The Moody Blues, and Electric Light Orchestra, among others.[114] The following year, Harrison appeared at The Prince's Trust concert in Wembley Arena, performing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Here Comes the Sun" with Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, and others.[115]
In 1991, Harrison staged a tour of Japan along with Eric Clapton. It was his first tour since the 1974 US tour, but no other tours followed. The Live in Japan recording came from these shows.
On 6 April 1992, Harrison held a benefit concert for the Natural Law Party at Royal Albert Hall, his first London performance in 23 years[116] and his last full concert.[citation needed] In October 1992, Harrison performed three songs ("If Not for You", "Absolutely Sweet Marie", and "My Back Pages") at a Bob Dylan tribute concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[117] This was released on the album The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration in August 1993.
Later life: 1988–2001
Early in 1989, Harrison, Lynne and Ringo Starr all appeared in the music video for Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down", although Starr did not actually play on the track;[118] Harrison played acoustic guitar. The same year also saw the release of Best of Dark Horse 1976–1989, a compilation drawn from his later solo work. This album also included two new songs, "Poor Little Girl", and "Cockamamie Business" (which saw him once again looking wryly upon his Beatle past), as well as "Cheer Down", which had first been released earlier in the year on the soundtrack to the film Lethal Weapon 2, which starred Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. Unlike his previous greatest hits package, Harrison made sure to oversee this compilation. In 1989 Harrison played slide guitar on the "Leave a Light On" song from Belinda Carlisle's third album "Runaway Horses". The song was a commercial success worldwide.
In 1996, Harrison recorded, produced and played on "Distance Makes No Difference With Love" with Carl Perkins for his Go-Cat-Go record.
Harrison's final television appearance was not intended as such; in fact, he was not the featured artist, and the appearance had been intended to promote Chants of India, another collaboration with Ravi Shankar released in 1997, at the height of interest in chant music. John Fugelsang, then of VH1, conducted the interview, and at one point an acoustic guitar was produced and handed to Harrison. When an audience member asked to hear "a Beatles song", Harrison pulled a sheepish look and answered, "I don't think I know any!" Harrison then played "All Things Must Pass" and "Any Road", a song which subsequently appeared on the 2002 Brainwashed album.
In January 1998, Harrison attended the funeral of his boyhood idol, Carl Perkins, in Jackson, Tennessee. Harrison played an impromptu version of Perkins' song "Your True Love" during the service.[119] That same year he attended the public memorial service for Linda McCartney. Also that same year, he appeared on Ringo Starr's Vertical Man, where he played both electric and slide guitars on two tracks.
In 2001, Harrison performed as a guest musician on the Electric Light Orchestra album Zoom. He played slide guitar on the song "Love Letters" for Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, and remastered and restored unreleased tracks from the Traveling Wilburys. He also co-wrote a new song with his son Dhani, "Horse to the Water". The latter song ended up as Harrison's final recording session, on 2 October. It appeared on Jools Holland's album Small World, Big Band.[120]
Harrison's final album, Brainwashed, was completed by Dhani Harrison and Jeff Lynne and released on 18 November 2002. It received generally positive reviews in the United States, and peaked at number 18 on the Billboard charts. A media-only single, "Stuck Inside a Cloud", was heavily played on UK and US radio to promote the album (number 27 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart), while the official single "Any Road", released in May 2003, reached number 37 on the British chart. The instrumental track, "Marwa Blues" went on to receive the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, while the single "Any Road" was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.[121]
The Traveling Wilburys: 1988–1990
In 1988, Harrison played an instrumental role in forming the Traveling Wilburys with Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty when they gathered in Dylan's garage to quickly record an additional track for a projected Harrison European single release.[122] The record company realised the track ("Handle With Care") was too good for its original purpose as a B-side and asked for a full, separate album. This had to be completed within two weeks, as Dylan was scheduled to start a tour. The album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, was released in October 1988 and recorded under pseudonyms as half-brothers (supposed sons of Charles Truscott Wilbury, Sr.). Harrison's pseudonym on the first album was "Nelson Wilbury"; he would use the name "Spike Wilbury" for the Traveling Wilburys' second album.
After the death of Roy Orbison in late 1988 the group recorded as a four-piece. Though Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 was their second release, the album was mischievously titled Vol. 3 by Harrison. According to Lynne, "That was George's idea. He said, 'Let's confuse the buggers.'"[123] It was not as well received as the previous album, but did reach number 14 in the UK and number 11 in the US where it went platinum, while the singles "She's My Baby", "Inside Out", and "Wilbury Twist" got decent air play.
The Beatles Anthology: 1994–1996
In 1994–1996, Harrison reunited with the surviving former Beatles, and Traveling Wilburys producer Jeff Lynne for The Beatles Anthology project, which included the recording of two new Beatles songs built around solo vocal and piano tapes recorded by John Lennon in the late 1970s, as well as the lengthy interviews on The Beatles' history.[124] The single "Free as a Bird", was the first Beatles single since "The Long and Winding Road" in 1970.[125][126]
HandMade Films: 1978–1994
HandMade Films was a British film production and distribution company that Harrison formed in 1978 with his business partner, Denis O'Brien.[127] It was created to help out his Monty Python friends by raising £2 million to finish their film Life of Brian after EMI Films, the original financiers, pulled out due to the film's satirical content.[127] Harrison took the name from some handmade paper he had been given on a mill visit.[127] Though the company was formed with the intention of funding just the one film (a scenario which became epitomised as Harrison's "world's most expensive cinema ticket", as the Python's Eric Idle put it), Harrison and O'Brien bought the rights to The Long Good Friday, which had been faced with various cuts, and released it in its original form.[128]
The first film started under the company was Time Bandits, equipped with a soundtrack by Harrison, in 1981, a solo project by Python Terry Gilliam for whom HandMade originally also was to finance The Adventures of Baron Munchausen before several funding parties including HandMade dropped out of the project. Harrison produced twenty three films with HandMade, including Mona Lisa, Shanghai Surprise, and Withnail and I. He made several cameo appearances in these movies, including appearing as a nightclub singer in Shanghai Surprise and as Mr Papadopolous in Life of Brian.[129] Handmade Films became a rarity in the British film industry, a production company that was both consistently successful and internationally known.[127][130] The company was well regarded both for nurturing British talent and for most of its films having British settings or inspirations.[127][130]
Harrison was involved in some creative decisions, approving projects such as Withnail and I[131] and visiting sets as executive producer to sort out creative problems.[132] On the whole, though, Harrison preferred to stay out of the way: "[As a musician] I've been the person who's said of the people with the money, 'What do they know?' and now I'm that person. But I know that unless you give an artist as much freedom as possible, there's no point in using that artist."[127]
The bulk of the financial and business decisions were left to O'Brien, who was tasked with making sure that films got made on time and on budget.[127] This eventually resulted in disagreements and lawsuits between the pair as Handmade Films encountered reversals,[133] and Harrison sold the company in 1994.[134]
Interest in Indian culture
Sitar and Indian music
During the Beatles' American tour in August 1965, Harrison's friend David Crosby of the Byrds introduced him to Indian classical music and the work of sitar player Ravi Shankar.[76] Harrison became fascinated with the instrument, immersed himself in Indian music and played a pivotal role in expanding the emerging interest in the sitar in particular and Indian music in general in the West.[135]
Buying his own first sitar from a London shop called India Craft later that year (as he recalled during interviews for "The Beatles Anthology"), he played one on the Rubber Soul track "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)", which was influential in the decision to have Ravi Shankar included on the bill at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967.[135] After a few initial lessons with Pandit Ravi Shankar, Harrison was placed under the tutelage of Shambhu Das.[136]
Hinduism
![Three men in their early fifties, one to the left, wearing a white robe and holding a bottle of water with both hands, and two to the right, one in a white robe and one in a pink robe. On the wall behind them is something written in Sanskrit, both in Roman characters and in Sanskrit characters.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/George_Harrison_Vrindavan.jpg/220px-George_Harrison_Vrindavan.jpg)
During the filming of the movie Help!, on location in the Bahamas, a Hindu devotee presented each Beatle with a book about reincarnation. Harrison's interest in Indian culture expanded to Hinduism. During a pilgrimage to Bombay, India with his wife, Harrison studied sitar, met several gurus and visited various holy places, filling the months between the end of the final Beatles tour in 1966 and the commencement of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band recording sessions. In 1968, Harrison travelled to Rishikesh in northern India with the other Beatles to study meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
In the summer of 1969, he produced the single "Hare Krishna Mantra", performed by the devotees of the London Radha Krishna Temple. That same year, he and fellow Beatle John Lennon met A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder - acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Soon after, Harrison embraced the Hare Krishna tradition (particularly japa-yoga chanting with beads), became a lifelong devotee, being associated with it until his death.[137]
Harrison was a vegetarian from 1968 until his death. [1]
While during his lifetime, Harrison bequeathed to ISKCON his Letchmore Heath mansion (renamed Bhaktivedanta Manor) north of London, some sources indicate he left nothing to the organisation,[138] others report he did leave a sum of 20 million pounds.[139]
Personal life
Harrison married model Pattie Boyd on 21 January 1966, at the Leatherhead and Esher Registry Office, with McCartney as best man.[140] They had met during the filming for A Hard Day's Night, in which the 19-year-old Boyd was cast as a schoolgirl fan.[141] After Harrison and Boyd split up in 1974, she moved in with Eric Clapton and they subsequently married.
Harrison married for a second time, to Dark Horse Records secretary Olivia Trinidad Arias on 2 September 1978. They had met at the Dark Horse offices in Los Angeles in 1974. They had one son, Dhani Harrison. After the 1999 stabbing incident in which Olivia subdued Harrison's assailant nearly single-handedly, Harrison received a fax from his close friend Tom Petty that read: "Aren't you glad you married a Mexican girl?"[142]
![A white building with a black roof sits beside a large, well-kept lawn. Many trees are in the background of the picture, behind the building.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Kinfauns_George_Harrison_house.jpg/220px-Kinfauns_George_Harrison_house.jpg)
Harrison formed a close friendship with Clapton in the late 1960s, and they co-wrote the song "Badge", which was released on Cream's Goodbye album in 1969.[143] Harrison also played rhythm guitar on the song. For contractual reasons, Harrison was required to use the pseudonym "L'Angelo Misterioso", meaning "The Mysterious Angel" in Italian.[144] Harrison wrote one of his compositions for The Beatles' Abbey Road album, "Here Comes the Sun", in Clapton's back garden. Clapton also guested on the Harrison-penned Beatles track "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Through Clapton, Harrison met Delaney Bramlett, who introduced Harrison to slide guitar.[145] They remained close friends after Pattie Boyd split from Harrison and married Clapton, referring to each other as "husbands-in-law".[146]
Through his appreciation of Monty Python, he met Eric Idle. The two became close friends, with Harrison appearing on Idle's Rutland Weekend Television series and in his Beatles spoof, The Rutles' All You Need Is Cash.[147] Idle also performed at the Concert for George, held to commemorate Harrison.
An accomplished gardener, Harrison restored the English manor house and grounds of Friar Park,[148] which once belonged to Victorian eccentric Sir Frank Crisp. Purchased in 1970, the home is the basis for the song "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)".[149] Several Harrison videos were also filmed on the grounds, including "Crackerbox Palace"; in addition, the grounds served as the background for the cover of All Things Must Pass. He employed a staff of ten workers to maintain the 36-acre garden, and both of his older brothers worked on Friar Park as well.[150] Harrison took great solace working in the garden and grew to consider himself more a gardener than a musician;[150] his autobiography is dedicated "to gardeners everywhere".[151]
That autobiography, I Me Mine, published in 1980, is the only full autobiography by an ex-Beatle.[152] Former Beatles' publicist Derek Taylor helped with the book, which was initially released in a high-priced limited edition by Genesis Publications.[151] The book said little about The Beatles, focusing instead on Harrison's hobbies, such as gardening and Formula One automobile racing. It also included the lyrics to his songs and some photographs with humorous captions.[153]
Harrison had an interest in sports cars and motor racing; he was one of the 100 people who purchased the McLaren F1 road car,[154] and would often attend Formula One races. He had collected photos of racing drivers and their cars since he was young; when he was 12 he attended his first race, the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree, in which Stirling Moss won his first Grand Prix.[154][155] He wrote "Faster" as a tribute to the Formula One racing drivers Jackie Stewart and Ronnie Peterson. Proceeds from its release went to the Gunnar Nilsson cancer charity, set up following the Swedish driver's death from the disease in 1978.[156] Harrison's first "important" car was recently sold at auction in Battersea Park, London. The 1964 Aston Martin DB5 was bought new and delivered to Harrison personally in 1965 at his Kinfauns estate in Esher, Surrey, England.[157]
In late 1999, Harrison survived a knife attack by an intruder in his home.[158] At 3:30 AM on 30 December 1999 Michael Abram broke into the Harrisons' Friar Park home in Henley-on-Thames and began loudly calling to Harrison. Harrison left the bedroom to investigate while his wife, Olivia, phoned the police. Abram attacked Harrison with a seven-inch kitchen knife, inflicting seven stab wounds, puncturing a lung and causing head injuries before Olivia Harrison incapacitated the assailant by striking him repeatedly with a fireplace poker. The attack lasted approximately fifteen minutes.[159] 35-year-old Abram, who believed he was possessed by Harrison and was on a "mission from God" to kill him, was later acquitted of attempted murder on grounds of insanity, but was detained for treatment in a secure hospital. He was released in 2002 after 19 months' detention.[160] Since John Lennon's assassination in 1980 Harrison had rarely made public appearances, except at tightly controlled settings such as Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductions. Traumatised by the 1999 break-in and attempt at murdering him, George Harrison lived in seclusion for most of the remaining 2 years of his life.[citation needed]
Death
- Cancer diagnosis
Harrison developed throat cancer, which was discovered in 1997 after a lump on his neck was analysed.[161] He attributed it to his smoking in the 1960s. Early in May 2001, it was revealed that he had undergone an operation at the Mayo Clinic to remove a cancerous growth from one of his lungs.[162] In July of that year, it was reported that Harrison was receiving radiotherapy for a brain tumour at a clinic in Switzerland.[163]
- Lederman affair
In November 2001, Harrison began radiotherapy at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City. During his treatment there, Dr. Gilbert Lederman, a radiation oncologist, allegedly revealed confidential medical information to the public and forced Harrison to autograph a guitar. In the incident, Harrison was lying in bed at a house close to the hospital. Dr. Lederman and his family came to visit George and began singing. In laboured breaths, George said, "Please stop talking." Later, Dr. Lederman allegedly had his son play the guitar for George. After the performance, Dr. Lederman asked Harrison for an autograph on the guitar. Harrison responded with, "I do not even know if I know how to sign my name anymore." Dr. Lederman then took Harrison's hand and guided his hand along to spell his name while encouraging him by saying, "Come on, George. You can do this. G-E-O...".[164] The incident led to a lawsuit, which was ultimately settled out of court under the condition that the guitar be "disposed of".[165]
- Decline and death
Despite the treatments and operations, Harrison died on 29 November 2001 at a Hollywood Hills mansion that was once leased by McCartney and was previously owned by Courtney Love.[166] His death was listed on his Los Angeles County death certificate as "metastatic non-small cell lung cancer".[167] He was cremated at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and his ashes were scattered in the Ganges River by his close family in a private ceremony according to Hindu tradition.[168][169][170] He left almost £100 million in his will.[171]
In 2002, on the first anniversary of Harrison's death, the Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall; it was organised by Eric Clapton and included performances by many of Harrison's musical friends, including Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The profits from the concert went to Harrison's charity, the Material World Charitable Foundation.[172]
Honours
Harrison's first official honour was when The Beatles were appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1965, and received their insignia from the Queen at an investiture at Buckingham Palace on 26 October.[173] Another award with The Beatles came in 1970 when they won an Academy Award for the best Original Song Score for Let It Be.[174]
A significant music award as a solo artist was in December 1992, when he became the first recipient of the Billboard Century Award - presented to music artists for significant bodies of work.[175] The minor planet 4149, discovered on 9 March 1984 by B. A. Skiff at the Anderson Mesa Station of the Lowell Observatory, was named after Harrison.[176] In 2003, Harrison was ranked 21st in Rolling Stone's list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.[6]
Harrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist on 15 March 2004 by his Traveling Wilburys friends Lynne and Petty.[145] He was inducted into the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame on 1 August 2006 for the Concert for Bangladesh.[177][178]
Harrison featured twice on the cover of Time magazine, initially with The Beatles in 1967,[179] then on his own, shortly after his death in 2001.[180] In June 2007, portraits of Harrison and John Lennon were unveiled at The Mirage Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, where they will be on permanent display. In September 2007, Variety announced that Martin Scorsese would make a film about Harrison's life.[181]
On 14 April 2009, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce awarded Harrison a star on the Walk of Fame in front of the Capitol Records Building. (The Beatles also have a group star on the Walk of Fame.) Musicians Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Paul McCartney were among those in attendance when the star was unveiled.[182][183] Harrison's widow Olivia, actor Tom Hanks and comedian Eric Idle made speeches at the ceremony; Harrison's son Dhani uttered the Hare Krishna mantra.[184] After the ceremony, Capitol/EMI Records announced that a new career-spanning CD entitled Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison would be released in mid-June 2009.
Solo discography
Year | Album | Label | Notes | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [185] |
UK [186] |
NO [187] |
JP [188] |
AT [189] |
SE [190] |
US [191] |
UK [192] | ||||
1968 | Wonderwall Music | Apple/EMI | Soundtrack | 49 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
1969 | Electronic Sound | Zapple/EMI | 191 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
1970 | All Things Must Pass | Apple/EMI | Triple | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | 6x Platinum | |
1971 | The Concert for Bangladesh | Apple/EMI (US) Epic/Sony Music (UK) |
Live | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | Gold | |
1973 | Living in the Material World | Apple/EMI | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | - | - | Gold | ||
1974 | Dark Horse | Apple/EMI | 4 | - | 7 | 18 | 10 | - | Gold | Silver[193] | |
1975 | Extra Texture (Read All About It) | Apple/EMI | 8 | 16 | 8 | 9 | - | - | Gold | ||
1976 | Thirty Three & 1/3 | Dark Horse | 11 | 35 | 17 | 23 | - | - | Gold | Silver[194] | |
1976 | The Best of George Harrison | Parlophone/EMI | Compilation | 31 | 100 | - | 51 | - | - | Gold | |
1979 | George Harrison | Dark Horse | 14 | 39 | 21 | 38 | - | - | Gold | ||
1981 | Somewhere in England | Dark Horse | 11 | 13 | 2 | 31 | 15 | 13 | |||
1982 | Gone Troppo | Dark Horse | 108 | - | 31 | - | - | - | |||
1987 | Cloud Nine | Dark Horse | 8 | 10 | 8 | 28 | 26 | 5 | Platinum | Gold[195] | |
1989 | Best of Dark Horse 1976–1989 | Dark Horse | Compilation | 132 | - | - | 51 | - | - | ||
1992 | Live in Japan | Dark Horse/Warner Bros | Live | 126 | - | - | 15 | - | - | ||
2002 | Brainwashed | Dark Horse | Posthumous | 18 | 29 | 9 | 21 | 62 | 18 | Gold | Gold[196] |
2009 | Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison | Capitol/EMI | Compilation | 24 | 4 | 40 |
Notes
- ^ Many published sources give Harold as Harrison's middle name: Everett, The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul, p 36; The Lost Lennon Interviews, p. 246, Geoffrey Giuliano, John Lennon, Vrnda Devi, Published by Omnibus Press, 1998, ISBN 0-7119-6470-X. Others, however, dispute that, based on the absence of any middle name on Harrison's birth certificate:("George Harrison biography". Shawstar.com. Retrieved 1 December 2008.).
- ^ Harrison, George (2002). I Me Mine. London: Phoenix. p. 20. ISBN 0-7538-1734-9.
- ^ a b Laing, Dave (30 November 2001). "George Harrison 1943-2001". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ The Acoustic Rock Masters, p. 23, H. P. Newquist, Rich Maloof, Backbeat Books, 2003, ISBN 0-87930-761-7
- ^ Schaffner, The Boys from Liverpool, pp. 77-78.
- ^ a b "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Handwritten Harrison Beatles lyrics up for auction, CBC Arts, 11 January 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
- ^ "HandMade PLC". www.handmadeplc.com. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
- ^ a b Harry, The Beatles Encyclopedia, p. 492.
- ^ Reliable sources and his birth certificate show his birth date as 25 February, though some sources give 24 February.
- ^ Miles and Badman, The Beatles Diary, p. 6.
- ^ "Beatles Ireland - George Harrison Irish Heritage". Beatles Ireland. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
- ^ Ingham, Rough Guide to the Beatles, p. 328.
- ^ Miles and Badman, The Beatles Diary, p. 7.
- ^ Harrison, I Me Mine, p. 28.
- ^ Frame, Rockin' Around Britain, p. 73.
- ^ Giuliano, Dark Horse, p. 9.
- ^ Harry, Bill. "Beatles Browser Four (p3)". Mersey Beat. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
- ^ "Lives in Brief: Peter Harrison". The Times. London. 20 July 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
- ^ Shapiro, Behind Sad Eyes, p. 23.
- ^ a b Davies, The Beatles 1985, pp. 44–45.
- ^ Loewen, Nancy (1989). Profiles in music. Vero Beach: Rourke Enterprises, Inc. pp. 26–27.
- ^ Lewisohn, Mark (1992). The Complete Beatles Chronicle. Pyramid Books. p. 13.
- ^ Davies, The Beatles 1985, p. 55.
- ^ Harrison, I Me Mine, p. 29.
- ^ Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2006, pp. 2-6.
- ^ "George Harrison: The quiet Beatle". BBC News. 30 November 2001. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
- ^ Miles and Badman, The Beatles Diary, p. 27.
- ^ Schaffner, The Boys from Liverpool,pp. 7-10.
- ^ Babiuk, Lewisohn, and Bacon, Beatles Gear, p. 59.
- ^ Everett, The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul, p. 126.
- ^ Babiuk, Lewisohn, and Bacon, Beatles Gear, pp. 72-73.
- ^ "Please Please Me". perso.wanadoo.es. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ The Songwriting Secrets of the Beatles, p. 560, Dominic Pedler, Omnibus Press, 2003, ISBN 0-7119-8167-1.
- ^ Greene, Here Comes the Sun, p. 34.
- ^ "A George Harrison Handwritten Letter to a Fan, August 1963". Beatles Autographs. 20 August 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ "No. 43667". The London Gazette (invalid
|supp=
(help)). 4 June 1965. - ^ Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2003, p. 13.
- ^ Turn! Turn! Turn!: The '60s Folk-rock Revolution, pp. 180-181, Richie Unterberger, Backbeat Books, 2002, ISBN 0-87930-703-X.
- ^ Contributions to Asian Studies, pp. 34 - 36, Jon B Higgins, K Ishwaran, Brill Academic Publishers, 1978, ISBN 90-04-05809-5.
- ^ Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2003, p. 14.
- ^ Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2003, p. 19.
- ^ Schaffner, The Boys from Liverpool,pp. 75-78.
- ^ Everett, The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology, pp. 111-112.
- ^ Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2006, pp. 29-30.
- ^ Babiuk, Lewisohn, and Bacon, Beatles Gear,p. 217.
- ^ Sulpy, Doug (2003). Get Back: The Unauthorized Chronicle of the Beatles' Let It Be Disaster. Helter Skelter Publishing. ISBN 1-900924-83-8.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ Miles and Badman, The Beatles Diary, p. 354.
- ^ Frank Sinatra: The Man, the Music, the Legend, p. 38, Jeanne Fuchs, Ruth Prigozy, Boydell & Brewer, 2007, ISBN 1-58046-251-0.
- ^ a b c d Sonic Alchemy: Visionary Music Producers and Their Maverick Recordings, pp 36 - 37, David N. Howard, Hal Leonard Corporation, 2004, ISBN 0-634-05560-7
- ^ Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. p. 195. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
- ^ Amazon.com.
- ^ Amazon.co.uk
- ^ BeatlesInterviews.org.
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- ^ "Acoustic Guitar Central: George Harrison's behind-the-scenes contributions to the world's greatest band". www.acousticguitar.com. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ a b Guitar World Presents the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, p. 17, Jeff Kitts, Hal Leonard Corporation, 2002, ISBN 0-634-04619-5
- ^ All Music Guide: The Experts Guide to the Best Recordings p. 181, Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Backbeat Books, 2001, ISBN 0-87930-627-0
- ^ Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2003, p 50.
- ^ Everett, The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul, p 182.
- ^ Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2006, p 11.
- ^ "Remembering George Harrison". home.att.net. Retrieved 25 December 2008. Time 2.40 minutes - 3.50 minutes.
- ^ "Futurama 111 - The Guitar Collection". www.theguitarcollection.org.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ "Futurama Electric Guitars". www.vintagehofner.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ a b Babiuk, Lewisohn, and Bacon, Beatles Gear, pp. 110-112.
- ^ "George Harrison Guitars". www.celebrityrockstarguitars.com. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ a b 50 Years of Gretsch Electrics, p. 65, Tony Bacon, Backbeat Books, 2005, ISBN 0-87930-822-2.
- ^ Everett, The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul, p. 270.
- ^ The History of Rickenbacker Guitars, pp. 77-79, Richard R. Smith, Centerstream Publications, 1988, ISBN 0-931759-15-3.
- ^ Fretbase, George Harrison's 12 String Rickenbacker.
- ^ Babiuk, Lewisohn, and Bacon, Beatles Gear, p. 120.
- ^ Christie's Rock and Pop Memorabilia, p. 82, Peter Doggett, Sarah Hodgson, Pavilion, 2003, ISBN 1-86205-538-6.
- ^ The Fender Stratocaster, p. 22, A. R. Duchossoir, Eric Clapton, Hal Leonard Corporation, 1994, ISBN 0-7935-4735-0.
- ^ Babiuk, Lewisohn, and Bacon, Beatles Gear, p 157.
- ^ a b Rowen, Beth (30 November 2001), George Harrison: The Spiritual Leader of the Beatles, retrieved 14 September 2007.
- ^ "West meets East". www.icce.rug.nl. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
- ^ "Carl Perkins". www.rockhall.com. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
- ^ "Hall of Fame, Bo Diddley". www.rockabillyhall.com. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
- ^ "Guitar Songs - the World of Chuck Berry". www.articlesbase.com. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
- ^ "The Beatles". www.solarnavigator.net. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
- ^ "Don't Bother Me". The Beatles Bible. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ Everett, The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul, p. 193.
- ^ Miles (1997) p. 554.
- ^ John Lennon: One Day at a Time: a Personal Biography of the Seventies, p. 96, Anthony Fawcett, New English Library, 20 January 1977, ISBN 0-450-03073-3.
- ^ Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of the Legends who Changed Music Forever, p. 174, Scott Schinder, Greenwood Press, 2008, ISBN 0-313-33846-9.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll: Revised and Updated for the 21st Century, p. 413, Holly George-Warren, Patricia Romanowski, Patricia Romanowski Bashe, Jon Pareles, Fireside, 2001, ISBN 0-7432-0120-5.
- ^ The Dawn of Indian Music in the West, p. 182, Peter Lavezzoli, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006, ISBN 0-8264-1815-5
- ^ a b All Music Guide to Rock, p. 508, Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Backbeat Books, 2002, ISBN 0-87930-653-X
- ^ a b Schaffner, The Boys from Liverpool, p 155.
- ^ All Music Guide: The Experts Guide to the Best Recordings, p. 181, Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Backbeat Books, 2001, ISBN 0-87930-627-0
- ^ In early 2007, it was determined that All Things Must Pass should have been noted as a number one album in the United Kingdom when first released in the winter of 1970-71. Because some sales were not properly counted, the album originally peaked at number four in Britain. "icLiverpool - Number one for Harrison at last". icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
- ^ Schaffner, The Beatles Forever, p 142.
- ^ a b The "My Sweet Lord"/"He's So Fine" Plagiarism Suit, Joseph C. Self, The 910, 1993. Retrieved 13 December 2008
- ^ Huntley, Mystical One.
- ^ a b "Concert for Bangladesh". Concertforbangladesh. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ a b Schaffner, The Beatles Forever, pp 158–159.
- ^ Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2003, pp 111-112.
- ^ Greene, Here Comes the Sun, p 213.
- ^ "George Harrison > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". allmusic. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
- ^ Schaffner The Beatles Forever, pp. 209–210.
- ^ a b Schaffner, The Beatles Forever, p 192.
- ^ Schaffner, The Boys from Liverpool, p 164.
- ^ a b Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2006, pp 108–109.
- ^ Schaffner, The Beatles Forever, p 145.
- ^ Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger, p 136, Dan Matovina, Frances Glover Books, 2000, ISBN 0-9657122-2-2
- ^ Shapiro, Behind Sad Eyes, p 219.
- ^ Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2006, p 59.
- ^ Shapiro, Behind Sad Eyes, p 220.
- ^ a b c Harry, The George Harrison Encyclopedia, p 247.
- ^ Harry, The George Harrison Encyclopedia, p 246.
- ^ "All Those Years Ago". Connolly and Company. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
- ^ "Biography: Gary Wright". Absolute Radio. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ "Shadows of the Light". Rockaria. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ Ingham, Rough Guide to the Beatles, p 159.
- ^ Welch, Chris date=1 December 2001. "George Harrison". The Independent. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
{{cite news}}
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(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Bob Dylan: Induction Year: 1988". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ Tom Petty
- ^ "Thoughts on Carl: Carl's Funeral". Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
- ^ "Small World Big Band". Jools Holland. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ "Grammy Award Winners". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
- ^ Bob Dylan: Performing Artist 1986–1990 & Beyond: Mind Out of Time pp129-138, Paul Williams, Omnibus Press, 2004, ISBN 1-84449-281-8. retrieved 13 December 2008
- ^ Hurwitz, Matt. "Wilburys set to travel again" USA Today 11 June 2007
- ^ Everett, The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology, p 286.
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- ^ "The Beatles' biography". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 February 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g Davies, The Beatles 1985, pp 362–363.
- ^ "screenonline: Film Studios and Industry Bodies > HandMade Films". www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ "George Harrison (I)". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
- ^ a b Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture, Peter Childs and Mike Storry, Taylor & Francis, 1999, ISBN 0-415-14726-3 pp 245–246
- ^ Withnail & I: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Too Drunk to Ask, pp 26–27, Thomas Hewitt-McManus, Lulu.com, 2006, ISBN 1-4116-5821-3
- ^ Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2006, p 243.
- ^ Ingham, Rough Guide to the Beatles, p 160.
- ^ Everett, The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology, p 284.
- ^ a b The Dawn of Indian Music in the West, p. 172, Peter Lavezzoli, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006, ISBN 0-8264-1815-5
- ^ Everett, The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology, p 71.
- ^ Partridge 2005, p. 153
- ^ "George Harrison biography". Shawstar. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
- ^ "George Harrison & Hinduism - His Idea of God & Reincarnation". Hinduism.about.com. Retrieved 31 October 2008.
- ^ Miles, Barry (2007). The Beatles Diary: An Intimate Day by Day History. World Publications Group. p. 210. ISBN 1-57215-010-6.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (19 February 2007). "A Hard Day's Night (1964)". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
- ^ Udovitch, Mim; Wild, David (2 January 2002). "Tom Petty Remembers George". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 31 October 2008.
- ^ Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2003, p 34.
- ^ The Complete Guide to the Music of Eric Clapton. books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ a b "George Harrison". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 9 March 2007.
- ^ Whithall, Susan. "'Layla' speaks". The Detroit News. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
- ^ "Rutland Weekend Television". BBC. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ Greene, Here Comes the Sun, pp 226-227.
- ^ Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps 2003, p 68.
- ^ a b Davies, The Beatles 1985, p 360.
- ^ a b Huntley, Mystical One, p 170.
- ^ An autobiographical sketch by John Lennon, titled after one of his songs, The Ballad of John and Yoko, was posthumously published in 1986 as part of his collection Skywriting by Word of Mouth.
- ^ Amazon.com, reviews
- ^ a b Cars of the Super Rich, p. 127, Martin Buckley, MotorBooks/MBI Publishing Company, 2004, ISBN 0-7603-1953-7
- ^
"BBC On This Day". BBC News. 17 July 1955. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
{{cite web}}
: Text "17" ignored (help); Text "1955: Moss claims first Grand Prix victory" ignored (help) - ^ Huntley, Mystical One, p 167.
- ^ "George Harrison car sells for $464,736 at UK's largest classic car auction - Classic cars, Vintage Racing, Classic Rally". Classicrallies.com. Retrieved 31 October 2008.
- ^ "George Harrison Stabbed in Chest by an Intruder". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
- ^ The Greedy Bastard Diary: A Comic Tour of America, pp 277-278, Eric Idle, Harper Entertainment, 2005, ISBN 0-06-075864-3
- ^ "BBC News". BBC News. 5 July 2002. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
{{cite web}}
: Text "England" ignored (help); Text "Freed Beatle's attacker sorry" ignored (help) - ^ Entertainment Celebrities, p. 787, Norbert B. Laufenberg, Trafford Publishing, 2005, ISBN 1-4120-5335-8
- ^ "George Harrison undergoes surgery for cancer". The Independent. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ "George Harrison being treated in cancer clinic - Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/beatles/ghldrmn10604cmp.pdf
- ^
"Harrison Estate Settles Suit Over Guitar Autographed by Dying Beatle - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 March 2000.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ "Harrison death mystery solved". 13 February 2002. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Text "publisher-BBC News" ignored (help) - ^ "George Harrison". www.oralcancerfoundation.org. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
- ^ The Dawn of Indian Music in the West, p. 198, Peter Lavezzoli, International Publishing Group, 2006, ISBN 0-8264-1815-5.
- ^ Hinduism, p. 47, Lynne Gibson, Pat Wootten, 2002, ISBN 0-435-33618-5
- ^ "George Harrison (1943 - 2001)". Find A Grave. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
- ^ "Harrison leaves £99m will". BBC News. 29 November 2002. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
Harrison left £99,226,700, reduced to £98,916,400 after expenses, a High Court spokeswoman confirmed.
- ^ Concert for George (Media notes). Burbank: Warner Brothers. 2003.
{{cite AV media notes}}
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requires|url=
(help); Unknown parameter|albumlink=
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ignored (help) - ^ The Beatles: A Diary, p. 172, Barry Miles, Chris Charlesworth, Omnibus Press, 1998, ISBN 0-7119-6315-0
- ^ "Results Page - Academy Awards Database - AMPAS". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- ^ "Billboard Century Awards - Music Artists Biography - Music Artist Interviews". Billboard. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
- ^ "(4149) Harrison". Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
- ^ "UNICEF - Bangladesh - George Harrison honoured on 35th anniversary of 'Concert for Bangladesh'". www.unicef.org. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
- ^ "Former Beatle inducted into Madison Square Garden's 'Walk... - Truveo Video Search". www.truveo.com. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
- ^ "TIME Magazine Cover: The Beatles - 22 September 1967 - The Beatles - Rock - Singers - Most Popular - Music". Time. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
- ^ "Time Magazine – US Edition – 10 December 2001". Time magazine. 10 December 2001. p. 1 (cover). Retrieved 5 December 2008.
- ^ "Scorsese 'to make Harrison film'". BBC News. 27 September 2007. Retrieved 28 November 2007.
- ^ Google.com
- ^ "George Harrison to be Honored Posthumously with Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame". Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Solvej, Schou. "Beatle George Harrison gets Hollywood star - The Daily Breeze". Associated Press. Retrieved 18 April 2009.
- ^ "George Harrison Chart History on the Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved 19 June 2008.
- ^ "George Harrison Chart Trajectories on the UK Albums". Retrieved 24 January 2008.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com George Harrison discography". Retrieved 12 June 2008.
- ^ "George Harrison Chart Trajectories on the Oricon Albums". Retrieved 24 January 2008.
- ^ "Discographie George Harrison - austriancharts.at". Retrieved 12 June 2008.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com - Discography George". Retrieved 12 June 2008.
- ^ "RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for albums by George Harrison". Retrieved 16 June 2008.
- ^ BPI certified awards were introduced in April 1973.
- ^ "Platinum Awards Content - Harrison, George - Dark Horse". Retrieved 16 June 2008.
- ^ "Platinum Awards Content - Harrison, George - Thirty Three and a Third". Retrieved 16 June 2008.
- ^ "Platinum Awards Content - Harrison, George - Cloud Nine". Retrieved 16 June 2008.
- ^ "Platinum Awards Content - Harrison, George - Brainwashed". Retrieved 16 June 2008.
References
- Babiuk, Andy (2002). Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments, from Stage to Studio. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-731-5.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - Davies, Hunter (1985). The Beatles (Second Revised ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-015526-7.
- Everett, Walter (2001). The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul. US: Oxford University Press. ISBN 019514105.
{{cite book}}
: Check|isbn=
value: length (help) - Everett, Walter (1999). The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology. US: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-512941-5.
- Frame, Pete (1999). Pete Frame's Rockin' Around Britain: Rock'n'roll Landmarks of the UK and Ireland. Music Sales Group. ISBN 0-7119-6973-6.
- Giuliano, Geoffrey (199 7). Dark Horse: The Life and Art of George Harrison (Revised ed.). New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80747-5.
{{cite book}}
: Check date values in:|year=
(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Greene, Joshua M (2007). Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 0-470-12780-5.
- Harrison, George (1980). I, Me, Mine. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-42787-3.
- Harry, Bill (2000). The Beatles Encyclopedia: Revised and Updated. Virgin Publishing. ISBN 0-7535-0481-2.
- Harry, Bill (2003). The George Harrison Encyclopedia. Virgin Books Ltd. ISBN 0-7535-0822-2.
- Higgins, Jon B (1978). Contributions to Asian Studies. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 90-04-05809-5.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthor=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - Huntley, Elliot J (2004). Mystical One: George Harrison: After the Break-up of the Beatles. Guernica Editions. ISBN 1-55071-197-0.
- Partridge, Christopher Hugh (2005). The re-enchantment of the West: alternative spiritualities, sacralization, popular culture, and occulture (illustrated ed.). Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 0567082695.
- Ingham, Chris (2003). The Rough Guide to the Beatles: The Story, the Song, the Solo Years. Rough Guides. ISBN 1-84353-140-2.
- Leng, Simon (2003). While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison. SAF Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-946719-50-0.
- Leng, Simon (2006). While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison (Revised ed.). Hal Leonard. ISBN 1-4234-0609-5.
- Miles, Barry (2007). The Beatles Diary: An Intimate Day by Day History. East Bridgewater, MA: World Publications Group. ISBN 1-57215-010-6.
- Miles, Barry (2001). The Beatles Diary: The Beatles Years. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-8308-9.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - Pedler, Dominic (2003). The Songwriting Secrets of the Beatles. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-8167-1.
- Roberty, Marc (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Eric Clapton. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4305-2.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthpors=
ignored (help) - Schaffner, Nicholas (1977). The Beatles Forever. Harrisburg: Cameron House. ISBN 0-8117-0225-1.
- Schaffner, Nicholas (1980). The Boys from Liverpool: John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0-416-30661-6.
- Shapiro, Marc (2002). Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-30993-7.
- Unterberger, Richie (2002). Turn! Turn! Turn!: The '60s Folk-rock Revolution. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-703-X.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- GeorgeHarrison.com — Official Site
- Rolling Stone - George's Greatest Musical Moments
"George Harrison". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- George Harrison at IMDb
- Genesis Publications - Concert for George: A Celebration of the Life of George Harrison
- Interview with Paul Cashmere
- BBC news article on Harrison's death
- BBC news George Harrison: Life in pictures
- George and other Beatles at Tittenhurst Hare Krishna temple
- BBC news UK version with different pictures
- George Harrison
- 1943 births
- 2001 deaths
- 1960s singers
- 1970s singers
- 1980s singers
- 1990s singers
- 2000s singers
- 20th-century English people
- Apple Records artists
- Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners
- Capitol Records artists
- Cancer deaths in California
- Deaths from lung cancer
- English film producers
- English gardeners
- English Hindus
- English-language singers
- English male singers
- English multi-instrumentalists
- English people of Irish descent
- English pop singers
- English record producers
- English rock guitarists
- English singer-songwriters
- English vegetarians
- Grammy Award winners
- Lead guitarists
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Musicians from Liverpool
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
- Slide guitarists
- Sitar players
- Survivors of stabbing
- The Beatles members
- The Quarrymen members
- Traveling Wilburys members
- Warner Music Group artists
- Western mystics