With The Beatles
George Harrison was born on February 25, 1943 in Liverpool, England. He later became a member of the Beatles when they were still known as The Quarrymen after childhood friend Paul McCartney invited him to join the group.
Harrison, like many young guitarists during this time was influenced by American guitarists such as Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, as well as people like Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly. Harrison as well as the rest of the Beatles tried to emulate their musical heroes with their own music, which can be heard on their early works.
George was known as the shy one during his time as the Beatles and wrote a number of classic songs such as
Taxman,
Here Comes the Sun, and
While My Guitar Gently Weeps. His songs were limited to the Beatles albums during the early years as
John Lennon and
Paul McCartney were the source of some of the history's greatest songs.
Beyond the Beatles
All Things Must Pass
After the Beatles broke up in 1970, following the release of their final album
Let It Be, George Harrison began a successful solo career and his album
All Things Must Pass has become a classic album. Famous songs from this album include
Wah-Wah,
My Sweet Lord,
All Things Must Pass, and
Isn't It A Pity.
The Concert for Bangladesh
Harrison later went on to mastermind the historic Concert For Bangladesh, which was a charity concert that took place at Madison Square Garden. Many famous musicians appeared as guests including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton,
Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, and Ravi Shankar.
The Traveling Wilburys
During the late 1980's George Harrison, along with his friends Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynn formed The Traveling Wilburys. The Traveling Wilburys formed after Harrison needed to write a single for the B-side for his song
This Is Love. After writing working on the song,
Handle With Care, the group decided that it was just too good to be a B-side and began to write more songs as a band.
Harrison's Legacy
After The Traveling Wilburys disbanded after the death of Roy Orbison, Harrison continued with his own solo recordings. He released a string of hit albums and continued to work until his death. George Harrison died November 29, 2001 of throat cancer at the age of 58.
George Harrison left behind a vast catalog of music that still remains popular to this day. His work with the Beatles, The Traveling Wilburys, and his solo works all are considered historic and his creativity as a musician will be remembered for years to come.
The year after Harrison's death, long time friend Eric Clapton hosted the Concert For George which was a gathering of all of Harrison's closest friends who payed tribute to their deceased friend. Musicians such as
Paul McCartney,
Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynn, and Billy Preston all performed George's hit songs as a remembrance of a great man. Ravi Shankar along with his daughter Anoushka Shankar also performed some of George's favorite Indian music at the event.
Discography
The Beatles
Album
| Year |
---|
Please Please Me
| 1963 |
With The Beatles
| 1963 |
A Hard Day's Night
| 1964 |
Beatles For Sale
| 1964 |
Help! | 1965 |
Rubber Soul
| 1965
|
Revolver
| 1966
|
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
| 1967
|
The Beatles (White Album)
| 1968
|
Yellow Submarine
| 1969
|
Abbey Road
| 1969
|
Let It Be
| 1970
|
Solo Albums
Album | Year
|
---|
Electronic Sound
| 1969 |
All Things Must Pass
| 1970
|
Living In The Material World
| 1973 |
Dark Horse
| 1974 |
Extra Texture (Read All About It)
| 1975
|
Thirty Three & 1/3
| 1976 |
George Harrison
| 1979
|
Somewhere In England
| 1981
|
Gone Troppo
| 1982
|
Cloud Nine
| 1987
|
Brainwashed
| 2002
|
The Traveling Wilburys
Album
| Year
|
---|
The Traveling WIlburys Volume 1
| 1988 |
The Traveling Wilburys Volume 3
| 1990 |
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