George Harrison was the Beatles' lead guitarist and third songwriter. His third solo LP (but first released after the Beatles' breakup, and his first true rock release), the triple album All Things Must Pass, is widely thought to be one of the best Beatles solo records.
The lead guitarist in The Beatles, George Harrison was originally a peripheral figure, with the band's music being more reliant on Paul McCartney and John Lennon's rhythm guitars than Harrison's lead. Through 1963-66 he improved greatly as a guitarist, and as a songwriter, emerging from the shadows cast by Lennon and McCartney into acceptance as a vital member of the band. In the mid-60s he became inspired by Indian philosophy and music, made friends with Ravi Shankar and introduced the sitar to Western audiences in such songs as "Norwegian Wood", "Love You To" and "Within You Without You". The composer Philip Glass and other observers credit Harrison with initiating what eventually became known as the "world music" genre in the West.
Unlike the other Beatles, Harrison made strong musical friendships outside the group and, while still a Beatle, he developed what would become lifelong collaborative relationships with such artists as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Billy Preston and Ravi Shankar. In the Beatles's later years, Harrison's rapid development as a songwriter was vastly under appreciated by his more prolific bandmates, Lennon and McCartney. Harrison grew increasingly frustrated at having some of his better compositions rejected for inclusion on Beatle albums and this only added to the growing tension within the band. Other notable Beatles songs written by Harrison include "If I Needed Someone", "Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun".
After the Beatles split in 1970, Harrison released many of his previously rejected compositions on the triple-LP All Things Must Pass. It was a massive worldwide hit, as was the lead single "My Sweet Lord", and is still regarded as one of the very best solo albums by any of the Beatles. In 1971, Harrison organized two charity concerts in aid of refugees in war-torn Bangladesh, with the help of Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and others. The concert was then released as an LP and a concert film to raise further funds. Harrison's Bangla Desh project was a first in the pop music world and it directly inspired later philanthropic efforts such as Live Aid, Farm Aid and Live 8.
Living in the Material World (1973) was another huge commercial hit, though some reviewers considered it too religious (Harrison had adopted Hinduism in the 60s). After a poorly received North American concert tour in 1974, Harrison began to step back from the spotlight. Declining interest and sales dogged his next few albums. He returned to the pop charts in 1981 with the hit single "All Those Years Ago," a tribute to the late John Lennon.
Through much of the 1980s, Harrison was active in the film industry as a producer. He made a major musical comeback in 1987 when Cloud Nine received enthusiastic reviews and the single "Got My Mind Set on You" became an international hit. In 1989 he formed supergroup The Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, and released two albums.
After a concert tour of japan with Eric Clapton in 1991, Harrison again returned to private life appearing only occasionally at benefit and tribute concerts. In 1999, Harrison survived a nearly fatal knife attack when a crazed assailant broke into his home and violently attacked him. His life was spared only by the quick reaction of his wife, Olivia. In November 2001, George Harrison died from a recurrence of cancer that had spread to his brain; he was 58.
In 2002, Harrison's posthumously released album, Brainwashed, received some of the most favorable reviews of his solo career with "Marwa Blues" winning a Grammy in the instrumental category. Harrison's life and music are the subject of a Martin Scorsese film documentary scheduled for release in late 2011.
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