Friday, June 07, 2002 6:39:46 AM
Rock 'n' Roll Artists A-Z...George Harrison (1943-2001)
http://www.allthingsmustpass.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/obituaries/george_harrison/default.stm
http://www.liv.ac.uk/ipm/beatles/bgeorge.html
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/8446/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/music/newsid_1492000/1492446.stm
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/harrison/
http://www.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/30/harrison.obit/
George Harrison was born February 25, 1943, making him the youngest Beatle. The only Beatle who's childhood was not marred by divorce or death, he had two brothers, Harold Jr. and Peter, and a sister, Louise. His father, Harold, was a bus driver, and his mother a housewife, who all the kids in the neighborhood knew and liked.
George attended Dovedale Primary school, two forms behind John Lennon, and then Liverpool Institute, one form below Paul McCartney. He showed his independant nature at an early age, defying his school's age-old dress code by wearing jeans and growing long hair. His strict parents did not condone his disrespectful attitude and George soon learned to tone down his rebellion. When the skiffle craze hit Liverpool, George and his brother Peter formed a Skiffle band, but because they were so young, they had to sneak out of the house to play their first engagement.
George and Paul took the same bus to school, and soon found they had music and guitars in common. They spent many hours together at each other's homes practicing guitar. In 1956, Paul introduced the skinny and pimple-faced George to the Quarrymen, who was only 14 at the time. Not old enough to join the group, George hung around with the boys, and came to idolize John, doing everything he could to emulate him. George stood in the back of the room at all their shows with his guitar. A few times he filled in for the regular guitarist who didn't show up, and the boys were also welcomed in George's house by his mother to practice and for an occasional "jam buttie", encouragement which infuriated John's Aunt Mimi. Gradually, George became a member of the group, which by then had come to be called Johnny and the Moondogs.
From the very start of the Beatles' popularity, George was as major a vocalist as John and Paul. As the songwriting of Lennon and McCartney became world-known, George started to concentrate more on writing songs as well, although many of the early songs written while with the Beatles went unrecorded. The first Beatles song written by George was Don't Bother Me. George became a very serious musician who worked dilgently to perfect his playing. His concentration to his playing was apparent while on stage, especially compared to the wild antics of John and Paul.
George almost missed the Beatles' biggest appearance in America, the Ed Sullivan Show, on February 9, 1964, because of a sore throat. He met teenage model Patty Boyd while filming A Hard Day's Night and they got married on January 21, 1966.
By Beatles biographer Keith Badman
George Harrison was the reluctant Beatle.
While the other members of The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, were happy to thrust themselves into the spotlight, George was the one to be found shunning his fame.
He was forced to exist in the wonderful musical shadows that were John Lennon and Paul McCartney, a position that urged George to once describe himself as the "Economy class Beatle".
Later, when discussing his former group, he was forced to admit: "I felt like an observer of The Beatles, even though I was with them. I think John and Paul were the stars of The Beatles."
But, aside from a couple of brief disagreements, George always seemed to remain close to John after the split of the group, but with Paul, it was much more arduous.
When Paul would announce that some kind of Beatles reconciliation was on the cards, George would retaliate, announcing, like he did in 1974, that he "never wants to play in a band with Paul McCartney again".
But with Ringo, George always remained close, often being seen out in public, socialising and even appearing in occasional concerts together, like the Carl Perkins television special and the Princes Trust shows in 1985 and 1987 respectively.
And while John, Paul and George had their expected difficulties in dealing with each other after The Beatles acrimonious split, Ringo became the friendly bridge between the group's dissected members.
And for fans, the thought that two members of The Beatles are no longer with us, is one that is most hard to swallow.
When we watched their first film A Hard Day's Night, or any others of their big-screen movies, we honestly believed that The Beatles, and its members, were bigger than human and would last for eternity, remaining ageless.
Very slowly, and reluctantly, we became accustomed to the tragic passing of John Lennon in 1980. But 21 years later, the passing of George Harrison, succumbing to cancer makes us realise that even the great Beatles are susceptible to the things that affect mere mortals.
For the first time, it seemed that George had, at last, become the important Beatle and it must have given him immense pleasure to realise that we did, after all, really did love the quiet, spiritual and kind member of The Fab Four.
The Beatles legacy is still unchallenged.
We'll still talk, listen and dissect the group's legacy for many years to come. A new generation of Beatles worshippers will spring up next year when Love Me Do celebrates its 40th anniversary.
But it's most sad to report that now, 39 years after their debut release, just Paul and Ringo are still with us, to charm and entertain us. It just doesn't seem right.
We really did believe they'd outlive us all. Thankfully, I'm sure that Paul will still be with us when he's 64, still releasing albums and promoting vegetarianism.
And I'm also sure that Ringo will continue to perform songs and deliver new albums for many years to come.
Massive blow
George once described dying as just the removal of one overcoat, while the sprit lives on. Due to his strong Krishna belief, George took John Lennon's death philosophically.
But his death will still come as a massive blow to his former Beatles colleagues and his many legions of fans around the world.
Paul recently broke off from Wingspan promotions to visit George in Italy and Ringo said that he had been in regular contact with George.
For them, there is nothing that can be written to explain how they must be feeling. More than losing a Beatles colleague, they have lost a dear friend, someone that they endured so much with in the crazy 60s and beyond.
Shrine
In this sad time, they'll take solace when they recall the Beatles song George wrote which contained the line: "Life flows on within in and without you."
And for the fans, there is no doubt that scenes of mass hysteria will be witnessed.
George's mansion in Henley, like John's Dakota apartment block in New York, will become a shrine to thousands of fans from around the world.
For many of these fans, The Beatles are their life and the thought that this world will be one more Beatle less, will be extremely hard to digest.
in the shadow of Beatles bandmates John Lennon and Paul McCartney, lead guitarist George Harrison's contribution to the band was often overlooked.
But his guitar-playing was credited with defining The Beatles' distinctive sound, and he penned some of the band's most enduring tunes - including Something, Taxman and While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
Something sold more than one million copies when it was released as a single in 1969, reaching number four in the UK singles chart, and other compositions included If I Needed Someone, I Want To Tell You and Within You, Without You.
He was the first Beatle to have a solo number one
His memorable use of the sitar on Norwegian Wood was said to be responsible for introducing the Indian instrument to British pop.
The Indian influence was one that would be present in his music and his life for the rest of his career.
After The Beatles split up, Harrison became the first ex-band member to have a solo number one hit when My Sweet Lord reached the top in Britain and America in 1971.
But the gloss of its success wore off when he was successfully sued for plagiarism by the publishers of The Chiffons' 1964 hit She's So Fine.
The song was taken from the acclaimed triple album All Things Must Pass, made up of unreleased material Harrison had been working on for a number of years.
Next single Bangla Desh was released after a plea from Ravi Shankar to help famine victims in the Indian subcontinent, and was backed by charity concerts featuring Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton.
His next album, Living in the Material World, was not released until 1973 - but spawned the number one US hit Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).
But from there, his musical career began to lose its way.
Two singles followed in the mid-70s - Ding Dong and You - but only reached number 38 in the UK chart, while a US tour was described as disastrous and a string of albums failed to meet expectations.
In 1980, his record label Warner said his new album Somewhere In England was not good enough - and told him to go back and keep working.
Disappointment
The finished version was approved, and included the track All Those Years Ago, featuring contributions from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
But the disappointment of his follow-up, Gone Troppo, led many to believe his recording career was finished.
After several years of pursuing other projects, he was slowly persuaded back into the recording business - working on a Greenpeace benefit album and a TV tribute to guitarist Carl Perkins, on whom it is said Harrison modelled his style.
Harrison soon rediscovered chart success, hitting number one in the US and number two in the UK with his version of Rudy Clark's Got My Mind Set On You.
Travelling Wilburys
The accompanying album, Cloud Nine, was produced by ELO frontman Jeff Lynne, and saw a return to commercial success for Harrison.
When Harrison and Lynne were working on Harrison's next album in 1988, the only space available to rehearse was Bob Dylan's garage - where they found themselves joined by Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.
The five started working together, decided to form a band and called themselves The Travelling Wilburys, with the result being hit single Handle With Care and two albums.
But Beatles royalties meant he was never forced into projects he did not want to do - especially after the releases of 1995's Anthology and 2000's 1 album.
Discography
http://www.discographynet.com/harrison/harrison.html
Albums
1968 Wonderwall
1969 Electronic Sound Albums
1970 All Things Must Pass
1972 The Concert For Bangladesh (with other artists)
1973 Living In The Material World
1974 Dark Horse
1975 Extra Texture
1976 Thirty Three And A Third
1977 The Best Of George Harrison
1979 George Harrison
1981 Somewhere In England
1982 Gone Troppo
1987 Cloud Nine
1989 Best Of Dark Horse 1976-1989
1992 Live In Japan
Link For Albums, Songs, and Lyrics
http://web.mit.edu/scholvin/www/harrison/harrison.html
]
Breaking Clay Makes My Day!
http://www.allthingsmustpass.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/obituaries/george_harrison/default.stm
http://www.liv.ac.uk/ipm/beatles/bgeorge.html
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/8446/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/music/newsid_1492000/1492446.stm
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/harrison/
http://www.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/30/harrison.obit/
George Harrison was born February 25, 1943, making him the youngest Beatle. The only Beatle who's childhood was not marred by divorce or death, he had two brothers, Harold Jr. and Peter, and a sister, Louise. His father, Harold, was a bus driver, and his mother a housewife, who all the kids in the neighborhood knew and liked.
George attended Dovedale Primary school, two forms behind John Lennon, and then Liverpool Institute, one form below Paul McCartney. He showed his independant nature at an early age, defying his school's age-old dress code by wearing jeans and growing long hair. His strict parents did not condone his disrespectful attitude and George soon learned to tone down his rebellion. When the skiffle craze hit Liverpool, George and his brother Peter formed a Skiffle band, but because they were so young, they had to sneak out of the house to play their first engagement.
George and Paul took the same bus to school, and soon found they had music and guitars in common. They spent many hours together at each other's homes practicing guitar. In 1956, Paul introduced the skinny and pimple-faced George to the Quarrymen, who was only 14 at the time. Not old enough to join the group, George hung around with the boys, and came to idolize John, doing everything he could to emulate him. George stood in the back of the room at all their shows with his guitar. A few times he filled in for the regular guitarist who didn't show up, and the boys were also welcomed in George's house by his mother to practice and for an occasional "jam buttie", encouragement which infuriated John's Aunt Mimi. Gradually, George became a member of the group, which by then had come to be called Johnny and the Moondogs.
From the very start of the Beatles' popularity, George was as major a vocalist as John and Paul. As the songwriting of Lennon and McCartney became world-known, George started to concentrate more on writing songs as well, although many of the early songs written while with the Beatles went unrecorded. The first Beatles song written by George was Don't Bother Me. George became a very serious musician who worked dilgently to perfect his playing. His concentration to his playing was apparent while on stage, especially compared to the wild antics of John and Paul.
George almost missed the Beatles' biggest appearance in America, the Ed Sullivan Show, on February 9, 1964, because of a sore throat. He met teenage model Patty Boyd while filming A Hard Day's Night and they got married on January 21, 1966.
By Beatles biographer Keith Badman
George Harrison was the reluctant Beatle.
While the other members of The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, were happy to thrust themselves into the spotlight, George was the one to be found shunning his fame.
He was forced to exist in the wonderful musical shadows that were John Lennon and Paul McCartney, a position that urged George to once describe himself as the "Economy class Beatle".
Later, when discussing his former group, he was forced to admit: "I felt like an observer of The Beatles, even though I was with them. I think John and Paul were the stars of The Beatles."
But, aside from a couple of brief disagreements, George always seemed to remain close to John after the split of the group, but with Paul, it was much more arduous.
When Paul would announce that some kind of Beatles reconciliation was on the cards, George would retaliate, announcing, like he did in 1974, that he "never wants to play in a band with Paul McCartney again".
But with Ringo, George always remained close, often being seen out in public, socialising and even appearing in occasional concerts together, like the Carl Perkins television special and the Princes Trust shows in 1985 and 1987 respectively.
And while John, Paul and George had their expected difficulties in dealing with each other after The Beatles acrimonious split, Ringo became the friendly bridge between the group's dissected members.
And for fans, the thought that two members of The Beatles are no longer with us, is one that is most hard to swallow.
When we watched their first film A Hard Day's Night, or any others of their big-screen movies, we honestly believed that The Beatles, and its members, were bigger than human and would last for eternity, remaining ageless.
Very slowly, and reluctantly, we became accustomed to the tragic passing of John Lennon in 1980. But 21 years later, the passing of George Harrison, succumbing to cancer makes us realise that even the great Beatles are susceptible to the things that affect mere mortals.
For the first time, it seemed that George had, at last, become the important Beatle and it must have given him immense pleasure to realise that we did, after all, really did love the quiet, spiritual and kind member of The Fab Four.
The Beatles legacy is still unchallenged.
We'll still talk, listen and dissect the group's legacy for many years to come. A new generation of Beatles worshippers will spring up next year when Love Me Do celebrates its 40th anniversary.
But it's most sad to report that now, 39 years after their debut release, just Paul and Ringo are still with us, to charm and entertain us. It just doesn't seem right.
We really did believe they'd outlive us all. Thankfully, I'm sure that Paul will still be with us when he's 64, still releasing albums and promoting vegetarianism.
And I'm also sure that Ringo will continue to perform songs and deliver new albums for many years to come.
Massive blow
George once described dying as just the removal of one overcoat, while the sprit lives on. Due to his strong Krishna belief, George took John Lennon's death philosophically.
But his death will still come as a massive blow to his former Beatles colleagues and his many legions of fans around the world.
Paul recently broke off from Wingspan promotions to visit George in Italy and Ringo said that he had been in regular contact with George.
For them, there is nothing that can be written to explain how they must be feeling. More than losing a Beatles colleague, they have lost a dear friend, someone that they endured so much with in the crazy 60s and beyond.
Shrine
In this sad time, they'll take solace when they recall the Beatles song George wrote which contained the line: "Life flows on within in and without you."
And for the fans, there is no doubt that scenes of mass hysteria will be witnessed.
George's mansion in Henley, like John's Dakota apartment block in New York, will become a shrine to thousands of fans from around the world.
For many of these fans, The Beatles are their life and the thought that this world will be one more Beatle less, will be extremely hard to digest.
in the shadow of Beatles bandmates John Lennon and Paul McCartney, lead guitarist George Harrison's contribution to the band was often overlooked.
But his guitar-playing was credited with defining The Beatles' distinctive sound, and he penned some of the band's most enduring tunes - including Something, Taxman and While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
Something sold more than one million copies when it was released as a single in 1969, reaching number four in the UK singles chart, and other compositions included If I Needed Someone, I Want To Tell You and Within You, Without You.
He was the first Beatle to have a solo number one
His memorable use of the sitar on Norwegian Wood was said to be responsible for introducing the Indian instrument to British pop.
The Indian influence was one that would be present in his music and his life for the rest of his career.
After The Beatles split up, Harrison became the first ex-band member to have a solo number one hit when My Sweet Lord reached the top in Britain and America in 1971.
But the gloss of its success wore off when he was successfully sued for plagiarism by the publishers of The Chiffons' 1964 hit She's So Fine.
The song was taken from the acclaimed triple album All Things Must Pass, made up of unreleased material Harrison had been working on for a number of years.
Next single Bangla Desh was released after a plea from Ravi Shankar to help famine victims in the Indian subcontinent, and was backed by charity concerts featuring Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton.
His next album, Living in the Material World, was not released until 1973 - but spawned the number one US hit Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).
But from there, his musical career began to lose its way.
Two singles followed in the mid-70s - Ding Dong and You - but only reached number 38 in the UK chart, while a US tour was described as disastrous and a string of albums failed to meet expectations.
In 1980, his record label Warner said his new album Somewhere In England was not good enough - and told him to go back and keep working.
Disappointment
The finished version was approved, and included the track All Those Years Ago, featuring contributions from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
But the disappointment of his follow-up, Gone Troppo, led many to believe his recording career was finished.
After several years of pursuing other projects, he was slowly persuaded back into the recording business - working on a Greenpeace benefit album and a TV tribute to guitarist Carl Perkins, on whom it is said Harrison modelled his style.
Harrison soon rediscovered chart success, hitting number one in the US and number two in the UK with his version of Rudy Clark's Got My Mind Set On You.
Travelling Wilburys
The accompanying album, Cloud Nine, was produced by ELO frontman Jeff Lynne, and saw a return to commercial success for Harrison.
When Harrison and Lynne were working on Harrison's next album in 1988, the only space available to rehearse was Bob Dylan's garage - where they found themselves joined by Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.
The five started working together, decided to form a band and called themselves The Travelling Wilburys, with the result being hit single Handle With Care and two albums.
But Beatles royalties meant he was never forced into projects he did not want to do - especially after the releases of 1995's Anthology and 2000's 1 album.
Discography
http://www.discographynet.com/harrison/harrison.html
Albums
1968 Wonderwall
1969 Electronic Sound Albums
1970 All Things Must Pass
1972 The Concert For Bangladesh (with other artists)
1973 Living In The Material World
1974 Dark Horse
1975 Extra Texture
1976 Thirty Three And A Third
1977 The Best Of George Harrison
1979 George Harrison
1981 Somewhere In England
1982 Gone Troppo
1987 Cloud Nine
1989 Best Of Dark Horse 1976-1989
1992 Live In Japan
Link For Albums, Songs, and Lyrics
http://web.mit.edu/scholvin/www/harrison/harrison.html
] Breaking Clay Makes My Day!
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