Harrison, George (1943-2001), was an English rock singer, guitarist, and composer. He gained international fame as a member of the Beatles from 1962 to 1970. John Lennon and Paul McCartney composed most of the songs for the band, but Harrison also contributed some songs, notably “Something” (1969).
Harrison was born in Liverpool, England, on Feb. 25, 1943. He performed on all the Beatles recordings. He also performed in the group’s motion pictures, notably A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and Help! (1965) (see Hard Day’s Night, A ). He introduced elements of Eastern music to the Beatles during the group’s last years.
After the Beatles disbanded, Harrison began a career as a solo performer and composer. He recorded a best-selling album called All Things Must Pass (1970) that included the hit single “My Sweet Lord.” Harrison helped organize a concert in New York City to raise relief money for the Asian nation of Bangladesh. The concert was a major event in the history of rock. It produced another Harrison hit song, “Bangla-Desh.” In 1974, Harrison made a concert tour with famous Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar (see Shankar, Ravi ).
Loading the player...The Beatles: Beatlemania
Harrison continued to record through the 1970’s and 1980’s. His later hit songs included “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” (1973), “This Song” (1976), “Crackerbox Palace” (1976), “All Those Long Years Ago” (1981), and “Got My Mind Set on You” (1987).
By 1980, Harrison began to concentrate on record and motion-picture production. He performed in and produced the film Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979). He also produced such movies as Time Bandits (1981), Privates on Parade (1983), Mona Lisa (1986), and Nuns on the Run (1990). In the last months of his life, Harrison recorded songs for the album, Brainwashed, which was released in 2002, after his death. He died on Nov. 29, 2001. Harrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 as a member of the Beatles and in 2004 as an individual performer.
See also Beatles
