Early years

George Harrison was born in Liverpool, England. A good deal of confusion as to his real birthday arose from family birth record which noted him as being born around 12:10 A.M. on 25 February 1943. He later confirmed his birthday was 24 February at 11:40 P.M. He is sometimes given the middle name of Harold, as in "George Harold Harrison," but this is incorrect. Harrison had no middle name, as one can see on his birth certificate. Harold was his father's, as well as an elder brother's name.

Role in The Beatles

Harrison was not a virtuoso guitarist, especially in the early days of the Beatles' recording career. His earliest recorded electric guitar solos tended to be clunky and unimaginative, especially when compared to legendary rock 'n' roll guitarists like Scotty Moore, Cliff Gallup or even his idol, Carl Perkins. Several of Harrison's famous Beatles guitar solos were recorded under specific directions from Paul McCartney, who on occasion demanded that Harrison play what he envisioned virtually note-for-note. Other Harrison solos were directed or modified by producer George Martin, who also vetoed several of Harrison's song and instrument offerings; Martin admitted years later, "I was always rather beastly to George."

1970s

After The Beatles split in 1970, Harrison released a number of albums that were critically and commercially successful, both as solo projects and as a member of other groups. After years of being limited in his contributions to The Beatles, he released a large number of the songs he had stockpiled in the first major solo work released after the breakup, All Things Must Pass, the first triple album by a single artist in rock history. The album, which topped the charts, included the number one hit single "My Sweet Lord", over which Harrison was later sued for copyright infringement due to the supposed similarities to the 1963 Chiffons single "He's So Fine". Harrison denied deliberately stealing the song, but he lost the resulting court case in 1976. In the ruling, the court accepted the possibility that Harrison had "unconsciously copied" the Chiffons melody as the basis for his own song. Disputes over damages dragged on into the 1990s, with manager Allen Klein changing sides by buying Bright Tunes, which published "He's So Fine", and continuing the suit after parting with Harrison. Harrison ultimately wound up as the owner of both songs.

1980s

In 1980, Harrison became the only ex-Beatle to write an autobiography, I Me Mine. Former Beatles publicist Derek Taylor helped with the book, which was initially released in a high-priced limited edition. The book said little about The Beatles, focusing instead on Harrison's hobbies, such as gardening and Formula One auto racing. It also included the lyrics to his songs and many rare photographs.

1990s

The first year of the new decade saw a new Traveling Wilburys album, despite the untimely death of Roy Orbison. The band had allegedly approached Del Shannon about replacing Roy, but he also met an untimely death. The album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 was recorded as a four-piece.

Death

Harrison's cancer recurred in 2001 and was found to have metastasized. Despite aggressive treatment, it was soon found to be terminal. He set about getting his affairs in order and spent his final months with his family and close friends. He also worked on songs for an album with his son Dhani, which was released after his death. During this time he was also reported to have made peace with Paul McCartney during a final emotional meeting, healing decades of hurt feelings.

Personal and family life

Harrison was the youngest of four children (his older siblings being sister Louise, and brothers Peter and Harry). His father Harry had been a sailor until the children came along; he then changed careers, becoming a city bus driver to stay close to home. His mother Louise taught ballroom dancing at home. The family always encouraged George; his mother lent him the money for his first guitars, and kept him company (sometimes until late hours) as he taught himself to play. Harrison paid his mother back by making deliveries for the local butcher; John Lennon's family were among his route. His next job (after leaving school) was his apprenticeship at Blacklers, while playing nights with the early Beatles; to meet their first tour commitments, Harrison had to take his summer holiday early.

Cars

Harrison was a fan of sports cars and motor racing; even before becoming a musician, he collected photos of racing drivers and their cars. He was often seen in the paddock areas of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone as well as other motor racing venues. He credited Jackie Stewart with encouraging him to return to recording in the late 1970s, and wrote "Faster" as a tribute to Stewart, Niki Lauda and Ronnie Peterson.

Notes and references

1. ^ ^a b Spitz, Bob. The Beatles: The Biography, Little, Brown, and Company: New York, 2006. ISBN 1845131606
2. ^ "Beatle George Harrison dies" CNN.com article, 1 December 2001