366 | George Harrison

George Harrison was born on February 25, 1943, in Liverpool. As the youngest of four children, he grew up in a working-class family where music played an important role. At the age of thirteen, he received his first guitar—an instrument that would mark the beginning of an extraordinary musical journey. Through school friends, he met Paul McCartney, who introduced him to John Lennon’s skiffle group, The Quarrymen. Harrison joined the band in 1958. After several name changes and line-up shifts, the group evolved into The Beatles in 1960. With the arrival of Ringo Starr in 1962, the legendary line-up was complete.

Although Lennon and McCartney wrote most of the repertoire, Harrison developed from “the quiet Beatle” into a world-class composer. Songs such as While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Something and Here Comes the Sunare among the most beloved compositions in the Beatles’ catalogue.

In the mid-1960s, Harrison became deeply fascinated by Indian music and philosophy. Under the guidance of sitar master Ravi Shankar, he learned to play the sitar. His spiritual quest reached a high point with Within You Without You, from the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). The song, infused with Hindu themes and traditional Indian instrumentation, marked a turning point in Western pop music.

After the breakup of The Beatles in 1970, Harrison immediately proved his independent strength with the triple album All Things Must Pass. The global hit My Sweet Lord combined gospel influences with Hindu mantras and became an international classic.

Later albums, such as Living in the Material World and Cloud Nine, confirmed his reputation as a refined songwriter. In 1988, he co-founded the supergroup Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne—a collaboration that proved both commercially and artistically successful.

Harrison was more than a musician; he was a seeker. He followed the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and introduced his bandmates to Transcendental Meditation. His spiritual convictions were not a pose, but a guiding force in his life. In 1971, together with Ravi Shankar, he organized the groundbreaking The Concert for Bangladeshin New York City. This large-scale benefit concert was one of the first of its kind and set the standard for later humanitarian music events.

In addition to music, Harrison had a great love for film. Through his production company HandMade Films, he financed, among others, Monty Python's Life of Brian and Time Bandits. Without his financial support, Life of Brian would most likely never have been made.

He lived for many years at the Victorian estate Friar Park in Henley-on-Thames, where he devoted himself passionately to gardening. The estate became his sanctuary—a place of peace, nature, and contemplation.

In the late 1990s, Harrison was diagnosed with cancer. Despite treatment, his health declined. He passed away on November 29, 2001, in Los Angeles at the age of 58.

His autobiography, I, Me, Mine (1980), offers a personal insight into his life and philosophy. The title refers to the Beatles song I Me Mine from the album Let It Be, in which he reflects on ego and materialism.

George Harrison left behind a unique legacy: that of a musician who pushed boundaries, gave spirituality a place in pop music, and, with humility, exerted a lasting influence on generations of artists. Where Lennon and McCartney were often the face of The Beatles, Harrison was their soul.