George Harrison | Artist
George Harrison MBE was an English musician, singer-songwriter, and music and film producer born 1943 in Liverpool, UK. Harrison achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles and as a solo artist. Initially, as a Beatle, he contributed greatly to the sound of the band, with his guitar, sitar and vocal contribution, but the compositions were largely by Lennon-McCartney. George took a more prominent role as songwriter on later albums, contributing a total of fourteen songs on Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt Pepper, White Album, Abbey Road and Let it Be, including classics such as "Taxman", "Within You Without You", "While my Guitar Gently Weeps", "Something", "Here Comes the Sun" and "All Things Must Pass". George's devotion to Indian music and spirituality also greatly influenced and enriched The Beatles sound in their latter period. Before the Beatles' break-up, Harrison had already recorded and released two solo albums: Wonderwall Music and Electronic Sound, both of which contain mainly instrumental compositions. Wonderwall Music, the first solo album by a Beatle and the first LP released by Apple Records, is a soundtrack to the 1968 film Wonderwall, which blends Indian and Western instrumentation. Electronic Sound is an experimental album that prominently features a Moog synthesizer. After The Beatles split in 1970 George had hundreds of unrecorded compositions, many of which came to light on the superb All Things Must Pass triple album, released late 1970. Other stand-out albums include Living in the Material World (1973), George Harrison (1979), and Brainwashed (2002). The compilation Let it Roll is excellent as is the posthumous tribute album Concert for George, and the 2011 archival collection George Harrison: Living in the Material World. George was also the driving force behind The Concert For Bangladesh, appearing on the all-star album of the same name alongside Ravi Shankar, Billy Preston, Leon Russell and Bob Dylan. He was also the driving force behind the all-star Travelling Wilburys project along with Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison. That group made two albums and a handfull ocf singles. Out side of music, Harrison was the co-owner of Handmade Films, along with Denis O'Brien. That film company produced many excellent non-mainstream films, such as Monty Pythin's Life of Brian, Time Bandits, and Withnail and I. As well as being appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), Harrison had The minor planet "4149 Harrison", discovered in 1984, named after him, and a variety of Dahlia flower. In December 1992, he became the first recipient of the Billboard Century Award, an honour presented to music artists for significant bodies of work. The award recognised Harrison's "critical role in laying the groundwork for the modern concept of world music" and for his having "advanced society's comprehension of the spiritual and altruistic power of popular music". Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 11 in their list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."
Artist Website: georgeharrison.com
Featured Albums: George Harrison
Related Artists: The Beatles, Traveling Wilburys, Ravi Shankar
