Commonly referred to as the “quiet Beatle,” George Harrison would probably like to be remembered as a musician’s musician. Music was an important part of George’s life. He was not just a guitar player for the Beatles, but an innovative artist who experimented with music before and after the Beatles. George was born in Liverpool on February 24, 1943. At the early age of 13, George began playing the guitar and although he struggled in the beginning and almost gave up playing, George stuck with it and eventually became one of the most influential guitarists to date. George met Paul McCartney when he was attending the Liverpool Institute and Paul asked George to go watch his band “The Quarryman”, which also included John Lennon. Soon after this initial meeting, George joined the band. The Quarryman became the Beatles and the rest is rock and roll history. Rising to major rock star status with the Beatles in the 1960’s, George was often voted the most popular Beatle with the American public. He was more soft spoken than Lennon and referred to as the ‘quiet Beatle.’ During his Beatles days, George became intrigued with Indian music, specifically with playing the sitar. In fact, George spent considerable time in India with Ravi Shankar, learning how to play the sitar. George had also been turned on to transcendental mediation and began living very spiritually. After the Beatles parted ways in 1970, Harrison recorded some solo albums. It wasn’t until 1988 that Harrison was in a band again. This time Harrison joined Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Bob Dylan and formed The Traveling Willburys. Then in the early 1990’s Harrison retreated into privacy and continued to do solo work. Harrison was back in the public eye when an intruder broke into his home and stabbed him in 1999. In 2000, George Harrison was working on a new album which was to be released in 2001. On November 29, 2001 George Harrison died after a long battle with cancer. George Harrison was 58 years old.
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