George Harrison would have been 76 years old February, 25th, 2019. He died on the 29th of November 2001.
As lead guitar and vocalist with the Beatles he was an integral part of perhaps the best band in history. His songwriting, in both the Beatles and as a solo artist, puts him at the peak of all songwriters of the last 50 years. Some of his best and most well-known songs include…
- Here Comes the Sun
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- Something
- Taxman
Who can argue that these songs were some of the best and most memorable Beatle songs.They certainly are to me.
His first solo record, All Things Must Pass, is often considered the best of all the Beatle’s solo projects.
As lead guitarist for the Beatles, the parts he created often added significantly to the quality of the songs. He knew how to create parts that not only fit, but made the songs even better. In fact, you could argue that his “parts” were some of the most ingenious and creative of any guitarist who played the role of “lead guitar” in any band. He was truly more than just a guitarist—he was a consumate musical arranger—an often misunderstood and underestimated role in any band.
After the Beatles, George Harrison had a long career in music. He had several popular albums of his own, and not only worked as a solo artist but as a member of another seminal group the Traveling Willburys, which included other famous artists including Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne and released two albums. He further worked as a sideman with several other bands and on albums by many other artists.
To say George Harrison had a long and auspicious musical career is probably an understatement.
Harrison died from lung cancer in 2001 at the age of 58, two years after surviving a knife attack by an intruder at his Friar Park home. His remains were cremated and the ashes were scattered according to Hindu tradition in a private ceremony in the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India.
