February 25 – Happy Birthday, George Harrison ~ CookingFood.Org

Posted on February 25, 2015

He was a part of THE most famous band. Ever. In the history of bands.

George Harrison (who was born on this date in 1943) was 13 years old when his dad gave his music-loving son a guitar. Within the year he had started a small skiffle group with school friends (skiffle was a type of folk-sy blues-y jazz-y music popular in the 1950s).

And when he had just turned 15 years old, Harrison took the advice of one of his friends, Paul McCartney, and auditioned for John Lennon's band, the Quarrymen.

Lennon thought Harrison was too young to be in the group. But Harrison began hanging out with the group, socializing, and he sometimes filled in on guitar when he was needed. Soon he was accepted as a member.

And in 1960 the Quarrymen became the Beatles!

I wonder if the then-17-year-old Harrison was ready for the fame, the fans, the friendships, the freak-out fun?

Could anyone really be ready for that?

Did you know...?

George Harrison became interested in all things Indian, learned to play the sitar, and converted to Hinduism. When he died at age 58 of lung cancer, his ashes were scattered in the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India;

During Harrison's post-Beatles solo career, he co-wrote songs and produced music with such musical stars as Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and Tom Petty.

One of the Beatles' most popular (and most covered) songs, “Something,” was written by Harrison, although most Beatles songs were famously co-written by Lennon and McCarthy. Most Beatles albums had at least one song written by Harrison.