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 Born on February 25, 1943, Liverpool, England, died on
November 30, 2001, Los Angeles, USA. As the youngest member of the
Beatles, Harrison was constantly overshadowed by John Lennon and
Paul McCartney. Although "Don't Bother Me" (With The Beatles), "I
Need You" (Help!) and "If I Needed Someone" (Rubber Soul) revealed a
considerable compositional talent, such contributions were swamped
by his colleagues' prodigious output. Instead, Harrison honed a
distinctive guitar style, modeled on rockabilly mentor Carl Perkins,
and was responsible for adding the sitar into the pop lexicon
through its complementary use on "Norwegian Wood". Harrison's
infatuation with India was the first outward sign of his growing
independence, while his three contributions to Revolver, noticeably
"Taxman" and "I Want To Tell You", showed a newfound musical
maturity. The Indian influence continued on the reflective "Within
You, Without You". He flexed solo ambitions with the would-be film
soundtrack, Wonderwall and the trite Electronic Sounds, but enhanced
his stature as a skilled songwriter with the majestic "While My
Guitar Gently Weeps" (The Beatles) and "Something" (Abbey Road).
Sales of the latter composition exceeded one million when issued as
a single in 1969. Harrison also produced releases for Billy Preston,
Jackie Lomax and the Radha Krishna Temple and performed on the
concurrent Delaney And Bonnie tour before commencing work on All
Things Must Pass . This triple-record set consisted of material
stockpiled over the years and featured several high quality
compositions including "Awaiting On You All", "I'd Have You Anytime"
(co-written with Bob Dylan) and "Beware Of Darkness".
 These selections were, however,
eclipsed by "My Sweet Lord", which deftly combined melody with
mantra and deservedly soared to the top of the US and UK charts. Its
luster was sadly removed in later years when the publishers of the
Chiffons' 1964 hit, "She's So Fine", successfully sued for
plagiarism. Harrison's next project was "Bangla-Desh", a single
inspired by a plea from master musician Ravi Shankar to aid famine
relief in the Indian subcontinent. Charity concerts, featuring
Harrison, Dylan, Preston, Eric Clapton and Leon Russell , were held
at New York's Madison Square Gardens in August 1971, which in turn
generated a film and boxed-set. Legal wrangles blighted Harrison's
altruism and it was 1973 before he resumed recording. Whereas All
Things Must Pass boasted support from Derek And The Dominos,
Badfinger and producer Phil Spector, Living In The Material World
was more modest and consequently lacked verve. The album nonetheless
reached number 1 in the US, as did an attendant single, "Give Me
Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)", but critical reaction was noticeably
muted. A disastrous US tour was the unfortunate prelude to Dark
Horse , the title of which was inspired by Harrison's new record
label. His marriage to Patti Boyd now over, the set reflected its
creator's depression and remains his artistic nadir. Although poorly
received, Extra Texture partially redressed the balance, but the
fact that its strongest track, "You", dated from 1971, did not
escape attention. Thirty Three & 1/3 and George Harrison
continued this regeneration; the latter was a particularly buoyant
collection, but the quality still fell short of his initial
recordings.
 During this period Harrison became
involved with his personal heroes, the Monty Python comedy team, in
the production of Life Of Brian . His financing of the film ensured
its success and cemented a long-lasting relationship with the
troupe. In 1980 the artist's parent label, Warner Brothers Records,
rejected the first version of Somewhere In England, deeming its
content below standard. The reshaped collection included "All Those
Years Ago", Harrison's homage to the murdered John Lennon, which
featured contributions from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The song
reached US number 2 when issued as a single, a position reflecting
the subject matter rather than faith in the artist. Gone Troppo was
issued to minimal fanfare from both outlet and creator, and rumors
flourished that it marked the end of Harrison's recording career. He
pursued other interests, notably with his company Handmade Films
which included such productions as The Long Good Friday (1980), Time
Bandits (1981), Water (1985), Mona Lisa (1986) and Shanghai Surprise
(1986), occasionally contributing to the soundtracks. During this
time Harrison cultivated two hobbies which took up a great deal of
his life: motor racing and gardening. He was tempted back into the
studio to answer several low-key requests, including Mike Batt's
adaptation of The Hunting Of The Snark and the Greenpeace benefit
album.
 He joined the all-star cast saluting
Carl Perkins on the television tribute Blue Suede Shoes, and in 1986
commenced work on a projected new album. Production chores were
shared with Jeff Lynne , and the care lavished on the sessions was
rewarded the following year when Harrison's version of the James Ray
hit "Got My Mind Set On You" reached number 2 in the UK and number 1
in the US. The intentionally Beatles-influenced "When We Was Fab"
was another major success, while Cloud Nine itself proved equally
popular, with Lynne's grasp of commerciality enhancing Harrison's
newfound optimism. Its release completed outstanding contracts and
left this unpredictable artist free of obligations, although several
impromptu live appearances suggest his interest in music was now
rekindled. This revitalization also saw Harrison play a pivotal role
within the Traveling Wilburys, an ad hoc "supergroup" initially
comprising himself, Lynne, Dylan, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison .
Harrison made his first tour for many years in Japan during January
1992 with his longtime friend Eric Clapton giving him support. He
reappeared on-stage in England at a one-off benefit concert in
April. In 1995, the UK press seemed to delight in the fact that
Harrison had hit hard times caused by various business ventures and
ill advice from people he used as advisors. The Beatles reunion in
1995 for the Anthology series banished any thoughts of bankruptcy. A
further bonus came in January 1996 when he was awarded $11.6 million
following litigation against Denis O'Brien and his mishandling of
Harrison's finances.
 Harrison's tact and the way he has
dealt with his inner self should not be underestimated; the "quiet"
Beatle does seem to have this part of his life totally sorted out.
On December 30 1999, Harrison was stabbed when he attempted to
accost a burglar in his home. The man was later charged with
attempted murder, but was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He
supervised the magnificent reissue of All Things Must Pass in 2000,
and rumors of a new album began to circulate. This was hampered in
2001 when it was confirmed that Harrison was being treated for
cancer.
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