Biographic - Sunday November 18, 2007 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Following his acclaimed documentary on Bob Dylan, 2005's "No Direction Home" director Martin Scorsese recently announced that he is working on a similar project on the life and times of the late George Harrison. The enigmatic Harrison, who conquered the world as a member of The Beatles, survived a 1999 assassination attempt, only to succumb to cancer two years later. Born in Liverpool, England, on February 25, 1943, George Harrison was invited to join The Quarrymen, the group that soon became The Beatles, by a school friend Paul McCartney. Within a year of debuting on the U.K. charts in late 1962, the boys were the biggest stars in Britain. They took the states by storm in 1964, at one point occupying the top five positions on the singles charts. The biggest-selling musical artists of all time, in John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the group boasted the most successful songwriting team in history. George initially found it difficult to get his compositions included for release, but his writing matured, and by the time The Beatles disbanded in 1970, the likes of his "Something" and "Here Comes The Sun" were acknowledged as pop classics. Having developed a strong interest in India and Eastern Spirituality, he is also credited with introducing the star into rock. His 1970 solo triple album "All Things Must Pass" was a chart-topping triumph. The following year, in aid of the Bangladesh refugees, he became the first rock star to organize a major charity concert. He formed his own record label, Dark Horse, invested in movies, penned an autobiography, indulged his passions for gardening and motor racing, and teamed up with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne in the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys. A longtime heavy smoker, Harrison lost a lengthy battle against cancer and died, aged 58 on November 29, 2001.

Tags