Fab Facts About George Harrison, The Quiet Beatle
Nobody can dispute that the Beatles were one of the most successful and impactful music groups of the 20th century. But while anyone could rest on their laurels after being one of the Beatles, George Harrison was far from content with that legacy.
For more than 30 years after his time with the Beatles, Harrison proved himself to be a very diverse artist, not just in the world of music alone. Here are 43 facts about George Harrison.
1. Bit of a Technicality
For a long time, George Harrison and his family celebrated his birthday on February 25, 1943. However, much to Harrison’s surprise, he later found out via his birth record that he’d actually been born before midnight of the 24th.
2. That Explains a Lot!
One person who never failed to support Harrison’s love for music was his mother, Louise. She was a passionate fan of music herself and was known to sing loudly while in the house. Interestingly, we have Louise to thank for Harrison’s interest in the music scene of India. During the time that she was pregnant with Harrison, Louise frequently played sitar music that could be heard on Radio India.
3. My Musical Mentors
Harrison’s musical influences while growing up included Cab Calloway, George Formby, Carl Perkins, and Lonnie Donegan. Known as the King of Skiffle, a genre popular in Britain in the 60s, Donegan, in particular, was highly influential on Harrison.
His first band, the Rebels, played skiffle.
4. Going My Own Way
Before Harrison’s music career kicked off, he began working as an electrician’s apprentice when he was 16 years old.
His father, Harry Harrison—yes, that was his real name—tried to push his sons towards a future business venture as a family unit, since one of Harrison’s brothers was a groundskeeper and the other was a mechanic.
Harrison, however, never had any interest in being an electrician, and was determined to be a musician no matter what.
