George Harrison Facts & Worksheets

Although known as “the quiet Beatle” of the Beatles, George Harrison was internationally famous as a musician and a film producer. This lead guitarist left a very influential mark in the industry.

See the fact file below for more information on George Harrison or alternatively, you can download our 30-page George Harrison worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Personal Life

• Harold Hargreaves Harrison and Louise Harrison had four children, namely Louise, Harold, Peter, and George. 
• The youngest was George Harrison, born on February 25, 1943.
• He was born and spent four years at 12 Arnold Grove in Wavertree, Liverpool.
• His father was a former steward at the White Star Line until he became a bus conductor, while his mother worked as a shop assistant.
• His family moved to a council house at 25 Upton Green, Speke.
• At five years old, George attended Dovedale Primary School, and when he passed the eleven-plus exam, he got the chance to go to Liverpool Institute High School for Boys.
• The school did not offer music courses, and there were also no guitars, so George was a bit disappointed.
• Since he was young, he had always been keen on guitars, and at the back of the class, he often scribbled guitars in his books.
• George’s mother had always been supportive of George pursuing music.
• Although his father was worried about George pursuing a career in music, he bought him an acoustic guitar.
• George expressed great interest in Indian culture.
• His interest in meditation and belief in Hinduism was encouraged after he used psychedelic drugs.
• In January 1966, George married Pattie Boyd, a model.
• However, they separated in 1974 and their divorce was finalized after three years.
• Later, Pattie Boyd married George’s friend, Eric Clapton,
• On September 2, 1978, George married Olivia Trinidad Arias, former marketing executive at A&M and then Dark Horse Records; they had a son, Dhani Harrison.
• For years after the death of John Lennon, he was anxious about stalkers.

Career

• Some of George’s influences in music were Slim Whitman, Carl Perkins, Django Reinhardt, Lonnie Donegan, George Formby, Hoagy Carmichael, and Cab Calloway.
• He was inspired by the music of Donegan to create a skiffle group, the Rebels.
• His members included his brother, Peter, and his friend Arthur.
• George first met Paul McCartney on a bus to their school, the Liverpool Institute.
• As they had a common interest in music, they quickly connected.
• Paul encouraged George to audition for the band he and John Lennon formed, the Quarrymen.
• Unfortunately, John Lennon thought that the fifteen-year-old George was too young to join the band.
• At their second meeting, George was fascinated by how John Lennon performed as the lead guitarist of the Quarrymen. 
• He then started hanging out with them and filled in as a guitarist whenever the band needed.
• After some time, he was accepted as an official member.
• At 16, he left school and worked at a local department store as an apprentice electrician.
• Inspired by Carl Perkins, he used the stage name Carl Harrison on their first Scotland tour in 1960.
• In 1960, Allan Williams arranged a performance for their band, the Beatles, to perform in Hamburg. 
• They lived in Hamburg for a while after becoming the Beatles.
• In December 1961, Brian Epstein signed a contract with EMI and became their manager.
• George was always serious while on stage.
• When the band arrived in the United States in 1964, George suffered from a strep throat infection and a fever.
• He was advised to avoid and limit using his voice until “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
• These instances gained George the nickname “the quiet Beatle.”
• The first years for the Beatles were significant because their songs, such as “Love Me Do” and “Please Please Me,” topped the charts.
• With their rising success, Beatlemania happened.
• George was also interested in making his own music.
• In 1963, his song “Don’t Bother Me” was his first credit on their second album, “With The Beatles.”
• Some of the most famous songs of the band were written and composed by George.
• In 1965, George’s interest in eastern musical instruments and arrangements increased and were used in their film, “Help!”
• He became engrossed in Indian music and even learned to play the sitar.
• He introduced the genre of folk-rock to his band members and then to Indian classical music.
• The Beatles’ song, “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”, incorporated the use of the sitar. 
• He also developed a close relationship with Ravi Shankar, a well-known sitar player.
• George’s experimentation with music had gained uniqueness on some of the Beatles albums, such as “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
• George’s interest in Indian music also brought him to Eastern spiritual practices.
• He even led his members to travel to northern India to study meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
• George wanted to include more of his music on their albums; however, it was hard for him to do so because of the Lennon-McCartney leadership.
• In 1969, he even walked out of the studio while recording their song, “Let It Be.”
• He made the album with various musicians such as Starr, Gary Wright, Klaus Voormann, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, and groups Delaney and Bonnie’s Friends and Badfinger.
• Despite its success, George was sued for the copyright of his song “My Sweet Lord” because of its similarity to the hit song, “He’s So Fine” by the Chiffons in 1963.
• After the release, George organized a charity event at New York City Madison Square Garden on August 1, 1971.
• It was called Concert for Bangladesh and aimed to raise money for the refugees in the Bangladesh Liberation War.
• The show featured artists such as Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, Starr, Preston, Clapton, Badfinger, and Leon Russell.
• Apple released a triple album, “The Concert for Bangladesh,” that won the Grammy Award for Album of the year and ranked on charts in the U.S. and U.K.
• Other albums released during his solo career were “Living in the Material World” (1973), “Dark Horse,” “Extra Texture (Read All About It)” (1975), “Thirty-Three & ⅓” (1976), “George Harrison” (1979), “Somewhere in England” (1981), “Gone Troppo” (1982), and “Cloud Nine” (1987).
• Despite good reviews from his Dark Horse Tour, it was criticized and was considered a failure.
• After recording his last album with EMI and Apple Records, he established his studio under the Dark Horse Records label.
• He also started a movie production company called HandMade Films.
• In 1988, George created the group Traveling Wilburys with members Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty.
• The two albums, “Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1” and “Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3,” produced by the group, were huge successes.
• There was never a live performance by the group, and “Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3” was their last release. 
• The tour in Japan in December 1991 was the first for George after a long time.
• He also held a benefit concert in April 1992 for the Natural Law Party, and in the same year, performed at a tribute concert for Bob Dylan.
• He joined the Beatles Anthology project with his former Beatles members in 1994.
• They made songs, which included song recordings of their former member, John Lennon, and Beatles interviews.
• They released “Free as a Bird” in 1995 and “Real Love” in 1996.
• He refused to join the making of the third song, mentioning that he wished somebody would also make hit songs out of his demos.

Death

• George was a long-time smoker, and he blamed this for his throat cancer diagnosis.
• In 1998, he was successfully treated for it.
• However, a year later in December 1999, his life was endangered again when 34-year-old, Michael Abram, broke into his home and attacked him and his wife.
• George suffered from a punctured lung and head injuries, while his wife had several cuts and bruises.
• His cancer returned in 2001. 
• He underwent lung surgery but found out that the tumor had spread to his brain.
• During his treatment in Switzerland, Ringo Starr visited him.
• He underwent radiotherapy in New York City at Staten Island University Hospital. 
• He died on November 29, 2001, at Paul McCartney’s property in Los Angeles.
• He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered by his close family in a private ceremony in India.
• His son Dhani and Jeff Lynne completed George’s final album entitled “Brainwashed,” released in 2002.

Legacy

• He was the first recipient of the Billboard Century Award in December 1922.
• In 2002, a benefit concert for the first anniversary of his death, called Concert for George, was organized by Eric Clapton, and proceeds were donated to George’s charity, the Material World Charitable Foundation.
• He was inaugurated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Walk of Fame in 2009.
• There was a self-titled documentary film for him released in October 2011.
• He was awarded The Recording Academy Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy Awards in February 2015.

George Harrison Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about George Harrison across 30 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about George Harrison who was the lead guitarist in the band The Beatles.

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Complete List Of Included Worksheets

• George Harrison Facts
• That’s Showbiz!
• George’s Puzzle
• Quick Interview With George
• Who Does Not Belong?
• The George Collection
• Relax and Listen
• I Me Mine
• The Favorite Line
• George Harrison
• An Aspiring Composer

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was George Harrison from?

Harold Hargreaves Harrison and Louise Harrison had four children, namely Louise, Harold, Peter, and George. The youngest was George Harrison, born on February 25, 1943. He was born and spent four years at 12 Arnold Grove in Wavertree, Liverpool.

What was the first song George Harrison wrote?

In 1963, his song “Don’t Bother Me” was his first credit on their second album, “With The Beatles.”

When did George Harrison die?

He died on November 29, 2001, at Paul McCartney’s property in Los Angeles.

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