Editing George Harrison (section)

==The Beatles: 1958–1970==
{{Main|The Beatles}}
McCartney and his friend [[John Lennon]] were in a skiffle group called [[the Quarrymen]]. In March 1958, at McCartney's urging, Harrison auditioned for the Quarrymen at [[Rory Storm]]'s Morgue Skiffle Club, playing [[Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith]]'s "[[Guitar Boogie (song)|Guitar Boogie Shuffle]]", but Lennon felt that Harrison, having just turned 15, was too young to join the band.{{sfn|Spitz|2005|pp=125–126}} McCartney arranged a second meeting, on the upper deck of a Liverpool bus, during which Harrison impressed Lennon by performing the lead guitar part for the instrumental "[[Raunchy (instrumental)|Raunchy]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Miles|1997|p=47}}; {{harvnb|Spitz|2005|p=127}}.</ref> He began socialising with the group, filling in on guitar as needed,{{sfn|Davies|2009|pp=44–45}} and then became accepted as a member.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|p=13}} Although his father wanted him to continue his education, Harrison left school at 16 and worked for several months as an apprentice electrician at [[Blacklers]], a local department store.<ref>{{harvnb|Boyd|2007|p=82}}: (secondary source); {{harvnb|Davies|2009|p=55}}: (secondary source); {{harvnb|Harrison|2002|p=29}}: (primary source).</ref> During the group's first tour of Scotland, in 1960, Harrison used the pseudonym "Carl Harrison", in reference to Carl Perkins.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2013|p=309}}

[[File:The Beatles arrive at Schiphol Airport 1964-06-05 - George Harrison 916-5132 cropped.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.9|alt=A young man is seated in front of a microphone near the centre of the picture, smoking a cigarette. Behind him, partially visible, stand several young women.|Harrison at a Beatles press conference in Amsterdam in 1964]]
In 1960, promoter [[Allan Williams]] arranged for the band, now calling themselves the Beatles, to play at the Indra and [[Kaiserkeller]] clubs in [[Hamburg]], both owned by [[Bruno Koschmider]].{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=57–58}} Their first residency in Hamburg ended prematurely when Harrison was deported for being too young to work in nightclubs.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=27}} When [[Brian Epstein]] became their manager in December 1961, he polished up their image and later secured them a recording contract with [[EMI]].<ref>{{harvnb|Babiuk|2002|p=59}}; {{harvnb|Miles|1997|pp=84–88}}.</ref> The group's first single, "[[Love Me Do]]", peaked at number 17 on the ''[[Record Retailer]]'' chart, and by the time their debut album, ''[[Please Please Me]]'', was released in early 1963, [[Beatlemania]] had arrived.<ref>{{harvnb|Greene|2006|p=34}}; {{harvnb|Lewisohn|1992|pp=59–60}}.</ref> Often serious and focused while on stage with the band, Harrison was known as "the quiet Beatle".<ref name="guardianobit">{{Cite news |last=Laing |first=Dave |title=George Harrison 1943–2001 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/nov/30/guardianobituaries1 |date=30 November 2001 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=18 August 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227122516/http://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/nov/30/guardianobituaries1 |archive-date=27 December 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/1432634.stm |title=George Harrison: The quiet Beatle |work=BBC News |access-date=18 August 2018|date=30 November 2001 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080303201645/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/1432634.stm |archive-date=3 March 2008 }}</ref> That moniker arose when the Beatles arrived in the United States in early 1964, and Harrison was ill with a case of [[Strep throat]] and a fever and was medically advised to limit speaking as much as possible until he performed on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' as scheduled. As such, the press noticed Harrison's apparent laconic nature in public appearances on that tour and the subsequent nickname stuck, much to Harrison's amusement.<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Relly |first1=Terry |title=How the Spanish Flu wasn't Spanish at all |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/how-the-spanish-flu-wasn-t-spanish-at-all-1.5607552 |access-date=13 June 2020 |agency=Pirate Radio |issue=11 June 2020 |publisher=CBC Radio One |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801144506/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/how-the-spanish-flu-wasn-t-spanish-at-all-1.5607552 |url-status=live }}</ref> He had two lead vocal credits on the LP, including the [[Lennon–McCartney]] song "[[Do You Want to Know a Secret?]]", and three on their second album, ''[[With the Beatles]]'' (1963).{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|pp=66, 79, 82, 87}} The latter included "[[Don't Bother Me]]", Harrison's first solo writing credit.{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=193}}

[[File:George Harrison and Ringo Starr, King's Hall, Belfast 1964 (18226096790).jpg|left|thumb|Harrison (left) and [[Ringo Starr]] (right) performing at the King's Hall in Belfast, 1964]]
Harrison served as the Beatles' scout for new American releases, being especially knowledgeable about [[soul music]].{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=148fn}} By 1965's ''[[Rubber Soul]]'', he had begun to lead the other Beatles into [[folk rock]] through his interest in [[the Byrds]] and [[Bob Dylan]], and towards [[Indian classical music]] through his use of the sitar on "[[Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Unterberger|2002|pp=180–181}}; {{harvnb|Leng|2006|p=19}}; {{harvnb|Everett|2001|pp=313–315}}.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Harrison also contributed the songs "[[If I Needed Someone]]" and "[[Think for Yourself]]" to ''Rubber Soul''.{{sfn|Womack|2007|pp=124–125}}}} He later called ''Rubber Soul'' his "favourite [Beatles] album".{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=194}} ''[[Revolver (Beatles album)|Revolver]]'' (1966) included three of his compositions: "[[Taxman]]", selected as the album's opening track, "[[Love You To]]" and "[[I Want to Tell You]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Leng|2006|p=19}}; {{harvnb|Schaffner|1980|pp=75–78}}.</ref> His drone-like [[Tanpura|tambura]] part on Lennon's "[[Tomorrow Never Knows]]" exemplified the band's ongoing exploration of non-Western instruments,{{sfn|Everett|1999|pp=35–36}} while the sitar- and [[tabla]]-based "Love You To" represented the Beatles' first genuine foray into Indian music.{{sfn|Everett|1999|pp=40–42}} According to the [[ethnomusicology|ethnomusicologist]] David Reck, the latter song set a precedent in popular music as an example of Asian culture being represented by Westerners respectfully and without parody.<ref>{{harvnb|Leng|2006|p=22}}: (secondary source); {{cite journal|last=Reck|first=D.B.|title=Beatles Orientalis: Influences from Asia in a Popular Song Form|journal=Asian Music|volume=XVI|issue=1|year=1985|pages=83–150|doi=10.2307/834014|jstor=834014| issn = 0044-9202 }}: (primary source)</ref> Author [[Nicholas Schaffner]] wrote in 1978 that following Harrison's increased association with the sitar after "Norwegian Wood", he became known as "the maharaja of [[raga-rock]]".{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=66}} Harrison continued to develop his interest in non-Western instrumentation, playing [[swarmandal]] on "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]".{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=74}}

By late 1966, Harrison's interests had moved away from the Beatles. This was reflected in his choice of Eastern [[guru]]s and religious leaders for inclusion on the album cover for ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' in 1967.{{sfn|Tillery|2011|pp=59–60}}{{refn|group=nb|The [[Self-Realization Fellowship]] gurus [[Mahavatar Babaji]], [[Lahiri Mahasaya]], [[Sri Yukteswar]] and [[Paramahansa Yogananda]] appear on the ''Sgt Pepper'' cover at his request.{{sfn|Tillery|2011|p=81}}}} His sole composition on the album was the Indian-inspired "[[Within You Without You]]", to which no other Beatle contributed.<ref>{{harvnb|Everett|1999|pp=111–112}}; {{harvnb|Leng|2006|pp=29–30}}.</ref> He played sitar and tambura on the track, backed by musicians from the London [[Asian Music Circle]] on [[Esraj|dilruba]], swarmandal and tabla.{{sfn|Lavezzoli|2006|pp=178–179}}{{refn|group=nb|Further examples of Indian instrumentation from Harrison during his Beatles years include his [[Tanpura|tambura]] parts on McCartney's "[[Getting Better]]" and Lennon's "[[Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds]]" (both 1967), and sitar and tambura on Lennon's "[[Across the Universe]]" (1968).{{sfn|Everett|1999|pp=103–06, 156–58}}}} He later commented on the ''Sgt. Pepper'' album: "It was a millstone and a milestone in the music industry&nbsp;... There's about half the songs I like and the other half I can't stand."{{sfn|Clayson|2003|pp=214–15}}

In January 1968, he recorded the basic track for his song "[[The Inner Light (song)|The Inner Light]]" at EMI's studio in [[Bombay]], using a group of local musicians playing traditional Indian instruments.{{sfn|Tillery|2011|p=63}} Released as the B-side to McCartney's "[[Lady Madonna]]", it was the first Harrison composition to appear on a Beatles single.{{sfn|Tillery|2011|p=63}} Derived from a quotation from the ''[[Tao Te Ching]]'', the song's lyric reflected Harrison's deepening interest in Hinduism and [[Transcendental Meditation|meditation]].<ref>{{harvnb|Harrison|2002|p=118}}; {{harvnb|Tillery|2011|p=87}}.</ref> During the recording of ''[[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]'' that same year, tensions within the group ran high, and drummer [[Ringo Starr]] quit briefly.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|pp=295–296}} Harrison's four songwriting contributions to the double album included "[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]", which featured [[Eric Clapton]] on lead guitar, and the [[Horn section|horn]]-driven "[[Savoy Truffle]]".{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=115}}

[[File:Don Grierson with George Harrison Golden Apple Award.jpeg|thumb|Harrison (left, with [[Don Grierson (music executive)|Don Grierson]]), in Los Angeles in October 1968]]
Dylan and [[the Band]] were a major musical influence on Harrison at the end of his career with the Beatles.{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=52}} While on a visit to [[Woodstock, New York|Woodstock]] in late 1968, he established a friendship with Dylan and found himself drawn to the Band's sense of communal music-making and to the creative equality among the band members, which contrasted with Lennon and McCartney's domination of the Beatles' songwriting and creative direction. This coincided with a prolific period in his songwriting and a growing desire to assert his independence from the Beatles.{{sfn|Leng|2006|pp=39–52}} Tensions among the group surfaced again in January 1969, at [[Twickenham Film Studios|Twickenham Studios]], during the filmed rehearsals that became the 1970 documentary ''[[Let It Be (1970 film)|Let It Be]]''.{{sfn|Leng|2006|pp=39–52}} Frustrated by the cold and sterile film studio, by Lennon's creative disengagement from the Beatles, and by what he perceived as a domineering attitude from McCartney, Harrison quit the group on 10 January. He returned 12 days later, after his bandmates had agreed to move the film project to their own [[Apple Studios (recording studio)|Apple Studio]] and to abandon McCartney's plan for making a return to public performance.{{sfn|Doggett|2009|pp=60–63}}

{{Listen
| filename     = Something (Beatles song - sample).ogg
| title        = Something
| description  = The love ballad "[[Something (Beatles song)|Something]]" from the Beatles' 1969 studio album ''[[Abbey Road]]'' is widely praised as one of Harrison's greatest songwriting achievements
}}
Relations among the Beatles were more cordial, though still strained, when the band recorded their 1969 album ''[[Abbey Road]]''.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=354}} The LP included what Lavezzoli describes as "two classic contributions" from Harrison – "[[Here Comes the Sun]]" and "[[Something (Beatles song)|Something]]" – that saw him "finally achieve equal songwriting status" with Lennon and McCartney.{{sfn|Lavezzoli|2006|p=185}} During the album's recording, Harrison asserted more creative control than before, rejecting suggestions for changes to his music, particularly from McCartney.{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=15}} "Something" became his first A-side when issued on a [[A-side and B-side#Double A-side|double A-side]] single with "[[Come Together]]"; the song was number one in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and West Germany,{{sfn|Sullivan|2013|p=563}} and the combined sides topped the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart in the United States.{{sfn|Bronson|1992|p=262}} In the 1970s [[Frank Sinatra]] recorded "Something" twice (1970 and 1979) and later dubbed it "the greatest love song of the past fifty years".{{sfn|Fricke|2002|p=178}} Lennon considered it the best song on ''Abbey Road'', and it became the Beatles' second most covered song after "[[Yesterday (Beatles song)|Yesterday]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Spignesi|Lewis|2009|p=97}}: "Something" is the Beatles' second most covered song after "Yesterday"; {{harvnb|Gilmore|2002|p=39}}: Lennon considered "Something" the best song on ''Abbey Road''.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Harrison received an [[Ivor Novello Awards|Ivor Novello award]] in July 1970 for "Something", as "The Best Song Musically and Lyrically of the Year".{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=12}}}}
In May 1970, Harrison's song "[[For You Blue]]" was coupled on a US single with McCartney's "[[The Long and Winding Road]]" and became Harrison's second chart-topper when the sides were listed together at number one on the Hot 100.{{sfn|Bronson|1992|p=275}} His increased productivity meant that by the time of [[Break-up of the Beatles|their break-up]] he had amassed a stockpile of unreleased compositions.{{sfn|Howard|2004|pp=36–37}} While Harrison grew as a songwriter, his compositional presence on Beatles albums remained limited to two or three songs, increasing his frustration, and significantly contributing to the band's break-up.{{sfn|George-Warren|2001|p=413}} Harrison's last recording session with the Beatles was on 4 January 1970, when he, McCartney and Starr recorded overdubs to the song "[[Let It Be (song)|Let It Be]]" for the [[Let It Be (album)|soundtrack album of the same name]].{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|p=195}}