George Harrison

George Harrison, MBE was an English rock guitarist, singer-songwriter, author, film producer and sitarist best known as the lead guitarist for The Beatles. Following the band's breakup, Harrison had a successful career as a solo artist and later as part of the Traveling Wilburys super group. He was the first Beatle to have a number one solo album. He also co-founded the production company Handmade Films, and in his work as a film producer, collaborated with people as diverse as Madonna and the members of Monty Python. After Harrison embraced Hinduism in the 1960s, his spiritual convictions were often evident in his music and public activities.

Although John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the majority of the Beatles songs, Harrison generally wrote and sang lead on a few songs per album. His later compositions included hits such as "Here Comes the Sun," "Something" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." After the band's breakup, Harrison became the first ex-Beatle to achieve a #1 single. Besides his talents as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and sitarist, he was also a record producer and music innovator, and as Harrison forged his own identity and drifted away from the Beatles he became a world-class songwriter, musical pioneer, and single-handed catalyst for a generation's interest in Indian culture. In 1969, Harrison commented: "I believe that if I'm going to sing songs on record, they might as well be on my own."