Today Would Have Been George's Birthday.
Join us in celebrating George Harrison's story and musical legacy.
George Harrison was born on February 25th, 1943, at 12 Arnold Grove, Wavertree, Liverpool.
A guitarist whose playing could stop you mid-step, a gifted songwriter, and a seeker who brought the sitar into pop consciousness and quietly broadened what modern music could hold. To George, music was never simply a career. It was a spiritual practice.
He grew into one of the defining guitarists of his generation, a musician whose taste, curiosity, and quiet conviction shaped The Beatles as profoundly as anyone.
‘Taxman.’ ‘Something.’ ‘Here Comes the Sun.’ ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps.’ Songs that continue to resonate across decades, each carrying his unmistakable fingerprint.
George wrote “Something” in an empty Abbey Road Studio 1 during sessions for the ‘White’ Album next door in Studio 2. While Paul recorded vocals, George took a quiet break and stepped away to compose what would become his first Beatles A-side single, released in October 1969. The song would go on to be hailed as “one of the best love songs of the past fifty or a hundred years,” in the words of Frank Sinatra.
After The Beatles, he didn’t retreat; he expanded. “All Things Must Pass” wasn’t just a solo debut; it was a dam bursting. A sweeping, generous collection of songs that wove Western rock with Eastern spirituality. Co-produced by George and Phil Spector, and featuring “My Sweet Lord”, the album spent eight weeks at No. 1 in the UK and seven weeks at No. 1 in the US, and it remains widely regarded as George’s masterwork.
In 1971, he organised the Concert for Bangladesh, setting the blueprint for large-scale benefit concerts that would later inspire efforts like Live Aid. Compassion and action were never separate in George’s world.
He later founded Traveling Wilburys alongside Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison, remaining unmistakably himself. Wry, grounded, and entirely George.
George once said, “It’s all in the mind.” He meant it as spiritual guidance, but it feels equally true of his music. His songs begin in thought and settle somewhere closer to the heart.
Today, we celebrate not only the artist, but the spirit behind the songs. The humility, the humour, the depth, and the light.
Happy birthday, George. Thank you for the music, and the warmth you left behind.
Celebrate with George's Music
Press play on The Best Of George Harrison playlist.
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