By Steve Marinucci
Published on December 1, 2001, San Jose Mercury News (CA)
GEORGE HARRISON
HE WAS 'THE QUIET BEATLE,' BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE WAY HE MOVED US
FROM LIVERPOOL TO FAB FORTUNE
1943 -- Feb. 25: George Harrison is born in Liverpool, England.
1958 -- Feb. 6: Paul McCartney introduces Harrison to John Lennon. George joins the Quarry Men. Midyear: The Quarry Men record their first acetate, a McCartney-Harrison song, ''In Spite of All the Danger,'' and a cover of Buddy Holly's '''That'll Be the Day.''
1960 -- Oct. 15: John, Paul, George, Ringo -- and Wally? That's who assembles in a studio to record George Gershwin's '''Summertime.'' Wally is Lou Walters, a member of the Hurricanes. November: The Beatles begin appearing at the Top Ten Club, while still under contract to the Kaiserkellar in Hamburg. Nov. 21: The group is deported from Germany after it's discovered Harrison is underage.
1961 -- April: On a return trip to Hamburg, the Beatles record as backup to Tony Sheridan, including ''Ain't She Sweet,'' with vocal by John Lennon. The tune is released on a single in the United States.
1962 -- Jan. 1: The Beatles audition for Decca Records. The songs include three Lennon-McCartney tunes, '''Hello Little Girl,'' '''Love of the Loved'' and ''Like Dreamers Do.'' Decca does not sign them.
1963 -- Feb. 11: In a 10-hour session, the Beatles record 10 songs for their first album, '''Please Please Me.''
1964 -- Jan. 3: The Beatles make their American variety-show debut on ''The Jack Paar Show.'' Jan. 20: The group's first Capitol album, ''Meet the Beatles,'' is released in the United States. Feb. 9: The Beatles perform live for the first time on ''The Ed Sullivan Show,'' seen by an estimated 73 million people. Feb. 11: The Beatles play their first American concert at the Washington (D.C.) Coliseum. The concert is filmed and shown in U.S. theaters. Aug. 19: The group begins its first North American concert tour (22 stops) at the Cow Palace in Daly City.
1965 -- February: The Beatles are the subjects of the Playboy Interview. The group displays an irreverence not usually associated with their image. Subjects discussed include religion, homosexuality and war. Aug. 27: A rock 'n' roll summit: The Beatles meet Elvis Presley (accompanied by his Memphis mafia) in Beverly Hills. The encounter is fairly restrained: some jamming, little conversation.
1966 -- Jan. 21: George marries Patti Boyd, who had a bit part in ''A Hard Day's Night.'' June 15: The release of ''Yesterday and Today'' in America ignites a controversy over its cover, showing the group dressed in butcher outfits, slabs of meat and broken dolls. Aug. 29: The group gives its final concert at San Francisco's Candlestick Park. Sept. 14-Oct. 22: Harrison and his wife vacation in India and meet sitarist Ravi Shankar. Harrison begins taking lessons in the instrument and first uses it in sessions for the ''Rubber Soul'' album.
1967 -- June 1: ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is released after the group spends more than 700 hours in the studio creating it. Aug. 7: Harrison and his wife visit San Francisco, strolling through Golden Gate Park and the Haight-Ashbury district. He later criticizes the hippie lifestyle as ''wasteful.''
1968 -- Feb. 15: The Beatles leave for India to study transcendental meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. John and George stay almost two months.
1969 -- Jan. 2: Work begins on an album/film project originally titled ''Get Back'' and later renamed ''Let It Be,'' which basically showed the group falling apart. Jan. 10: Harrison tells McCartney he is fed up at his ''getting at him'' and quits the group, then returns a few days later. Jan. 30: The group performs in a rooftop concert atop the Apple offices on London's Savile Row. May 8: Ringo, George and John sign a contract allowing Allen Klein to take charge of several Apple companies; Paul refuses. Aug. 20: The four Beatles are together in the studio for the last time, mixing ''I Want You (She's So Heavy).'' Sept. 26: ''Abbey Road'' is released. The cover shot of the group walking across the usually busy street makes the site a popular tourist attraction. Oct. 6: The Beatles release ''Something''/''Come Together,'' the first time a Harrison song is the A-side of a single. Dec. 7: Harrison and Eric Clapton perform live with Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett; the show is issued as ''Delaney and Bonnie on Tour.''
1970 -- Jan. 4: The last Beatles recording session takes place with Paul, George and Ringo trying to complete what will eventually be the ''Let It Be'' album. May 1: Harrison records several unreleased tracks with Bob Dylan during sessions for Dylan's ''Self Portrait'' album. Nov. 27: The triple-disc set ''All Things Must Pass'' is released in the United States. It hits No. 1 on the U.S. charts on Jan. 2, 1971.
1971 -- Aug. 1: Harrison and Starr join Leon Russell, Bob Dylan, Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston and others in two New York shows to benefit strife-torn Bangladesh. ''The Concert for Bangladesh,'' a three-disc set featuring much of the evening show, is released in the United States on Dec. 20. It wins the Grammy as Album of the Year, and the concert film opens in theaters in the middle of 1972.
1974 -- May 23: Harrison starts his own record company, Dark Horse. Nov. 2-Dec. 30: Harrison tours North America, accompanied by a band that includes Billy Preston, Tom Scott, Robben Ford, Jim Horn and Willie Weeks. Dec. 16: Harrison has lunch with President Ford at the White House.
1976 -- Sept. 7: Harrison is found guilty of ''subconscious plagiarism'' of the song ''He's So Fine'' in his composition of ''My Sweet Lord.'' He pays a fine of $587,000 to former Beatles manager Allen Klein, who had purchased the rights to the song. Sept. 28: A&M Records sues Harrison for $10 million for failing to complete an album.
1977 -- June 9: Harrison and Patti Boyd divorce. She later marries (anddivorces) George's buddy, Eric Clapton.
1978 -- Aug. 1: George's girlfriend, Olivia Arias, gives birth to a son, Dhani. The couple marries Sept. 2.
1979 -- Oct. 30-Oct. 30, 1980: Harrison records ''Somewhere in England.'' The first version of the album is rejected by record company officials, and the cover and four songs are replaced.
1980 -- Aug. 1: Harrison founds HandMade Films (Productions), which produces such films as ''The Long Good Friday,'' ''Time Bandits,'' ''Mona Lisa'' and ''Life of Brian.'' Dec. 8: John Lennon is shot and killed outside his New York City apartment.
1981 -- April 27: George and Olivia Harrison and Paul and Linda McCartney attend the wedding of Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach. The Threetles perform during the reception. Nov. 4: Harrison's tribute to Lennon, ''All Those Years Ago,'' is released in the United States. The song includes contributions from Starr and Paul and Linda McCartney.
1984 -- Dec. 14: Harrison guest stars at a Deep Purple concert during an encore.
1986 -- March 6: Harrison appears with Madonna and Sean Penn to smooth things over with reporters during the filming of ''Shanghai Surprise.'' The movie bombs and a soundtrack album, including new Harrison songs, is never released.
1987 -- Jan. 5-March 31: Harrison records tracks for ''Cloud Nine,'' including ''When We Was Fab,'' a tribute to the Beatles. The album is released on Nov. 2. Feb. 19: Taj Mahal's performance at Hollywood's Palomino Club turns into a superstar jam session with Harrison, John Fogerty and Bob Dylan. June 5-6: Harrison and Ringo Starr perform at the Prince's Trust Rock Gala in London.
1988 -- Jan. 20: George, Ringo and Yoko Ono, along with Julian and Sean Lennon, attend the ceremony honoring the Beatles' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Paul doesn't. In his speech, George says, ''I don't have much to say 'cause I'm the quiet Beatle. It's unfortunate Paul's not here 'cause he was the one with the speech in his pocket.'' May: Harrison, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne record as the Traveling Wilburys. Their album is released Oct. 18. Orbison dies of a heart attack Dec. 6, and a follow-up album is released in 1990 without a replacement.
1989 -- The unauthorized albums ''Ultra Rare Trax'' and ''Unsurpassed Masters,'' with studio-quality outtakes of Beatles songs, begin appearing.
1990 -- May 1: Harrison performs during the encore of Eric Clapton's L.A. Forum concert, adding guitar to ''Crossroads'' and ''Sunshine of Your Love.''
1991 -- Dec. 1-17: Harrison tours Japan with Eric Clapton and his band.
1992 -- Oct. 16: Harrison performs during the special 30th anniversary tribute concert for Bob Dylan.
1994 -- February-March: Paul, George and Ringo hold the first Beatles recording sessions since 1970 to finish two Lennon demos on ''The Beatles Anthology.''
1995 -- November: The first of three ''Beatles Anthology'' two-album sets is released.
1997 -- Feb. 26: The Beatles receive Grammy Awards for ''Free as a Bird'' and for ''The Beatles Anthology'' video set.
1998 -- Jan. 19: Harrison attends Carl Perkins' funeral and performs ''Your True Love.'' May 6: A gaunt-looking Harrison testifies in a suit to block release of an album of a Beatles performance in Hamburg in 1962. June: Harrison confirms that he is being treated for cancer.
1999 -- June: George reveals plans for a new album and plans to re-release his solo CDs with new bonus tracks. Dec. 30: Harrison and wife Olivia are attacked by a knife-wielding intruder in their mansion in Henley-on-Thames, England. Harrison is stabbed in the chest struggling with the assailant, and the wounds narrowly miss his heart.
2000 -- December: Harrison again says a new album is in the works and could be released in 2001.
2001 -- Jan. 23: A remastered version of George's first solo album, ''All Things Must Pass,'' arrives in stores. May 5: The Associated Press reports that Harrison is in Tuscany, Italy, recovering from surgery for lung cancer. Oct. 30: First report that Harrison has checked into the cancer facility at Staten Island University Hospital. Nov. 29: George Harrison dies at a friend's home in Los Angeles.
CAPTION: PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
1994: Richard Avedon made this Harrison portrait, alluding to the singer's brushes with Indian culture and psychedelia.
PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
1971: Harrison performs at ''The Concert for Bangladesh,'' which he organized. The LP of the benefit won a Grammy as Album of the Year.
PHOTO: COPYRIGHT APPLE CORPS LTD.
1969: The film ''Let It Be'' revealed some of the stresses that led the Beatles to dissolve.
PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
2000: Harrison married Olivia Arias in October 1978, shortly after the birth of their son,
Dhani.
PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
1959: George Harrison, left, is on board with John Lennon, right, Stuart Sutcliffe.
PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
1964: Beatles, from left, Paul, John, Ringo and George, visit boxer Cassius Clay.
PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
1964: George Harrison, center, plays guitar with the Beatles during their first performance on the Ed Sullivan show.
PHOTO: 1967
George visits San Francisco during Summer of Love.
PHOTO: 1972: Post-Beatles, George becomes a Grammy winner and champion of causes.
