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George Harrison would have turned 80 today: trivia about the historic Beatles guitarist

George Harrison was born on February 25, 1943, and came to music as a teenager in the second half of the 1950s. In 1956, in fact, he founded together with his older brother and some friends the amateur group Rebels, while working as an electrician.

In 1958, schoolmate Paul McCartney, noticed his talent and introduced him to John Lennon, who had founded the Quarrymen group. Given the young age of Harrison (he was just 15 years old), Lennon initially did not accept him, but considered his skill crucial for the musical growth of the group. He officially joined the group in 1960.

Here are some interesting facts about George Harrison, who died of cancer at the age of 58 on November 29, 2001 at Los Angeles.

Steve Mathieson, Wikimedia Commons
Today George Harrison would have been 80 years old
George Harrison was born on February 25, 1943, and came to music as a teenager in the second half of the 1950s. In 1956, in fact, he founded together with his older brother and some friends the amateur group Rebels, while working as an electrician. Here are some interesting facts about George Harrison , who died of cancer at the age of 58 on Nov. 29, 2001, at Los Angeles.
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George Harrison was initially discarded by John Lennon
In 1958, Paul McCartney, a schoolmate of Harrison, noticed his talent and introduced him to John Lennon, who had founded the band Quarrymen. Given Harrison 's young age (he was just 15), Lennon did not initially accept him, but felt his skill was indispensable for the band's musical growth: he then officially joined the group in 1960. George and Paul, however, met on a bus on their way home from Liverpool Institute.
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George Harrison was the first Beatle to meet with a U.S. president
On November 16, 1974 George Harrison performed in the United States and the concert was attended by Jack Ford, the son of the U.S. President Gerald Ford. Jack managed to go  backstage to meet Harrison and officially invited him to the White House. On December 13, Jack Ford  welcomed to Washington George, his father Harry and tour mates Ravi Shankar, Billy Preston and saxophonist Tom Scott: the group was then received inside the Oval Office by President Ford.
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George Harrison Was one of the first musicians to organize a benefit concert
Many people believe that George Harrison was the first musician ever to organize a benefit concert, in 1971. On that occasion Harrison called Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston and Leon Russell to organize two shows at the Madison Square Garden, with the aim of raising money for the plight of refugees in Bangladesh. The concerts were both sold-out and enabled the foundation of Harrison to raise a lot of money.
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George Harrison adhered to the Indian spiritualism
Harrison began to approach the Hare Krishna movement and play sitar from 1965, when David Crosby introduced him to Indian music. From that time, George 's music was strongly influenced by Indian sounds and became very attentive to the spiritual side of life, based on Indian philosophy. Upon his death, at his behest, his body was cremated and and the ashes were scattered in the sacred Ganges River, according to Hindu tradition.
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George Harrison was a great friend of Bob Dylan
All four Beatles were huge fans of Bob Dylan. However, it was George in particular who formed a very strong bond with Dylan, so much so that he often went to his home at Woodstock. The two musicians co-wrote "I'd Have you Anytime", a song contained on the album "All Things Must Pass" .
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