{"id":3872,"date":"2011-05-16T11:20:13","date_gmt":"2011-05-16T15:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tm.org\/blog\/?p=3872"},"modified":"2013-05-09T14:18:42","modified_gmt":"2013-05-09T18:18:42","slug":"george-harrison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/people\/george-harrison\/","title":{"rendered":"George Harrison: Remembering \u201cThe Quiet Beatle\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we approach the 10th anniversary of his passing, it\u2019s sweet to remember George<\/a>, his music and his humanity. Of course he is best known for the role he played as the lead guitarist of one of the most popular, influential musical groups in modern history. And his own beautiful compositions keep him as a beloved part of our modern music tradition.<\/p>\n

\"george-harrison-maharishi-mahesh-yogi\"

George with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi<\/p><\/div>\n

We\u2019re also thankful to George for the influence he had on our society\u2019s interest in meditation. It was his fascination with the ancient knowledge tradition of India that led the Beatles to meet Maharishi<\/a> and to learn the Transcendental Meditation program.
\n<\/a>
\n\u201cI had got to the point where I thought I would like to meditate; I’d read about it and I knew I needed a mantra<\/a> – a password to get through to the other world.\u201d <\/strong>
\n\u2013 George Harrison<\/p>\n

It all started when in 1967 George\u2019s wife, Patti Boyd, learned the Transcendental Meditation technique in London while George was away on tour with the Beatles. \u201cI loved meditating and I found the effects remarkable,\u201d Patti said. And it was her enthusiasm that led George to encourage the Beatles to hear a lecture in London by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.<\/p>\n

\"george-harrison\"This meeting led to a lifelong dedication to meditation and the quest for higher states of consciousness\u2014one that would set the tone of his personal and professional life. And it certainly influenced his music.<\/p>\n

Some of his great contributions to the musical heritage of the Beatles came as a result of his experience studying Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi in India. His compositions that resulted from that special period include “Here Comes the Sun<\/a>,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps<\/a>,” and “Something<\/a>“\u2014a song that John Lennon and Paul McCartney<\/a>, the two principle songwriting members of the band, felt was among the very best the group recorded. It was also the second most covered (i.e., recorded by other artists) song after \u201cYesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n

George\u2019s interest in the Transcendental Meditation program and the widespread adoption of Maharishi\u2019s revival of Vedic wisdom continued throughout his life.<\/p>\n

In 1992, to show his support for Maharishi\u2019s effort to help raise the consciousness of society, George performed at a benefit concert at London\u2019s Royal Albert Hall. George was also enthused and engaged in Maharishi\u2019s revival of the ancient Vedic science of health, \u201cAyur-Veda.\u201d He regularly visited the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Center<\/a> in Lancaster, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

\"george-harrison-time-magazine\"During the 1990\u2019s, George also visited Maharishi at Maharishi University in Holland. Dr. Bevan Morris, the president of Maharishi University of Management<\/a>, was present during George\u2019s visit and recalled with fondness the way George approached Maharishi \u201cwith great respect and tenderness. It was very sweet to see George\u2019s humility, and how deeply he appreciated being in Maharishi’s presence.\u201d<\/p>\n

In our modern world where celebrity often overshadows the integrity of a person\u2019s basic character, George\u2019s life was one of simple dedication to high ideals. In the words of Dr. Morris, \u201cGeorge was a very fine, spiritual, humble and enlightened man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody’s looking for something\u2026. We don’t have to look anywhere–it’s right there within ourselves.”<\/strong> – George Harrison, Press Conference, Los Angeles, 1974<\/p>\n

SOURCES:<\/strong>
\nI, Me, Mine by George Harrison<\/p>\n

Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me by Pattie Boyd and Penny Junor<\/p>\n

Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison by Joshua M. Greene<\/p>\n

The Beatles Anthology, by the Beatles<\/p>\n

Many Years from Now by Barry Miles<\/p>\n

Dr Bevan Morris\u2019 tribute to George Harrison on the Maharishi Channel<\/p>\n

A Tribute to George Harrison<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we approach the 10th anniversary of his passing, it\u2019s sweet to remember George, his music and his humanity. Of course he is best known for the role he played as the lead guitarist of one of the most popular, influential musical groups in modern history. And his own beautiful compositions keep him as a beloved part of our modern music tradition. Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[118,107],"class_list":["post-3872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-people","tag-george-harrison","tag-the-beatles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3872\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}