Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archive Grade Level: 9-12 Subject: History/Art

The Quiet Beatle

George Harrison, the quiet lead guitarist of the famed Beatles, died Thursday, November 29, at the age of 58. His death came after a long, private battle with cancer.

Harrison was known as the “quiet” Beatle and never became comfortable with "Beatlemaina" (the term coined from the band's enormous popularity). But he also had a wry sense of humor that helped shape the band’s irreverent charm, easily fitting in alongside Lennon’s sharp wit and Starr’s cartoonish appeal.

Although his songwriting was overshadowed by the great Lennon-McCartney team, Harrison did contribute such classics as “Here Comes the Sun” and “Something.” Harrison also taught the young Lennon how to play the guitar.

With Harrison’s death, there remain two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. John Lennon was shot to death by a deranged fan in 1980.

In this week's online lesson you will learn about the life and music of George Harrison, the Quiet Beatle.

George Harrison Biography

There are a number of places on the Web where you can turn for a biography of George. For this lesson turn to the website of Rolling Stone Magazine and its George Harrison artist page. Click Biography, the first link, and read the short George Harrison biography.

Name several of the songs Harrison contributed to the Beatles. What caused the band to split up in 1970? Which post-Beatles song was tied up for years in litigation? What was the name of Harrison's film company, and what films did he produce? Who were the key members of the Traveling Wilburys?

Return to the George Harrison artist page and browse to the photo exhibit All Those Years, featuring 33 classic images of the Quiet Beatle, including all of Harrison's Rolling Stone covers. What do these images tell you about the life of George Harrison?

CNN Specials: George Harrison

More on the life and legacy of George Harrison can be found at CNN's Special Feature on George Harrison. This page is mostly a compilation of news reports, video segments, and resources from CNN and Time Magazine. Under Features read Profile: The quiet Beatle and Harrison Chronology. What seem to be the defining achievements in Harrison's life and career?

In the Interactives section, click Video: Harrison's career and watch the short video biography (you can watch with RealPlayer, Quicktime, or Windows Media).

VH1.com

Like Rolling Stone, VH1.com features a George Harrison artist page where you will find a short biography, discography (list of records), audio clips, and a list of related web resources. Since you've already read a lot about Harrison's life, focus on the audio clips. When the page opens choose an album and then select a track. Click Play to hear the music sample in RealAudio format. In particular, listen to My Sweet Lord from All Things Must Pass, Give Me Love from Living in the Material World, and While My Guitar... [Gently Weeps] from Best of George Harrison.

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