A George Harrison AutographGeorge Harrison’s last CD, “Brainwashed,” was seen by many as his finest work. Released posthumously, it was a fitting tribute to his life and work. A collaboration with his son, Dhani, and longtime friend Jeff Lynne (formerly of Electric Light Orchestra) and later a member (with Harrison, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty) of The Traveling Wilburys, the album was a retrospective and insightful jewel from a very wise and spiritual man. The titles of the tracks – including “Brainwashed,” “Looking for My Life,” “In Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” “Pisces Fish,” and “Rocking Chair in Hawaii” – shows his range of moods, from retrospection at the end of life, to the whimsy of being around his best friends and closest family (while strumming his ukulele), to the gentleness that characterized his music in such earlier classics as “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Here Comes The Sun.” George Harrison was born on February 24, 1943, in Liverpool, England. In the middle-1950s, he and another Liverpool student, Paul McCartney, met and started playing guitar together. The Quarrymen, an established skiffle band formed by John Lennon, recruited McCartney, and Paul, in turn, lobbied for Harrison to be a group member, even though Lennon thought the barely fifteen year old George was too young. A humanitarian as well as musician, singer and composer, Harrison was among the first in the music industry to organize a worldwide music benefit. The “Concert for Bangladesh" at Madison Square Garden in 1971 forced the world to witness poverty and need on a scale that most people had been able to avoid. The music was so compelling (bringing in people such as Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston and Ravi Shankar) that no one could turn away from the videotaped concert or the subsequent record-setting soundtrack that raised millions to help the starving refugees. Harrison’s other songs include “My Sweet Lord,” “All Those Years Ago,” “Living in the Material World,” “Taxman,” “Handle with Care” and “Something.” His voice and musical skills are featured prominently on such other Beatles songs as “Norwegian Wood,” “Love To You” and “Within You Without You.” Harrison died in November, 2001 at age 58, but the music and humanity live on. He is survived by his wife, Olivia, and Dhani. The Las Vegas production of the Beatles “Love” Cirque Show is just one of the ways his music will be forever heard. Like the other Beatles, a George Harrison autograph is a nice addition to an autograph collection centering around twentieth century notables. Autographs of all four Beatles would certainly be the centerpiece of a rock music autograph collection. A George Harrison autograph is never going to be any cheaper than it is today, so the time to buy is now. Current Values for George Harrison Autographs: Simple Signature: $1000
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