The late George Harrison was remembered last sunday (24th Feb) when Beatles fans gathered in Liverpool for a special charity concert in tribute to him. On the eve of what would have been his 59th birthday, friends and admirers of the former Beatle packed Liverpool’s Empire Theatre to remember the man and his music.

Memories of decades ago abounded among the sell-out crowd of 2,300 as members of the audience exchanged stories about Harrison, the band that changed the world, and the 60s, all under the backdrop of the city on the banks of the Mersey. The tribute line-up was impressive, including the likes of Gerry and the Pacemakers and the Merseybeats.

But the fans got more than they bargained for when at the end of the show, Sir Paul McCartney made a surprise entrance on the stage. McCartney reminisced about his boyhood days with George Harrison and then, without any back-up, he broke into this Beatles classic in a farewell to his old friend. Afterward McCartney summed up what the tribute show meant to him. "The audience was brilliant," he said. All the performers were brilliant. And I know George would have loved it."

Biography
George was born to Louise and Harry Harrison on February 24th, 1943 in the Wavertree area of Liverpool. He was the youngest of two brothers - Peter and Harry and also had a sister - Louise. George attended Dovedale Primary School (two forms behind John Lennon) and the Liverpool Institute (one form behind Paul McCartney) - although they didn’t all get together until a little later.

George was bought his first guitar at 13 and spent many hours perfecting his technique, although for a while it was touch and go if he would take up the trumpet instead! While attending the Liverpool Institute, he and fellow pupil Paul would ride the bus together, as they lived the same way. They got talking through their love of music, rock and roll in particular.

George was always a bit of a rebel at school - in fact he formed a short-lived band called The Rebels! He wore drainpipe trousers to school and bright blue winkle-picker shoes, much to the school’s dismay. Paul was already in The Quarrymen with John Lennon, and he invited 14-year-old George to come along and watch them play a gig. Although John thought George was a bit too young, by the time George was 15 he was in the band - as his guitar progress was too good to miss out on!

The Quarry Men went through some changes before they became the Beatles, and for many years it was a long uphill struggle. They went to Hamburg to play endless nights over there, but the first time they went George got deported because at 17 he was too young to be playing in clubs!

Often considered the Quiet Beatle - George was an integral part of the group, with a dry sense of humour. He was sometimes frustrated that John and Paul overshadowed his song-writing efforts, and that he was only given one or two songs on an album. Yet over the years his skill as a songwriter was given more credit - Something and Here Comes The Sun on the Abbey Road album are especially beautiful. George also led The Beatles into Transcendental Meditation, and through his love of Indian music he developed a deep friendship with Ravi Shankar and learned how to play the sitar. This influenced the style of The Beatles towards the later years.