George Harrison

The work of George Harrison (1943 to 2001) has influenced millions of people worldwide.

His part in The Beatles, one of the greatest bands of all time, brought him to international attention at an early age. He went on to achieve phenomenal success in his solo career and as part of the ‘supergroup’ the Traveling Wilburys. His music is loved and revered to this day, many years after his death.

George has been honoured with a national blue plaque at his birthplace, 12 Arnold Grove, Wavertree, Liverpool.

The inscription reads: 'GEORGE HARRISON, 1943 – 2001, Musician and Songwriter was born here’.

12 Arnold Grove

George Harrison was born on 25 February 1943 at the 2-up/2-down terraced house at 12 Arnold Grove, near Wavertree High Street.

The youngest of 4 children, George grew up in a tight-knit family. His parents encouraged his early interest in music.

His father had been a ship’s steward, but by the time George was born, he was working as a bus driver for Liverpool Corporation.

George’s years at 12 Arnold Grove saw his interest in music blossom; he later recalled standing on a chair singing along with the songs he heard on the radio or played on his dad’s record player.

George later wrote of the house in his book, 'I Me Mine': "To look at, it is just like ‘Coronation Street’: no garden, door straight on to the street … It was OK that house, very pleasant being little and it was always sunny in summer".

Inside, it was small but homely. On the ground floor, there was a front sitting room (used only ‘for best’) and a rear kitchen (the hub of the house). There were 2 bedrooms upstairs. The house was heated by a single coal fire in the kitchen and had a paved yard where the family kept chickens and a zinc bathtub.

In 1948, he began his education at Dovedale Primary School in Mossley Hill, which John Lennon also attended (though Lennon was 3 years above Harrison, and the pair did not meet at that time).

George’s family left Arnold Grove in early 1950, when George was nearly 7 and they finally reached the top of the housing list that they had been on for nearly 20 years.

The 'quiet Beatle'

The youngest member of The Beatles, Harrison was just 17 when the band embarked on their now-famed trip to Hamburg in 1960. He was just 27 when the band split up in 1970. Known as the ‘quiet Beatle’, he was their lead guitarist and a talented songwriter.

Harrison met and befriended the Indian composer Ravi Shankar in 1965, and following The Beatles’ trip to India in 1966, he became greatly influenced by Eastern music and philosophy. Harrison was taught sitar by Shankar from 1965 to 1968.

These new interests and skills were reflected in various songs he wrote for The Beatles, including ‘Within You Without You’ (1967) and ‘Only a Northern Song’ (1969). Other works by Harrison include ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ (1968), ‘Here Comes the Sun’ and ‘Something’ (both 1969).

Solo career and legacy

After The Beatles split up, Harrison went on to achieve great success as a solo artist, producing the highly acclaimed triple album 'All Things Must Pass' in November 1970, with hits including ‘My Sweet Lord’.

The following year he organised a high-profile charity event in New York, the Concert for Bangladesh, released as an album in December 1971.

As co-founder of Handmade Films, George was also involved in culture-defining films such as 'Monty Python’s Life of Brian' (1979), 'Time Bandits' (1981) – for which he wrote the music – and 'Mona Lisa' (1986).

In 1988, he formed the ‘supergroup’ the Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, who all appeared under pseudonyms on the band’s albums.

Family connections to Wavertree

The Harrison family had strong connections to Wavertree. Both of George’s parents were born and grew up in the area, with George’s mother growing up on the street adjacent to Arnold Grove. George regularly visited his grandmother at 9 Albert Grove, using an alley which joined the 2 roads on the east.

12 Arnold Grove falls within the Wavertree Village Conservation Area, a place of special architectural and historic interest. Wavertree is one of the oldest settlements within Merseyside and was a thriving township long before Liverpool began to develop as a port. The conservation area features a rich variety of historic buildings and various pioneering developments, including ‘The Mystery’, one of Britain’s first purpose-built public playgrounds (opened 1895), and Wavertree Garden Suburb (founded in 1910 and inspired by London’s garden suburbs).