George Harrison was the lead guitarist in the most creative and popular rock band ever and for that alone he has earned his place in the pantheon of musical greats.
Harrison is usually thought of as third in the Beatles pecking order after John Lennon and Paul McCartney, but in many respects it was a combination of a quiet, humourous personality lacking in egotism and his technical accomplishment as a guitarist that allowed the more famous songwriting partnership to flourish.
He was no Jimi Hendrix, but Harrison was a band guitarist par excellence with a unique and instantly recognisable style. As McCartney once said: "George did a hell of a lot more than sit waiting for a solo."
His playing is embedded in Beatles songs, adding appealing counter melodies and startling little riffs that could lift a tune to a new level. His style was precise and lyrical with fantastic tone. Listen to him elegantly scaling the heights at the end of "Dear Prudence" or creating a strange Indian drone on a 12 string Rickenbacker for his 1965 composition "If I Needed Someone" to comprehend that Harrison was a great deal more innovative than the classic blues and early rock'n'roll guitarists who were his heroes.
Also a distinctive vocalist, his harmonies provided an extra element for the group's wide ranging music.
Harrison led from behind sometimes. His infatuation with Indian music and philosophy (which started when he was 22) influenced the other Beatles and through them, the world. He was a pioneering figure in the meeting of East and West that was one the of the defining characteristics of popular culture in the '60s. He became a dilligent student of Ravi Shankar, learning the sitar, an instrument never before heard in Western pop. When Harrison wrote and performed "Within You, Without You" on Sgt. Pepper's, it sounded as if it came from another planet, not just another continent.
From 1967, Harrison really started to flourish as a songwriter, capable of creating material the equal of Lennon and McCartney's. Lennon genorously acknowledged that "Something" was the best song on Abbey Road. More than 150 versions have been recorded by other artists, second only to "Yesterday" among Beatle songs.
In 1971, he released a multi-million selling triple album, All Things Must Pass, full of striking compositions that illustrated his deeply spiritual world view, establishing him as a solo artist to be reckoned with.
Not all his releases over the years scaled the same heights, but he never lost his gift for writing dynamic, meaningful songs. What is possibly his final recording, "Horse To Water" (written with his son, Dhani), can be heard on Jools Holland's album, Small World, Big Band and it is a storming track.
Through his deep spiritual devotion and adherence to the positive qualities of the oft derided "peace and love" idealism of the '60s, Harrison remained a figure of integrity thoughout his life and even in the face of death. All things must pass indeed, but Harrison's contribution to popular music will endure.