George Harrison was the brains of the world's first international charity concert.
It was the mystic Beatle who launched the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh in New York becoming a Western ambassador for world or ethnic music.
Today, goodwill shows such as Live Aid, Farm Aid and the recent Concert for New York - which fellow Beatle Paul McCartney organised to raise funds for the families of rescue workers killed in the 11 September attacks on the US - are regular events.
In the Fab Four's heyday Harrison first developed his interest in Eastern music, showing himself particularly open to Indian influence.
In 1966, it was Harrison who introduced the sitar to the group in the track "Love You To".
Under the guidance of Ravi Shankar, Harrison mastered the instrument, which featured on one of the Beatles most successful albums, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
He tried to convinve his fellow Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, of the merits of Indian mysticism, resulting in the group breifly following spiritual leader Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
His fellow band members were as quick to walk away from their flirtation with the Orient as they had been to pick it up, but Harrison kept a faithful link to the East.
It was to help famine stricken Bangladesh, which had recently declared independence from Pakistan, that Harrison promoted the August 1971 charity concert in Madison Sqaure Garden.