Hours with Beatle told much about artist's grace

Hours with Beatle told much about artist's grace 

By Artie Traum

Poughkeepsie Journal

December 1, 2001

 I met George Harrison in Woodstock one gloomy November afternoon in 1970.  Bob Dylan brought George to my brother Happy's house.  Dylan thought George would like to meet us, sit down in a cozy living room, and jam some blues the way we often did in those days.

 I just happened to be there rehearsing with Happy for a concert. Two of rock's biggest legends miraculously appeared out of the fog. I immediately felt at ease with George. His thoughtful manner and warmth came through as we sat down to have a cup of tea.  George remarked on how beautiful our area was and how it reminded him of the English countryside. 

We went into the living room, where George took his vintage dobro out of a leather case. He warmed up with a couple of blues riffs easing across the strings with a glass slide attached to his third finger. "It's a sweet sound. Don't you think?" George asked. We sat and jammed and traded songs and stories for quite some time.

 I was impressed by Harrison's integrity as a player. His approach was light, easygoing. It seemed to me he had nothing to prove, that he had no competitive edge. He was open and charming and lovely.

 That's the only time I met George Harrison. But the memory has stayed with me all these years. When I heard he had passed away, I was devastated, and always thought we would meet again.

 In 1986, I wrote a book called Legends of Rock Guitar, where I wondered whether George Harrison was the most important player of his generation. There were the biting riffs on "You Make Me Dizzy Miss Lizzie," his amazing twists on "Taxman," and sitar-like flourishes on "Within You and Without You".

 George Harrison was humble and shy, but he constructed each of his guitar parts with great care and musicality. Guitarist.know: George was an innovator and a creative genius. To lose a Beatle is sad and beyond words. To lose a human being like George Harrison is shattering.