George Harrison Being Interviewed While At The Brazilian F1 Grand Prix In February 1979

“To describe George, I can say that I was really shocked at how thin he is. His face looked just about like I expected, but thinner. His hair was so fluffy and nice, but his eyes were what I really noticed. They were so deep brown! Most people when you look at their eyes you see the white around the color, but when you stare into George’s eyes you just see deep brown and a lot of emotion. It’s really a shame his eyes don’t photograph the way they really look. If they did, I don’t think anyone would have ever noticed Paul’s eyes even as gorgeous as they are.“ - Beatles fan Char Bass (1974) [x]

The Beatles during the filming of Magical Mystery Tour | September 1967

“I was falling in love. When I heard those songs I melted. They were mana from heaven to me. And he was so shy and fragile. I wanted to mother him and he seemed to want and need it. He seemed so helpless.”

-Joan Baez recalling her “first dates” with Bob Dylan, Positively 4th Street by David Hajdu

ONE THING ABOUT GEORGE HARRISON IS HES GONNA DANCE WHILE PLAYING HIS GUITAR !!!

The Basement Tapes (Trailer, 2015)

George Harrison during Robert Whitaker's Yesterday and Today photo session | 25 March 1966 © Leslie Bryce

18th December 1967, PARIS - George Harrison and Pattie Boyd attending at a UNICEF gala. (John & Cynthia Lennon can be seen at the second photo).

Photo by REPORTERS ASSOCIES/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

INT: Who are some contemporary artists you admire most?

George: There are so many, I'm madly in love with Smokey Robinson, from the old Miracles. When the Beatles first came here everybody was amazed that we all liked Tamla/Motown which was at that time a relatively new company. I like Smokey but just to try and pick one or two, Smokey Robinson is my favorite. I like Dickey Betts, there are a lot of guitar players – Ry Cooder I think is sensational and I hope Warner Bros. will try and sell a few more of his albums.

— George interviewed by Steven Rosen at Warner Bros. Records offices in Burbank, California (1974)

~

“Pure Smokey started out with nice chord changes. I’ve always liked Smokey Robinson and he’s probably one of the best songwriters around. He writes great lyrics and great melodies, and he is fantastic to see in concert, because one tends to forget how many good tunes he has written. He brought out an album called Pure Smokey, and I’ve met him once or twice.

Sometimes you get an idea and write a specific song, but other times – often – it turns itself into whatever it’s going to be – with the effort put into it – and it turned into Pure Smokey.

I’m trying to make the point – if I like someone I want to say ‘I like you’. I don’t want to die and then to think 'Oh I forgot to tell them I liked them’.

Throughout my lifetime I’d hesitate I’d feel some joy But before I showed my thanks It became too late

So this song turned into an all purpose thing of generally trying to show appreciation, and then to focus on my appreciation of Smokey.”

— George Harrison, I, Me, Mine (1980)

~

“Of all Tamla-Motown acts, George listened hardest to The Miracles, whose leader, Smokey Robinson had an ‘effortless butterfly of a voice**’ that he would never bring himself to criticize.”

— Alan Clayson, George Harrison (2001)

** “It’s hard to see the greats go, and I’m a big fan of so many kinds of rock and popular music, from Bob Marley to Cole Porter to Smokey Robinson to Hoagy Carmichael. I mean, I wrote ‘Pure Smokey’ on 33 1/3 as my little tribute to his brilliant songwriting and his effortless butterfly of a voice. The Beatles did Smokey’s ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me,’ and there was a song John did that was very much influenced by Smokey - ‘This Boy.’ If you listen to the middle eight of ‘This Boy,’ it was John trying to do Smokey. It suddenly occurs to me that there’s even a line on ‘When We Was Fab’ where I sing, ‘And you really got a hold on me.’”

— George Harrison interviewed for Musician Magazine (November 1987 Edition)

Bob Dylan & Joan Baez, 1964 © Daniel Kramer.

George Harrison in A Hard Day's Night (1964) Directed by Richard Lester