Remembering George Harrison: Covering The Quiet Beatle
Listen to covers by The String Cheese Incident, Billy Strings, Gov’t Mule, Tedeschi Trucks Band, My Morning Jacket, Greensky Bluegrass and Railroad Earth.
By Andy Kahn Nov 29, 2024 • 8:07 am PST
Photo Credit: Clive Arrowsmith ©Harrison Family
November 29 is a solemn day for fans of The Beatles, as it marks the anniversary of the death of George Harrison in 2001 at age 58. An essential member of The Beatles, Harrison’s songwriting contributions, though sparse, were nonetheless impactful.
While often overshadowed by the songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Harrison’s keen songcraft proved increasingly vital as the band evolved. Harrison’s compositions like “Here Comes the Sun” and “Something” stand among the band’s most beloved works, with the latter becoming one of the most covered Beatles songs of all time.
“Taxman,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Within You Without You,” “Love You To” and “Long, Long, Long” were also among Harrison’s essential additions to The Beatles’ songbook.
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There was not always room made for Harrison’s songwriting endeavors within The Beatles, as evidenced in the recent Get Back documentary that showed a frustrated Harrison quitting the group after not being taken seriously when trying to share a new original tune.
Harrison would take that song, and others he was working on at that time, and incorporate them into the masterpiece that was his 1970 triple album, All Things Must Pass. The solo release demonstrated that Harrison had developed into a formidable songwriter in his own right, with spiritual anthems like “My Sweet Lord” and the title track.
Later in his career, Harrison found musical brotherhood as part of The Traveling Wilburys, a supergroup featuring Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne. The group’s natural chemistry and low-pressure environment allowed Harrison to recapture the collaborative spirit he’d first experienced with The Beatles, resulting in gems like “Handle With Care” and “End of the Line.”
Official soundboard recordings of live covers of songs credited to George Harrison are available via the nugs.net live catalog. Those without a nugs.net subscription can sign up for a free seven-day trial. [JamBase earns a commission from affiliate purchases/subscriptions].
Scroll on to stream official soundboard recordings of covers of “Taxman,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Here Comes The Sun,” “Something,” “All Things Must Pass,” “My Sweet Lord” and “Handle With Care.”
Taxman | The String Cheese Incident
George Harrison’s song “Taxman” appeared on The Beatles 1966 album Revolver. There were a few cover options available but fittingly, a 2002 version by The String Cheese Incident was selected from their show on April 16 (the day after Tax Day). Listen to the full concert from Veteran’s Memorial in Columbus above.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps | Gov’t Mule
Guitarist Eric Clapton famously played on Harrison’s White Album standout, “While My Guitar My Guitar Gently Weeps” and many other guitarists have made their instruments cry while covering the song. Among the many choices of “While My Guitar My Guitar Gently Weeps” covers to pick from was Gov’t Mule featuring guitarist Warren Haynes. The former Allman Brothers Band guitarist can be heard laying into “While My Guitar My Guitar Gently Weeps” from Mule’s May 12, 2023 show at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
Here Comes The Sun | Billy Strings
One of two outstanding Harrison originals included on 1969’s Abbey Road, “Here Comes The Sun” is among the The Beatles most popular songs, having become the band’s first to reach 1 billion Spotify streams. The gorgeous George tune was used by Phish as post-show music as the sun rose after their all-night set at Big Cypress on New Year’s Eve 1999. Above is one of the few times bluegrass guitarist Billy Strings “Here Comes The Sun” from his Family Strings show with his dad Terry Barber at City Opera House in Traverse City, Michigan.
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Something | Tedeschi Trucks Band
The other Harrison on Abbey Road, “Something,” is among The Beatles’ sweetest and most beloved originals. Selecting Tedeschi Trucks Band for this cover was bolstered by Susan Tedeschi’s delightful lead vocal and Derek Trucks’ singing slide guitar. Listen above to a recording of TTB’s show on Dec 3, 2016 at The Orpheum Theatre in Boston (and check out the encore cover of Ringo’s “With a Little Help from My Friends”).
All Things Must Pass | Railroad Earth
Moving beyond Harrison’s work with The Beatles starts with the title track to his 1970 solo album, All Things Must Pass. The brilliant triple LP showcases both Harrison’s superb songwriting talents and his exploratory musicianship. Railroad Earth put a jamgrass spin on “All Things Must Pass” during the encore of their 2011 New Year’s Eve concert at Denver’s Ogden Theatre that can be streamed above.
My Sweet Lord | My Morning Jacket
Along with its title track, All Things Must Pass also featured Harrison’s meditative beauty “My Sweet Lord.” Originally recorded by The Beatles collaborator Billy Preston, Harrison’s interest in Hinduism influenced the lyrical content. My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James recorded an EP entirely made up songs Harrison wrote for The Beatles and his solo efforts. MMJ performed “My Sweet Lord” at their 2022 One Big Holiday destination event in Mexico and were joined by Brittany Howard and Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Check out the collaborative cover above.
Handle With Care | Greensky Bluegrass
Among the most super of all supergroups, The Traveling Wilburys’ 1988 debut album produced several songs that have stood the test of time. Songwriting credit went to Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty though lead vocals were shared across the album’s 10 songs. The lead track, “Handle With Care,” was one featuring Harrison singing up front with Orbison. A longtime staple of the Greensky Bluegrass live repertoire, the acoustic string band’s mandolinist Paul Hoffman handles Harrison’s vocal parts and guitarist Dave Bruzza handles Orbison’s. Listen to GSBG’s most recent performance of “Handle With Care” from the Granada Theater in Dallas on November 15.
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The Concert for Bangladesh | (Bonus)
The nugs catalog also includes “The Concert for Bangladesh,” which Harrison hosted at Madison Square Garden on August 1, 1971. Along with Indian sitar master Ravi Shankar, Harrison staged the Concert For Bangladesh to benefit the United Nations Children’s Fund For Relief To Refugee Children Of Bangladesh.
Harrison tapped Ringo Starr, as well as such rock luminaries as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Jim Keltner, Billy Preston and the members of Badfinger for the performance that included “Here Comes The Sun,” “While My Guitar My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “My Sweet Lord” and “Something.” Listen to the all-star event above.
