Hari Scruffs - Chronicle Part 3 of 5

Part 3 of 5, 1970-1987
Part 1 of 5, 1909-1967
Part 2 of 5, 1967-1970
Part 4 of 5, 1987-1993
Part 5 of 5, 1993-Present

Jun 18 1970 George records ‘Roll It Over' and possibly ‘Tell The Truth' with Eric Clapton

Jul 7 1970 George's mother, Louise, dies from a brain tumor.

Jul 10 1970 Louise Harrison is cremated.

Sep 17 1970 George attends rehearsals for A Festival Of Arts Of India at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Sep 20 1970 George attends opening night of A Festival Of Arts Of India at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Oct 28 1970 George and Patti to go New York City to finalize the US release of ‘All Things Must Pass.'

Dec 26 1970 ‘My Sweet Lord' hits # 1 in the US and stays there for 4 weeks.

Jan 2 1971 ‘All Things Must Pass' hits # 1 in the US.

Jan 30 1971 The single ‘My Sweet Lord' and the album ‘All Things Must Pass' both hit # 1 in the UK.

Feb 9 1971 At an unknown London studio, George co-produces and performs on rehearsals for Ronnie Spector's cover of George's ‘You.'

Feb 23 1971 George loses his driver's license for one year. He had received a number of speeding tickets and had some arguments with the police.

May 23 1971 George founds his own record company, Dark Horse Records Ltd.

Jun 3 1971 George records lead guitar on Badfinger's ‘Day After Day.'

early Jun 1971 At ABKCO's New York office, John asks George to join him for recording sessions for John's next album (‘Imagine').

late Jun 1971 George attends several recording sessions for what will be ‘Imagine.'

mid-Jul 1971 George invites John and Paul to perform at his benefit concert to aid the starving refugees of Bangla Desh.

late Jul 1971 John and Yoko arrive at New York for the Bangla Desh concert.

Jul 27 1971 George announces plans for the Concert for Bangla Desh.

Jul 29 1971 George tells John he does not want Yoko to perform at the Concert for Bangla Desh. John agrees. A violent argument ensues when John tells Yoko, and John storms out of the hotel to catch a flight back to Europe. Shortly thereafter, George comes to the hotel looking for John to join the rehearsals, and only then found out that he was no longer in the country.

Jul 31 1971 Rehearsals for the Concert for Bangla Desh.

Aug 1 1971 The Concert for Bangla Desh is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City to raise funds to aid the starving refugees of Bangla Desh, whose country was at war with Pakistan.

Nov 23 1971 ‘Raga,' a documentary film about Ravi Shankar featuring George and co-produced by Ravi and George, has its world premiere in New York City. (see Jun 7, 10 and 11 1968)

Nov 23 1971 George accompanies Gary Wright on the song ‘Two Faced Man' on ‘The Dick Cavett Show' on US TV.

Dec 3 1971 George is a guest on ‘The David Frost Show' on US TV. With David Bromberg, George performed ‘The Holdup' co-composed by David and George at journalist Al Aronowitz's home in Englewood, New Jersey.

Jan 27 1972 Probable date that George recorded for Yoko's ‘Who Has Seen The Wind.'

Feb 28 1972 George and Patti wreck their car on M4 Motorway near Maidenhead. Both are injured and brought to the hospital. Patti suffers a concussion.

Mar 23 1972 The film ‘The Concert For Bangla Desh' has its world premiere in New York City.

Jun 5 1972 George and Ravi receive UNICEF's ‘Child Is the Father of the Man' award for their efforts on behalf of the refugees of Bangla Desh.

Jun 9 1972 George visits Elvis Presley backstage during Elvis' show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Jul 1 1972 ‘The Concert For Bangla Desh,' the film, opens in London.

Sep 23 1972 Ravi's Music Festival From India, sponsored by George's Material World charitable Foundation, takes place at the Royal Albert Hall.

Dec 28 1972 George appears on ‘The David Frost Show' in the US.

Dec 28 1972 George records an unreleased demo of ‘Sue Me, Sue You Blues.'

Mar 3 1973 ‘The Concert For Bangla Desh' wins a Grammy for Album Of The Year.

Apr 7 1973 George, John and Ringo attend a fund raiser for the Pentagon Papers Legal Defense Fund. It was held in the backyard of Universal Studios executive Jennings Lang. Reportedly, George told guest Barbra Streisand he was interested in writing songs for her next album. They discussed song ideas into the wee hours of the morning, but nothing came of it.

Apr 26 1973 The Material World Charitable Foundation Trust is founded by George to which he will donate a portion of his royalties.

May 31 1973 At Led Zeppelin's John Bonham's birthday party, George starts a food fight by throwing cake at Bonham, who retaliates by tossing George and Patti into the pool.

Jun 23 1973 ‘Living in the Material World' hits # 1 in the US.

Jun 30 1973 ‘Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)' (s) hits # 1 in the US.

Jul 25 1973 George signs a check for $1,000,000 payable to Inland Revenue. This is the amount of taxes owed for the Bangla Desh concert and album which George paid out of his own pocket.

1974 With Jerry Kozinski, George records music for a musical that was never completed.

Mar 1 1974 George announces a North American concert tour to begin in November.

Mar 28 1974 George forms the publishing company, Oops Publishing Ltd.

May 1974 In anticipation of the closing of Apple Records, George signs a contract with A&M Records.

May 6 1974 George and Ringo attend a party honoring record producer Richard Perry.

May 23 1974 George forms Dark Horse Records to take over for Apple Records before it closed down.

Sep 16 1974 George's international tour with Ravi Shankar is officially announced.

Sep 23 1974 Ravi's Music Festival From India at the Royal Albert Hall. It is produced by George. The concert is recorded and filmed by Dark Horse Records.

Oct 24 1974 George holds a press conference to discuss his upcoming North American tour -- the first tour including the US by any of the ex-Beatles.

Nov 2 1974 George commences a North American solo tour.

Dec 10 1974 The last concert of George's North American tour.

Dec 13 1974 George, his father, Billy Preston and Ravi are invited to the White House for a luncheon visit with President Gerald Ford.

Dec 14 1974 George and John meet at the Plaza Hotel in New York. John offers to join George onstage at George's Madison Square Garden show. Referring to John's refusal to appear at the Concert for Bangla Desh, George bitterly replies, "Where were you when I needed you?"

Dec 14 1974 George sees Willy Russell's play ‘John, Paul, George, Ringo...and Bert.' He left during intermission and withdrew permission for the use of ‘Here Comes The Sun.'

Dec 15 1974 George and John end their quarrel. John attends George's show at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, New York. (see Dec 14)

Dec 19 1974 George invites John to join him at Madison Square Garden in New York City. John declines because George is furious that John won't sign the agreement to dissolve the Beatles as a legal entity. George tells May Pang, "Tell him I started this tour on my own and I'll end it on my own."

Dec 20 1974 After George mellows over their argument, George and John are interviewed by KHJ-FM radio in Los Angeles.

Dec 20 1974 George has an end-of-tour celebration party at New York City's Hippopotamus Nightclub. John and May are guests. Sources conflict as to whether Yoko attended.

Late 1974 The film ‘Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs,' with George as executive producer, has its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. George still owns the rights to this film and sometimes screens it to friends. (see Feb 4 1966)

Feb 10 1975 Bright Tunes Music Corp. brings a copyright infringement action against George, claiming that he plagiarized the 1963 song ‘He's So Fine' whose copyright is owned by Bright Tunes.

Mar 24 1975 George is a guest at a party for Wings hosted by Capitol Records. The party is held on the Queen Mary ocean liner docked at Long Beach, California.

Apr 19 1975 The first day of New York DJ Dave Herman's 2-hour interview with George.

Dec 26 1975 George appears in a pre-recorded segment on British TV show, ‘Rutland Weekend Television Christmas Show.' He sang ‘The Pirate Song,' co-written with his friend, Monty Python's Eric Idle, which satirizes George's ‘My Sweet Lord' lawsuit.

Late 1975 George is interviewed by Alan Freeman in the US. This recorded interview was aired in the US on ‘Rock Around The World.' George said that Paul "ruined him" as a guitarist, and that Eric Clapton gave him back his confidence. George characterized John as both a "saint" and a "bastard." Unreleased versions of several songs were played during the interview.

Jan 19 1976 George visits MIDEM, the annual music industry get-together in Cannes, France.

Apr 20 1976 George appears onstage with Monty Python at New York's City Center in ‘The Lumberjack Song.'

May 24 1976 George begins recording songs for his next album, ‘Thirty-three & 1/3.'

July 26 1976 George misses the deadline in his contract with A&M Records for his first album with them. The delay occurs because George's severe bout of hepatitis interrupted recording of ‘Thirty-three & 1/3.' (see Sep 28 1976)

Sep 7 1976 George is found guilty of "subconscious plagiarism" in his song, ‘My Sweet Lord.' (see Feb 10 1975, Feb 26 1981) Damages have yet to be assessed.

Sep 28 1976 A&M Records sues George for $10 million for failing to comply with terms of his contract. Because he was so ill with hepatitis, George missed the deadline of his first album with A&M. The matter was resolved when George left A&M and had Warner Brothers distribute his Dark Horse label.

Nov 19, 1976 George and Paul Simon videotape a performance for US TV's ‘Saturday Night Live.' Included is a duet of ‘Homeward Bound,' released years later on the charity album ‘Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal.' Also recorded were ‘Here Comes The Sun,' Bye Bye Love, ‘Rock Island Line' and a few seconds each of ‘Yesterday,' ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water' and ‘Don't Let Me Wait Too Long.'

Nov 20 1976 George and Paul Simon perform ‘Homeward Bound' and ‘Here Comes The Sun' on ‘Saturday Night Live.' Also aired are promo videos of George's ‘Crackerbox Palace' and ‘This Song.' This is George's last live performance until Oct 21 1985.

Nov 30 1976 George appears on BBC2's radio show ‘Old Grey Whistle Test' to promote ‘Thirty-three & 1/3.'

Apr 20 1977 George and Olivia arrive back in London from a trip to Los Angeles.

Jun 7 1977 George helps out at a children's party in Henley as part of the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebration.

Jun 9 1977 George and Patti's divorce comes through.

Jul 15 1977 George watches the British Grand Prix practice in Silverstone.

Jul 17 1977 George watches the British Grand Prix race in Silverstone.

Nov 14 1977 His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON and perhaps George's most influential spiritual mentor, dies.

Dec 17 1977 George performs unannounced at the Row Barge Pub in Henley near his home. A recording exists, but has not been released either officially or on bootleg.

Jan 25 1978 George is a surprise guest on ITV's ‘This Is Your Life,' honoring motorcyclist Barry Sheene.

Mar 22 1978 ‘All You Need Is Cash' with the Rutles is aired in the US. George makes a cameo appearance as a TV reporter.

Mar 27 1978 ‘All You Need Is Cash' with the Rutles is aired in the UK. George makes a cameo appearance as a TV reporter.

spring 1978 Allen Klein buys the copyright to ‘He's So Fine' from Bright Tunes, laying claim to any damages the the court deems may be owed by George. (see Feb 10 1975, Sep 7 1976)

Apr 11 1978 George starts recording songs for his next album ‘George Harrison.'

May 1978 George's father, Harry, dies from emphysema.

Aug 1 1978 George and Olivia's son, Dhani, is born. Dhani is George's only child.

Sep 2 1978 George and Olivia marry at the Henley-on-Thames Register Office. Olivia's parents are witnesses. George and Olivia honeymoon in Tunisia.

Sep 8 1978 At FPSHOT, George's private recording studio in Friar Park, George produces and mixes various recordings related to Monty Python's ‘The Life Of Brian' -- the movie that prompted George to found HandMade Films.

Dec 7 1978 George joins Eric Clapton and Elton John onstage at Guilford Civic Hall. He performs with them on ‘Further On Up The Road' and is on the film ‘Eric Clapton And His Rolling Hotel.'

Dec 15 1978 George and Ringo attend the opening of Horst Fascher's new Star Club in Germany

Dec 1978 George performs at a benefit concert in Pisshole, England with a group that billed itself as The Pisshole Artists. (I kid you not!)

Feb 9 1979 George appears live on BBC Radio One's ‘Roundtable.'

Mar 27 1979 Patti and Eric Clapton are married at the Apostolic Assembly of Faith in Jesus Christ in Tuscon, Arizona in the United States. (see May 19 1979)

Apr 6 1979 A promo clip of ‘Blow Away' is aired in the US on ‘Midnight Special.'

May 19 1979 To celebrate Eric Clapton and Patti's marriage, George, Paul and Ringo are among the guests / performers in the garden of Eric's home. This is the closest the world would ever get to a live performance by the former Beatles since they broke up.

May 26 1979 George, Ringo and racer Jackie Stewart are interviewed in Monaco by ABC-TV's ‘Wide World of Sports.'

Aug 22 1979 A limited edition of George's autobiography ‘I Me Mine' is published by Genesis Publications. A mass market edition is published later by Simon & Schuster.

Aug 1 1980 HandMade Films (Production) Ltd. is formally founded.

Aug 13 1980 George phones John at the Dakota, but John, bitter in his belief that George barely mentioned him in his autobiography ‘I Me Mine,' ignores the message. This is George and John's last known attempt to contact one or the other.

Oct 5 1980 A month after John and Yoko's Playboy interviews and 2 months before John's death, George writes a note instructing how his assets should be handled in the event of his death. Beneficiaries include his son, Dhani, Monty Python's Eric Idle, and Derek Taylor and his family. The balance and future income is to be given to the Self-Realization Fellowship founded by Paramahansa Yogananda.

Oct 15 1980 George founded HandMade Films (Distribution) Ltd to serve HandMade Films (Production) Ltd.

Nov 2 1980 Original release date for ‘Somewhere In England.' Warner Bros. wants 4 songs replaced: ‘Lay His Head,' ‘Flying Hour,' ‘Sat Singing' and ‘Tears of the World.'

Dec 9 1980 George is awakened by Olivia. George's brother, as Friar Park's estate manager, had just received a phone call that John had been shot and killed. Later in the day, George issues a press release which states: "After all we went through together I had and still have great love and respect for him. I am shocked and stunned. To rob life is the ultimate robbery in life. This perpetual encroachment on other people's space is taken to the limit with the use of a gun. It is an outrage that people can take other people's lives when they obviously haven't got their own lives in order." [The date of John's death is Dec 8 in the US, Dec 9 in Europe]

Jan 16 1981 George completes recording ‘Somewhere In England,' including 4 tracks replacing those rejected by Warner Bros. (see Nov 2 1980)

Feb 26 1981 A New York judge orders George to Pay $587,000 in damages to Allen Klein, who bought the rights to ‘He's So Fine' from Bright Tunes. This was the exact amount for which Klein bought the copyright. (see Feb 10 1975, Sep 7 1976, spring 1978, Nov 5 1990)

Apr 27 1981 George, Olivia, Paul and Linda are guests at the wedding of Ringo and Barbara Bach. Afterwards they party at Rags nightclub.

May 11 1981 ‘All Those Years Ago,' George's tribute to John, is released in the US. Paul and Ringo perform on it as well.

May 19 1981 George and Olivia attend the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

Jul 1981 ‘Time Bandits,' produced by HandMade Films, opens in London. It includes George's recording of ‘Dream Away' played over the credits.

Nov 10 1981 George buys property in Maui. (see late 1982)

Mar 19 1982 George joins Elton John onstage in Sydney, Australia on guitar and vocals on Elton's ‘Empty Garden,' possibly the most touching musical tribute to John Lennon. A sound recording exists but has not been released, either officially or on bootleg.

Sep 4 1982 George is interviewed by Mukunda Goswami. George discusses his spiritual practices and beliefs, and how they are reflected in his music. The entire interview is transcribed in ISKCON's book ‘Chant And Be Happy.'

late 1982 George completes construction of a house on his Maui property, which he had every reason to believe would be secluded and private. However, George soon became aware of and objected to neighbors' use of a path near his home. This path was the only way to get to the public beach, yet there was no mention of it in the sale agreement, nor did the title search reveal any path. (see Nov 10 1981, May 2 1990, Jan 7 1991, Mar 11 1992, Mar 1993, Jul 19 1993, Nov 22 1993, Oct 18 1999)

Sep 12 1983 George appears on BBC TV's ‘Film `83' to discuss HandMade Films' newest release, ‘Bullshot!'

Jul 25 1983 George, Paul and Ringo have drinks at the Gore Hotel in Kensington.

Feb 4 1984 George's Nov 20 1976 appearance on ‘Saturday Night Live' is aired in the UK.

Nov 28 1984 George and Derek Taylor hold a press conference in New Zealand to promote Derek's book, ‘Fifty Years Adrift.'

Nov 30 1984 George and Derek Taylor attend a literary luncheon in Sydney, Australia to promote Derek's book, ‘Fifty Years Adrift.'

Dec 14 1984 In Sydney, Australia, during Deep Purple's world tour, George joins Deep Purple onstage as a surprise guest. George borrows Richie Blackmore's Stratocaster to join in on ‘Lucille.'

Jan 18 1985 The world premiere of HandMade Films' ‘Water' is held in London. George and Ringo have cameo roles. George co-wrote 2 songs and plays guitar.

Jan 26 1985 George records slide guitar and backing vocals for ‘Children of the Sky.' Unfortunately, this was never released by George, but was released on Mike Batt's concept album, ‘The Hunting of the Snark,' a musical version of the poem by Lewis Carroll.

Feb 1 1985 George is interviewed on BBC-TV's ‘Newsnight' and discusses his fear for his safety since John's murder.

Oct 19 1985 Carl Perkins drags George out of temporary retirement. Today is a rehearsal for the show to be taped Oct 21. After the rehearsal, the musicians party at George's home, Friar Park. They help themselves to whatever guitars George has hanging around and play into the wee hours of the morning.

Oct 21 1985 George's first live performance since 1976. He, Ringo and others are taped at Limehouse Studios for a TV musical tribute to Carl Perkins, ‘Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session with Carl Perkins and Friends.'

Jan 1 1986 A musical tribute to Carl Perkins, ‘Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session with Carl Perkins and Friends,' is aired on BBC's channel 4. (see Oct 21 1985)

Jan 5 1986 A musical tribute to Carl Perkins, ‘Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session with Carl Perkins and Friends,' is aired on US cable's Cinemax. (see Oct 21 1985)

Jan 26 1986 At the London Standard Film Awards ceremony in the Savoy Hotel, George receives an award on behalf of HandMade Films for its contribution to the British film industry.

Mar 6 1986 George and Madonna appear at a press conference at Shepperton Film Studios to attempt to defuse the negative publicity surrounding HandMade Films' ‘Shanghai Surprise.'

Mar 7 1986 Originally to have been aired Feb 14 1986, George's interview with Paula Yates is aired on UK's channel 4's ‘The Tube Show.'

Mar 15 1986 George joins in the finale at the Heartbeat '86 charity rock concert in Birmingham. He shared lead vocal with Denny Laine and Robert Plant on ‘Money' and ‘Johnny B Goode.' (see Dec 10 1986)

Apr 14, 16, 17, 18 1986 George appears on US TV on the ‘Today' show.

Apr 22 1986 George and Ringo appear on BBC-TV's ‘Film Night' to discuss HandMade Films' ‘Mona Lisa.'

Jun 12 1986 ‘Mona Lisa,' produced by HandMade Films, premieres in New York.

Jun 19 1986 George participates in an anti-nuclear rally at Trafalgar Square.

Jul 1986 George records ‘Zig Zag' and ‘Hottest Gong in Town' for the soundtrack to ‘Shanghai Surprise.' Several unreleased songs are also recorded.

Jul 18 1986 George writes an article for the Henley Standard protesting plans to tear down the Regal Cinema--the only local cinema. (see Dec 4 1986)

Aug 2 1986 BBC 1 airs the Heartbeat '86 charity rock concert, including George's performance of ‘Johnny B Goode.' (see Mar 15 1986)

Aug 29 1986 World premiere of HandMade Films' ‘Shanghai Surprise' is held in New York. It features songs by George, a score co-composed by George and a cameo appearance by George.

Sep 5 1986 HandMade Films' ‘Mona Lisa' is premiered.

Oct 7 1986 A documentary is aired on the BBC on the making of HandMade Films' ‘Shanghai Surprise.' Footage includes an interview with George.

Dec 4 1986 George wins his fight to save Henley's Regal Cinema. (see Jul 18 1986)

Dec 10 1986 Charity concert Heartbeat ‘86 is aired on US's MTV cable channel. (see Mar 15 1986)

Jan 5 1987 George records ‘Vatican P2 Blues' during sessions for ‘Cloud Nine.' The song is never released.

Feb 1987 George visits backstage at the Hollywood Palace in Hollywood, California, with Bob Dylan, Duane Eddy, Jeff Lynne, Brian Setzer, Dave Edmunds and Slim Jim Phantom. (Thank you, Evelyn, editor of 'Beatlemania' in Germany!)

Feb 19 1987 George, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty and Jesse Ed Davis joined Taj Mahal in an unplanned jam session at the Palomino Club in North Hollywood, California.

Mar 15 1987 George and Olivia attend the BAFTA (British Academy Film and Television Award) ceremony at the Grosvenor Hotel in London.

Mar 27 1987 George, Olivia, Ringo and Barbara attend Elton John's birthday party at Elton's manager's home.

Jun 5 & 6 1987 George and Ringo perform at the Prince's Trust Rock Gala at Wembley Arena.

Oct 17 1987 George makes an impromptu appearance with Bob Dylan at Dylan's concert at Wembley Arena. He joins Dylan on ‘Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35.'

Dec 18 1987 George, Ringo and Elton John make a video for ‘When We Was Fab.'

Part 3 of 5, 1970-1987
Part 1 of 5, 1909-1967
Part 2 of 5, 1967-1970
Part 4 of 5, 1987-1993
Part 5 of 5, 1993-1999