Wisely’s George Harrison Tribute in Maine Edge Magazine
by Mike Dow.
George Harrison Chillin'
For this Maine Edge tribute to George Harrison on the 10th anniversary of his passing, I reached out to a variety of people who have been impacted by him in some way. Some are fans, some are musicians and songwriters and some were among his friends and peers. I asked them to share their thoughts about why George is important to them. A few of the more detailed tributes (from Beatles engineer Ken Scott and musicians Bobby Whitlock, Michael Sembello, Walter Egan and Seth Swirsky) appear as separate entries elsewhere in this issue.…
“In 1980, for my first guitar lesson, the teacher had suggested I bring in a song to learn. The only reason I’d signed up was so I could play as well as George Harrison. So I brought him George’s ‘I Need You‘ -an early Beatles confection-with that distinctive ‘nnnying-nnnying’ guitar lick in it. The song was, and still is, far from being a Beatles perennial. Hell, even in the 80s you’d never hear it except when a radio station did a Beatles A-Z weekend. To this day, George’s song is exhilaratingly simple and a testament to his understatement in all endeavors – except perhaps in architectural proclivities and his distaste for unearned authority. I never did master the lick. Fifteen years later a Beatles wonk would tell me that you need a tone pedal in order to do it right. Duh!” -Willie Wisely, Los Angeles. Willie Wisely is a songwriter, singer and producer. His band, the Willie Wisely Trio has reunited for a new album, “True” to be released in early 2012.
One of the all time great songs. It always takes me “there” … to that sunny day at dawn. What beeridwls me, and something that we may never know, is how George Harrison didn’t become more of a musical and literary force after his Beetle days. He was the moving force arguably behind their masterpiece — Revolver. But I should be thankful for what he did give us!