George Harrison’s Son Inherited His Father's Musical Skills

Nov 24, 2020

The Beatles are quite possibly the most famous band in the world. The iconic voices of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the drum rhythms of Ringo Starr, and the mesmerizing guitar playing from George Harrison will never grow old. Despite the lasting effect of their music, however, some of their members were taken too soon, and one of those was George Harrison, who died on November 21, 2001, after a long battle with cancer.

The music of The Beatles lives on, both in the timeless power of their songs and in the music of their children. Several of The Beatles' children have followed in the footsteps of their fathers and are now successful musicians in their own right—Dhani Harrison is one of them.

Dhani Harrison, 42, was born on August 1, 1978, in Windsor, England. He grew up immersed in the world of music due to his father's influence. But it wasn't until many years later that Dhani decided to pursue a path in music. Dhani dabbled in various careers. He went to college and got his degree from Brown University, gaining some of the highest grades in his year in physics and industrial design. He became a keen rower and was even a cox for Olympians, Steve Redgrave, James Cracknell, and Matthew Pinsent reports the Daily Mail. He bagged himself a top job as an aerodynamicist for British motor racing company McLaren and was content there until tragedy struck.

It was only after his father died in 2001, when Dhani was just in his twenties, that he really reflected on what he wanted to do with his life.

“I was in Staten Island in September, about five days after September 11, and the world looked like a pretty awful place back then. We could smell the burning bodies, for God’s sake, being dumped in Staten Island, and my dad was being treated there for cancer. I was alone, I’d just finished university and it was really, truly awful,” Dhani remembers.

He says it was that moment in time when he thought: “Well now I’m going to do what I want to do–music, something positive and strong.'”

In April 2006, Dhani began recording with his alternative rock band, thenewno2. The idea of thenewno2 was for the band to work entirely as an entity, they would design, produce, and finance everything themselves and they would all take part in songwriting, singing, and sound. They also wanted to move away from the 'Harrison' surname. Dhani told the Daily Mail:

"You can get a foot in the door by being George Harrison's son, but you can't stay there."

He only ever wanted to gain recognition on merit, and merit alone. Music was, always an integral part of Dhani's homelife. As an only child, he spent time with his parents and was also no stranger to the recording studios his dad would work from.

He said, "My dad treated me like an adult – I got involved, he taught me how to make records from an early age. I grew up in a recording studio."

His father, George Harrison, was born in Liverpool on February 25, 1943. Known as “The Quiet One” of the group, though not often accredited to him, he brought a great deal of influence to the band with regards to the music, and his own solo music continues to do well in the charts even today. 

According to NBC, Jeff Lynne, a bandmate from his later band Traveling Wilbury, said: "He wrote brilliantly original songs and played the greatest slide guitar. Working with George was the greatest opportunity of my life, really. The greatest opportunity I could have wished for."

Dhani has no regrets in choosing music in the end. He believes it is a way of staying close to his dad, and every parent would be proud of that.

Having close friends such as Paul McCartney’s children also helped keep him grounded and gave him the support he needed. He told the Daily Mail, “I think I’m most similar to Stella [McCartney] and Mary [McCartney]. I really relate to the way they’ve dealt with their circumstances—they’re like big sisters to me.”

George and Olivia Harrison's son has since revealed the reason he turned to music. In an interview with Guitar World, Dhani revealed his dad would "always say, 'One of these days you'll have to finish all this stuff.'" At the time Dhani didn't take his father's words seriously, but in hindsight, the singer now sees that they were true. George had always wanted Dhani to help finish his album, and Dhani kept his word and helped finish his father's last album, "Brainwashed."

While the intention was to complete the album, it was never to take George's identity away from it.

Dhani said: "What Jeff [Lynne] and I added were our own guitars, bass, backing vocals-all the things we would have done anyway had my dad been there. Basically, I was taking the role of the artist, because I was there the whole time with my dad. We were very careful to tread lightly-I only ever dared do anything with this album that I knew my dad would like."

People could say that Dhani Harrison has big boots to fill, but in reality, he is carving his own name out in the music industry. His plan was never to live in his father's shadow. It is all too easy to see the similarities in looks between George and Dhani, but as Dhani told the Daily Mail:

"It’s exactly the best and worst thing about every day–comforting and sad all at the same time."

We are sure music fans around the world are grateful that some of his dad's spirit lives on in his music.

Isn't the similarity between father and son uncanny? Share this with fans of The Beatles and new music alike, and let this story fill you with love for family and the influence they have on our own lives.