With all the focus on his fame, his religious beliefs, and his role as the "quiet Beatle" in the shadow of Lennon and McCartney, a lot of people overlook what an exceptional guitar player George Harrison was. In an era when so many guitar players were trying to out-do one another with hyped up blues-based soloing, George approached the guitar with true musicality and taste. He could rock with the best of them, as evidenced by some great high-energy playing on some of the Beatles' early rock'n'roll singles and live performance tapes, but he was at his best when he applied the full force of his musical abilities and taste to fashion extremely well-crafted and well-integrated lead guitar parts. The music always came first; in a way, even before George overtly went to work on his ego, he submerged it in support of the music. The Beatles were a lot of things -- outstanding songwriters, personalities, icons -- but they were also a great sounding band, due in large part to George's lead guitar.

I was five years old when the Beatles first played the Sullivan show, and I was hooked even at that young age, and have been ever since. George Harrison is one of the main reasons I learned to play guitar, and for that I will always remember him fondly.