A few days ago I had an article come up on my Google news feed remembering George Harrison’s benefit concert for Bangladesh way back in 1971. It was a pivotal moment in the history of pop, as it was the very first of the massive international aid charity concerts that culminated in the 1980s with Live Aid. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find that particular article again, but I did find this piece, ‘On This Day in 1971, George Harrison Made History With The Concert for Bangladesh’. by Melanie Davis, published on American Songwriter on the first of this month. I’m putting it up because I know that some of the great readers and commenters on this blog are great fans of the Beatles and have fond memories of the concert. It’s a short article, which really just gives an overview of the event and its importance, noting that Harrison staged it in partnership with the great sitarist Ravi Shankar and that it was a great success. It also notes that it came after the country’s war of liberation against Pakistan. One of the lecturers in Islam at my old college was Bangladeshi, and remembered the bombers flying over the villages during the war, a terrifying experience. At the moment we have the war in Gaza, Ukraine and I gather that Thailand and Vietnam have started fighting each other. As if our planet hasn’t suffered enough war and bloodshed over the millennia. I hope the world’s leaders see sense, and get a bit of the spirit of Harrison and Lennon and ‘ give peace a chance’.
The article begins
‘On August 1, 1971, George Harrison made history with The Concert for Bangladesh, a two-performance event that would set off a new wave of musical philanthropy for years to come. Harrison, in partnership with sitar player Ravi Shankar, organized the event to raise funds for East Pakistani refugees on the heels of the Bangladesh Liberation War and the 1970 Bhola cyclone.
While the entire process wasn’t totally hiccup-free, it was immensely successful, given its impressive size, lack of police presence, and the sheer number of stars Harrison managed to get onstage at once.
George Harrison Made History in 1971
Just two short years after the Beatles officially split, George Harrison embarked on a massive solo project unlike anything the Fab Four had ever done previously. Harrison took the initial benefit concert plans of his friend and colleague, Ravi Shankar, and elevated them further. Shankar hoped to raise $25,000 for the people of Bangladesh, who were suffering in the aftermath of a deadly natural disaster and wartime genocide.
Even if he wasn’t a Beatle, Harrison still had access to Apple Corps resources, which he happily employed for the sake of his friend and his cause. The pair scheduled the two-concert event at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, and Harrison began making phone calls. Fortunately for Harrison, most of the people he called needed little convincing to hop on the bill. Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Badfinger, Eric Clapton, and Leon Russell were among the first to commit.’
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