Harrison’s earliest musical influences included such musicians as Big Bill Broonzy, Chet Atkins, Chuck Berry, Ry Cooder, and Buddy Holly. In 1965, he pioneered the introduction of Hindu music to the West through instruments like the sitar, which he played on songs like “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” and “Within You Without You.” Harrison also had a special interest in Hindu culture and religion through the Hare Krishna movement and introduced his fellow Beatles to Eastern philosophy through the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a determining factor in the group’s musical evolution since the recording of The White. Album (1968).
