Dhani Harrison
Encyclopedia
Dhani Harrison is an English musician and the son of George Harrison
of The Beatles
and Olivia Harrison. Harrison debuted as a professional musician when completing his father's final album Brainwashed
after George Harrison's death in November 2001. Harrison formed his own band, thenewno2
, in 2006.
Harrison's first name is pronounced similarly to the name Danny but with an aspirated
'd'. He is named after 6th and 7th notes of the Indian music scale, 'dha' and 'ni'. 'Dhani' is also a raga
in north Indian classical music.
, in Friar Park
, the estate on which his father had lived since 1970. One of Harrison's earliest memories, from the age of six, is receiving a drumming lesson from his father's friend and bandmate, "Uncle" Ringo Starr
. He recalled that before the lesson, he had been an avid drummer. However, when Starr began to play, the loud noise frightened him so terribly that he ran out of the room screaming and never used his drum kit again.
Like his father, Dhani Harrison showed a keen interest in Formula One
auto racing. He accompanied George to Grand Prix
races around the world.
, a Montessori method
school. He later attended Shiplake College
, also near Henley, where he showed a keen interest in rowing. Harrison is an alumnus of Brown University
, where he studied physics and industrial design.
After graduating from Brown, Harrison pursued a career as an aerodynamicist
; however, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps as a professional musician.
, completed George's final album, Brainwashed
, which was released in 2002. He participated in the Concert for George
on the first anniversary of George's death. The concert was organized by Eric Clapton
and featured some of George's friends and collaborators, including Eric Clapton
, Billy Preston
, Ravi Shankar
, Jeff Lynne
, Tom Petty
, Ringo Starr
, Jim Keltner
, Joe Brown
and Paul McCartney
. Dhani Harrison played backup acoustic guitar for most of the concert. Before the finale, McCartney relayed to the audience, "Olivia said that with Dhani up on stage, it looks like George stayed young and we all got old".
In March 2006, Harrison made a guest appearance on Liam Lynch
's Podcast Video Variety Show, Lynchland. They performed a duet that will appear on a Lynch album. He collaborated with Jakob Dylan
on the John Lennon
song "Gimme Some Truth
" for the Lennon tribute album "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
", which was released on 12 June 2007. Dhani is credited on two unreleased Traveling Wilburys
tracks under the pseudonym Ayrton Wilbury, a tribute to Ayrton Senna
.
In April 2006, it was announced that Harrison's band, thenewno2
had begun recording. The band released a music video, "Choose What You're Watching", on its website. thenewno2 features Harrison on lead guitar, synthesiser and vocals and Oli Hecks on drums and synths. He also contributed to the 2007 EP by Heather Porcaro
& the Heartstring Symphony, Rooney
's 2007 CD Calling the World
. He was involved in a re-working of the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps
" entitled "The Heart Gently Weeps
", which was the first single on the Wu-Tang Clan
's album, 8 Diagrams
, released in December 2007.
thenewno2's debut album, You Are Here
was released online on 11 August 2008 and in stores on 31 March 2009. The song "Yomp" was featured as a downloadable song for the Rock Band
series, and "Crazy Tuesday" was featured as one of the 20 free songs that were downloadable with the purchase of Rock Band 2
.
On 14 April 2009, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce posthumously awarded George Harrison a star on the Walk of Fame
. After Olivia Harrison gave a short speech about her late husband, Dhani Harrison uttered the "Hare Krishna" mantra.
In August 2010, Dhani Harrison, Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur joined together to form Fistful of Mercy
.
, a music video game
released on 9 September 2009 on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii gaming platforms. Dhani Harrison was instrumental in the creation of the game and urged McCartney and Starr to participate. When asked about the game production Dhani stated, "I took the project to Apple
and sort of convinced everybody to have a presentation. My job description is... being enthusiastic. We've been working on it for the past two years. This is the first one that is going to be totally, historically accurate. It's been a real headache, but it's been the most enjoyable work I've done in my life."
To promote the game's release, he appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
on 8 September 2009 and at the end of the show they played "Birthday" with Dhani on drums, Conan on bass, and Aaron Bleyaert and Mark Pender
on guitar.
Harrison told the Chicago Tribune in an interview that he is "working on Rock Band 3
and making the controllers more real so people can actually learn how to play music while playing the game".
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and Olivia Harrison. Harrison debuted as a professional musician when completing his father's final album Brainwashed
Brainwashed (album)
Brainwashed is the final studio album by George Harrison, released in 2002, almost a year after his death at age 58. As a posthumous release, Brainwashed garnered much attention upon its unveiling.-History:...
after George Harrison's death in November 2001. Harrison formed his own band, thenewno2
Thenewno2
Thenewno2 are an alternative rock band from London, originally composed of Dhani Harrison and Oliver Hecks, with Harrison playing lead guitar and singing lead vocals, and Hecks playing drums and synthesizer. As of mid 2009, the live band features Harrison, Jon Sadoff, Jeremy Faccone, Nick Fyffe,...
, in 2006.
Harrison's first name is pronounced similarly to the name Danny but with an aspirated
Aspiration (phonetics)
In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of air that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents. To feel or see the difference between aspirated and unaspirated sounds, one can put a hand or a lit candle in front of one's mouth, and say pin ...
'd'. He is named after 6th and 7th notes of the Indian music scale, 'dha' and 'ni'. 'Dhani' is also a raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
in north Indian classical music.
Early life
Harrison grew up with his parents in Henley-on-ThamesHenley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
, in Friar Park
Friar Park
Friar Park is the 120-room Victorian neo-Gothic mansion previously owned by the eccentric Sir Frank Crisp in Henley-on-Thames and bought by the musician George Harrison in 1970, as he left his former home Kinfauns, in Esher.-History:...
, the estate on which his father had lived since 1970. One of Harrison's earliest memories, from the age of six, is receiving a drumming lesson from his father's friend and bandmate, "Uncle" Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
. He recalled that before the lesson, he had been an avid drummer. However, when Starr began to play, the loud noise frightened him so terribly that he ran out of the room screaming and never used his drum kit again.
Like his father, Dhani Harrison showed a keen interest in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
auto racing. He accompanied George to Grand Prix
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
races around the world.
Education
Harrison attended Badgemore Primary school in Henley-on-Thames, then Dolphin School near TwyfordTwyford, Berkshire
For other places of the same name, see Twyford.Twyford is a village and civil parish in the English Royal county of Berkshire. It is situated, at , in the heart of the Thames Valley on the A4 between Reading and Maidenhead, close to Henley-on-Thames and Wokingham.-History:The town's name is...
, a Montessori method
Montessori method
Montessori education is an educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori. Montessori education is practiced in an estimated 20,000 schools worldwide, serving children from birth to eighteen years old.-Overview:...
school. He later attended Shiplake College
Shiplake College
Shiplake College is an independent school in Shiplake, by the River Thames just outside Henley-on-Thames, England. The school, with just over 350 pupils, admits day boys from 11-18 and boarding boys from 13-18. Day and boarding girls join the College in the Sixth Form.The College offers small class...
, also near Henley, where he showed a keen interest in rowing. Harrison is an alumnus of Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, where he studied physics and industrial design.
After graduating from Brown, Harrison pursued a career as an aerodynamicist
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...
; however, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps as a professional musician.
Musical career
After George Harrison's death on 29 November 2001, Dhani Harrison, in collaboration with Jeff LynneJeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
, completed George's final album, Brainwashed
Brainwashed (album)
Brainwashed is the final studio album by George Harrison, released in 2002, almost a year after his death at age 58. As a posthumous release, Brainwashed garnered much attention upon its unveiling.-History:...
, which was released in 2002. He participated in the Concert for George
Concert for George
The Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 as a memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his death. The event was organized by Harrison's widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, and arranged under the musical direction of Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne...
on the first anniversary of George's death. The concert was organized by Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and featured some of George's friends and collaborators, including Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
, Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
, Jeff Lynne
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
, Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
, Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, Jim Keltner
Jim Keltner
James Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
, Joe Brown
Joe Brown (singer)
Joe Brown, MBE is an English entertainer.He has worked as a rock and roll singer and guitarist for more than five decades. He was a stage and television performer in the late 1950s and a UK recording star in the early 1960s...
and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. Dhani Harrison played backup acoustic guitar for most of the concert. Before the finale, McCartney relayed to the audience, "Olivia said that with Dhani up on stage, it looks like George stayed young and we all got old".
In March 2006, Harrison made a guest appearance on Liam Lynch
Liam Lynch (musician)
Liam Lynch is a musician, puppeteer, writer and director. He co-created, co-wrote, played the music for, directed, and produced MTV's Sifl and Olly Show....
's Podcast Video Variety Show, Lynchland. They performed a duet that will appear on a Lynch album. He collaborated with Jakob Dylan
Jakob Dylan
Jakob Luke Dylan is the lead singer and songwriter of the rock band The Wallflowers and is a son of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and Sara Dylan. He has also recorded two solo albums.-Personal life:...
on the John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
song "Gimme Some Truth
Gimme Some Truth
"Gimme Some Truth" is a protest song written and performed by John Lennon from his 1971 album Imagine.Like several songs on the album, such as the title track "Imagine", "Gimme Some Truth" has blatant political references emerging from the time it was written, during the latter years of the Vietnam...
" for the Lennon tribute album "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur is a compilation album of various artists covering songs of John Lennon to benefit Amnesty International's campaign to alleviate the crisis in Darfur...
", which was released on 12 June 2007. Dhani is credited on two unreleased Traveling Wilburys
Traveling Wilburys
The Traveling Wilburys were an English–American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, accompanied by drummer Jim Keltner...
tracks under the pseudonym Ayrton Wilbury, a tribute to Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
.
In April 2006, it was announced that Harrison's band, thenewno2
Thenewno2
Thenewno2 are an alternative rock band from London, originally composed of Dhani Harrison and Oliver Hecks, with Harrison playing lead guitar and singing lead vocals, and Hecks playing drums and synthesizer. As of mid 2009, the live band features Harrison, Jon Sadoff, Jeremy Faccone, Nick Fyffe,...
had begun recording. The band released a music video, "Choose What You're Watching", on its website. thenewno2 features Harrison on lead guitar, synthesiser and vocals and Oli Hecks on drums and synths. He also contributed to the 2007 EP by Heather Porcaro
Heather Porcaro
Heather Porcaro is an american singer-songwriter. She comes from a long line of musicians, including a world-renowned percussionist and some of Los Angeles' most celebrated studio musicians...
& the Heartstring Symphony, Rooney
Rooney (band)
Rooney is an American rock band from Los Angeles, currently self-produced and formerly signed to Geffen Records. The band is now composed of Robert Schwartzman , Louie Stephens , Taylor Locke , Ned Brower , and Brandon Schwartzel...
's 2007 CD Calling the World
Calling the World
Calling the World is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Rooney. It was released on July 17, 2007.The album is the result of almost three years of recording, with over 50 songs recorded during the sessions. "When Did Your Heart Go Missing?", was released as the lead single....
. He was involved in a re-working of the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by George Harrison, first recorded by The Beatles in 1968 for their eponymous double album...
" entitled "The Heart Gently Weeps
The Heart Gently Weeps
"The Heart Gently Weeps" is the first single from the 2007 album 8 Diagrams by the Wu-Tang Clan. The song features an interpolation of The Beatles song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" The vocals are sung by R&B singer Erykah Badu...
", which was the first single on the Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
's album, 8 Diagrams
8 Diagrams
8 Diagrams is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released December 11, 2007 on SRC/Universal Motown Records. The album was released three years after the passing of Ol' Dirty Bastard, and six years after the group's previous LP Iron Flag, for which many group members...
, released in December 2007.
thenewno2's debut album, You Are Here
You Are Here (thenewno2 album)
You Are Here is the debut album by Thenewno2. It was released online on 1 August 2008, and in stores on 31 March 2009. The album was written, produced and performed by Dhani Harrison and Oliver Hecks. The album was recorded and mixed by Paul Hicks....
was released online on 11 August 2008 and in stores on 31 March 2009. The song "Yomp" was featured as a downloadable song for the Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
series, and "Crazy Tuesday" was featured as one of the 20 free songs that were downloadable with the purchase of Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
.
On 14 April 2009, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce posthumously awarded George Harrison a star on the Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
. After Olivia Harrison gave a short speech about her late husband, Dhani Harrison uttered the "Hare Krishna" mantra.
In August 2010, Dhani Harrison, Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur joined together to form Fistful of Mercy
Fistful of Mercy
Fistful of Mercy is a rock group consisting of Dhani Harrison, Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur.-History:The band formed in February 2010, when Arthur asked Harper to accompany him in the studio; Harper then asked Harrison, whom he had met at a skate park in Santa Monica, California, to accompany them...
.
Video games
It was announced in 2009 that Harrison was collaborating in the development of The Beatles: Rock BandThe Beatles: Rock Band
The Beatles: Rock Band is a 2009 music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the third major console release in the Rock Band music video game series, in which players can simulate the playing of rock music by using...
, a music video game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
released on 9 September 2009 on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii gaming platforms. Dhani Harrison was instrumental in the creation of the game and urged McCartney and Starr to participate. When asked about the game production Dhani stated, "I took the project to Apple
Apple Corps
Apple Corps Ltd. is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by the members of The Beatles to replace their earlier company and to form a conglomerate. Its name is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, which was launched in the same year...
and sort of convinced everybody to have a presentation. My job description is... being enthusiastic. We've been working on it for the past two years. This is the first one that is going to be totally, historically accurate. It's been a real headache, but it's been the most enjoyable work I've done in my life."
To promote the game's release, he appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009 to January 22, 2010 as part of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise...
on 8 September 2009 and at the end of the show they played "Birthday" with Dhani on drums, Conan on bass, and Aaron Bleyaert and Mark Pender
Mark Pender
Mark "The Loveman" Pender is a trumpet player and vocalist who has played with Southside Johnny, Little Steven and Bruce Springsteen. Since 1993 he has performed on Late Night With Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien as a member of The Max Weinberg 7 and The Tonight Show Band...
on guitar.
Harrison told the Chicago Tribune in an interview that he is "working on Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
and making the controllers more real so people can actually learn how to play music while playing the game".