George Harrison
8.3
Amongst his many accomplishments in the musical world as the Quiet Beatle and then on his own as a solo artist, George Harrison knew how to grow a beautiful beard. He looked pretty Christ-y, and I’m OK with that, considering his triple album All Things Must Pass elevated him to god status back in 1970. Though, if you do a better search than I, you may find much better faces from Abbey Road and Hey Jude sessions (the above rating is based on all Harrison’s beards).
Wow — I have long admired this one and it gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. Harrison was always a little too well-groomed for the average hippie. The beard isn’t wild and free so much as totally zen. It humbly reaches out to the melancholy observer consolingly offering “It’s not always going to be this grey.”
Photos via Life
Editor’s Note: I admit I was under the impression that Harrison had the best beard for the longest time. Most of the Abbey Road through All Things Must Pass session photos depict Harrison with a massive shadow beneath his nose. Rare are the photos that show just how scraggly his beard was. Indeed, the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971 sheds some light on Harrison’s beard’s actual status, and it doesn’t live up to my prior assumptions and false memories. The good news is it’s still an amazing Beatle beard.
