Seth Rogovoy to Write George Harrison Book

UPDATED MARCH 25, 2024

(HUDSON, N.Y., June 15, 2021) – Seth Rogovoy will write a book about George Harrison for Oxford University Press, according to Publishers Marketplace, which describes WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU: Listening to George Harrison as “a critical reappraisal, giving Harrison his due as a musician, composer, and human being, revealing the crucial contributions he made to the Beatles’ sound and their songbook, his remarkable solo career, and the depth of his influence on popular and world music.”

Less a biography and more of a musical appreciation, WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU: Listening to George Harrison will be published in the United States on October 1, 2024.

The UK edition is expected to be published on or around January 7, 2025.

The book is now available for pre-order at bookstores and from all the major online book outlets.

“George Harrison has always been my favorite Beatle,” says Rogovoy, a longtime music critic and contributing editor at The Forward. “Revolver was my first Beatles album, and of course that one is often thought of as ‘George’s album,’ kicking off with his song ‘Taxman’ and including two other of his compositions—the most he had on a Beatles album up until that point.”

“But more than that, when I listen to the Beatles, I hear music that is glued together by George Harrison’s guitar. As much as any other single element, Harrison’s guitar is the ‘sound’ of the Beatles, and, I will argue, helped establish an entirely new, ‘orchestral’ role for the guitar in rock ‘n’ roll.”

Rogovoy plans to incorporate the views of dozens of musicians and cultural figures who crossed paths with or were influenced by Harrison in the book, which will explore Harrison’s life and career primarily through his songs and the stories behind them.

George Harrison

“Harrison’s leading role in pushing the Beatles towards incorporating classical Indian modes into their music, as well as the gentle manner in which he used his stardom to leverage worldwide interest in Eastern religion and spirituality, meditation, and particularly in helping rescue Bangladesh, cannot be underestimated,” says Rogovoy.

“Harrison is also the most mysterious and enigmatic of the Fab Four. The paradox of this introvert and Pisces who never sought fame and shunned the limelight—it is no accident that the first song he wrote was called ‘Don’t Bother Me’—only to wind up becoming one of the most famous human beings in history also makes Harrison an intriguing figure of endless fascination.”

 

According to Publishers Marketplace, the book by Rogovoy, author of BOB DYLAN: Prophet Mystic Poet, was sold to Norman Hirschy at Oxford University Press by Paul Bresnick at Bresnick Weil Literary Agency.

Rogovoy is also the author of THE ESSENTIAL KLEZMER: A Music Lover’s Guide to Jewish Roots and Soul Music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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