George Harrison | Ravi Shankar
A group of ephemera—including a signed thank you note from George Harrison to Ravi Shankar—regarding the Concert for Bangladesh, ca. 1971-1972
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April 23, 04:22 PM GMT
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5,000 - 7,000 USD
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Description
Two typescript letters belonging to Ravi Shankar: one from George Harrison, signed "Hare Krsna / George Harrison," with "Love from George" added in black ink, thanking Shankar for helping with the Concert for Bangladesh, stapled on top of another from UNICEF thanking both Harrison and Shankar for their significant support of and donation to the humanitarian agency. Typescript letters measure 8 ¼ x 10 ⅞ in. and 8 ½ x 11 in. respectively.
Together with Shankar’s 5 ¾ x 4 ⅞ in. invitation to a June 1972 surprise party in honor of Harrison and Allen Klein’s distinguished service with regard to Bangladesh, in 6 x 5 in. envelope. Newspaper clipping from March 2021 featuring a retrospective article about the concert also included.
In 1971, sitarist Ravi Shankar informed George Harrison about the humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh, which was known as East Pakistan at the time. Harrison immediately approached many of his friends and fellow musicians to play two charity concerts to benefit the people of East Pakistan, collectively titled the Concert for Bangladesh. Held at Madison Square Garden on 1 August 1971, there was a matinee and evening performance.
Ringo Starr appeared with Harrison—marking the first time since 1966 that the two had appeared together in a live performance. Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ravi Shankar and Billy Preston also performed, among others. The corresponding triple album was produced by Phil Spector. The Concert for Bangladesh was the first staged concert of rock superstars, a trend that later became ubiquitous.