Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness taught to them by some other 1960s musical icon. All three were true for George Harrison. There’s no denying that the guitarist was great from the very start, colouring The Beatles’ tunes with his imaginative flair. But when it came to creating his magnum opus, his elevated excellence was boosted by one necessary teacher.

As the biggest band in the world, The Beatles had powerful peers. They ascended to the top alongside some of the most iconic figures in music history, rubbing shoulders with rock stars, actors, models, religious leaders, and even world leaders. Realistically, the Fab Four had access to virtually anyone they wanted. With that level of fame, no one was likely more than a phone call away. If they sought support from any musician on the planet, they could probably just reach out and make it happen.

But the band never seemed to operate like that. The world of The Beatles was tight-knit, born out of only their own inspiration, their group dynamics, and a small cast of collaborators who were privy to their process. There was George Martin, the so-called fifth Beatle. There was Billy Preston, who greatly impacted their later works. There was even Eric Clapton, whose playing and obsession with his wife pushed George Harrison into bigger, more anthemic sounds.

For one later track, though, there was another voice in the mix. In 1968, the Fab Four decamped to India to study meditation. Along with them, there was a scattering of other names like Mia Farrow and her sister Prudence, McCartney’s girlfriend Jane Asher, and folk star Donovan.

The Beatles’ love for Donovan makes perfect sense. The Scottish singer burst onto the same countercultural folk scene that Bob Dylan dominated, and the band once dubbed Dylan their “idol”. They were clearly interested in that more poetic folk sound and the way Dylan and Donovan’s lyrics dipped between imagery, symbolism and straight-taking, real-world declarations, managing to make them sound just as moving as any metaphor.

Harrison was inspired by Donovan’s guitar playing. As he got to know the artist, the world of folk playing opened up to him, revealing a different sound from the classic rock and roll he was used to. One night, Donovan taught him a descending chord pattern that would come to be the one used on ‘Something’, the track considered to be Harrison’s best.

“I became George’s mentor for songwriting,” Donovan said in a 2024 interview. As the two musicians grew closer, the Scottish artist saw the impact he had on the quiet Beatle, helping to coax him out. He recalled, “He was in the shadow of John and Paul for so many years, and I said, ‘Look, I’ll show you a few tricks, how to encourage the songs.’”

“There’s a way to encourage the song to come,” he added. “You can tease it, like fishing. I told him how to play a chord then put your ear on the guitar, listen to the open chord and try a tempo. You can hear melodies, believe it or not. Melodies appear, but you’ve got to be quick to catch them.”

Donovan’s teachings clearly worked. From 1968 onwards, Harrison’s stamp on the band grew bolder. His tracks like ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’, ‘Here Comes The Sun’ and ‘Something’ became some of their most defining works as the guitarist refused to go unhead anymore. With Donovan’s teaching and empowering encouragement, Harrison grasped his greatness.