The Background Check: How much do you know about George Harrison?

Every Thursday on CBC Radio 2 Drive, Rich Terfry gives you a chance to win a great prize if you can separate the facts from the fiction about a famous artist. Rich will give you three clues, and one of them is true. Listen at 5:15 p.m. and send your answer on Twitter, Facebook or Email: R2Drive@cbc.ca Today: George Harrison

George Harrison. The quiet Beatle.

Harrison struggled to make a name for himself as a guitarist, lyricist and personality in the Fab 4, and in the end he proved to be a formidable alternative to the Lennon/McCartney cannon. The songs he wrote as a Beatle, as a solo artist and with the Traveling Wilburys have a style and sound all their own.

Harrison was a deeply spiritual man, learning the music, culture and religions of India early in his life. He became reclusive in the late '70s after relentless touring and health issues. Before his untimely death in 2001, Harrison had become a avid gardener, played a lot of ukulele, and enjoyed making movies.

But how much do you really know about George Harrison? Here are ten stories that may surprise you about one of rock and roll's greatest talents.

1. Harrison usually managed to squeeze one or two of his songs into the Beatles albums of the 1960s. His handywork included "Taxman," "Here Comes The Sun" and "Within You Without You." His song "Something" is the second most covered Beatles song of all time.

2. Harrison had a great sense of humor and was always looking for outlets for his creativity. He helped to form Handmade Films and funded the making of Monty Python'sLife of Brian.

3. At one point it didn't look like Harrison would become a musician at all! He worked as an apprentice electrician at a department store early in his life.

4) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the Beatles game-changing album from 1967. It legacy continues to astonish music lovers, but Harrison had mixed feelings. In the book George Harrison by Alan Clayson, Harrison said, "It was a millstone and a milestone in the music industry. ... There's about half the songs I like and the other half I can't stand."

5. Harrison did indeed quit The Beatles in 1969. He returned to the Let It Be sessions 12 days later after negotiations with the band.

6. George enjoyed massive success with his All Things Must Pass triple album in 1970, but this wasn't his first solo effort. Harrison had already produced instrumental-heavy albums titled Wonderwall Music and Electronic Sound.

7. Harrison's mega-hit "My Sweet Lord" came under attack when he was sued for plagiarism. The song was compared with the 1963 Chiffons hit "He's So Fine." The lawsuit dragged into the 1990s!

8. Harrison was well known for introducing Indian music and instruments into western pop culture. In his later years he turned to the music of Hawaii, specifically, the ukulele.

9. George's son, Dahni Harrison, has been an important keeper of the Harrison legacy. He has been involved with numerous musical projects, including performing at the Concert For George that Eric Clapton put together. George explained that his son's name comes from two notes found in traditional scales used in India.