Preparation
Shankar’s original hope was to raise a humble $25,000 through a benefit concert of his own, compered perhaps by actor Peter Sellers. By late June, however, following the publication of an influential article by Pakistani journalist Anthony Mascarenhas in London's Sunday Times, and with the record and film outlets available to Harrison through The Beatles' Apple organisation, the idea had grown to become a star-studded extravaganza, mixing Western rock with Indian classical music, and it was to be held at the most prestigious venue in America: Madison Square Garden, in New York City. Harrison got off the phone with Shankar once the concept had been finalised and started enthusing with wife Pattie Boyd and their friend Chris O'Dell about possible performers. Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Jim Keltner, Klaus Voormann, Billy Preston and the four members of Badfinger were all mentioned during this initial brainstorming.
Having previously worked in administrative roles at Apple headquarters and Friar Park, O'Dell set about contacting local musicians from the Harrisons’ rented house in Nichols Canyon, as Harrison took the long-distance calls, hoping more than anything to secure Bob Dylan’s participation. Almost all of those first-choice names signed on immediately, while a day spent boating with Memphis musician Don Nix resulted in him agreeing to organise a group of backing singers. As for a date for the concert, early August had been advised by a local Indian astrologer, and as things transpired, the 1st of that month, a Sunday, was the only day that Madison Square Garden was available at such short notice.
By 4 July, Harrison was in a Los Angeles studio recording his purpose-written song “Bangla Desh”, with co-producer Phil Spector and musical contributions from Starr, Russell, Voormann, Keltner and a horn section led by Jim Horn. After meeting with Badfinger in London to explain that he’d have to bow out of working on Straight Up, Harrison flew to New York on 13 July to see Lennon, who agreed to consider participating in the show as well. During the middle of July also, once back in Los Angeles, Harrison produced Ravi Shankar’s Bangladesh benefit record, an EP titled Joi Bangla, featuring Ali Akbar Khan and Alla Rakha. As with Harrison’s “Bangla Desh”, all profits from this recording would go to the newly established George Harrison–Ravi Shankar Special Emergency Relief Fund, to be distributed by UNICEF. Around this time, a phone call went out to Mick Jagger, who was forced to turn down Harrison’s invitation to perform, due to The Rolling Stones' precarious situation as tax exiles in France.
Also around the middle of July, the concert by "George Harrison and Friends" was announced “via a minuscule ad buried in the back pages of the New York Times”, author Nicholas Schaffner would recall. Tickets sold out in no time, leading to the announcement of a second show.
Towards the end of the month, when all parties were due to meet in New York for rehearsals, Harrison had the commitment of a backing band comprising Billy Preston (on keyboards), Badfinger (on acoustic rhythm guitars and tambourine, reprising their All Things Must Pass roles), Klaus Voormann (bass), Jim Keltner (drums) and Jim Horn’s so-called “Hollywood Horns”, including Chuck Findley, Jackie Kelso and Lou McCreary. Of the big-name stars, Leon Russell had committed also but on the proviso that he be supported by members of his tour band. Eric Clapton insisted he too would be there, even if O’Dell and other insiders, knowing of the guitarist’s incapacity due to severe heroin addiction, were surprised that Harrison had even considered him for the occasion.
As for Harrison’s former bandmates, John Lennon initially agreed to take part in the concert without his wife and musical partner Yoko Ono, as Harrison had apparently stipulated. Lennon then allegedly had an argument with Ono as a result of this agreement and left New York in a rage two days before the concerts. Lennon soon offered a different version of events, blaming manager Allen Klein for spreading false rumours, yet coming up with a story of his own that seemed to make a more damning case against himself: “I just didn’t feel like it. We were in the Virgin Islands and I certainly wasn’t going to be rehearsing in New York, then going back to the Virgin Islands, then coming back up to New York and singing.” Ringo Starr’s commitment had never been in question, and he would even interrupt the filming of his movie Blindman in Almeria, Spain, in order to attend. Paul McCartney declined to take part, however, citing the bad feelings caused by The Beatles' legal problems on their break-up. In a November 1971 interview with Chris Charlesworth of Melody Maker, McCartney admitted that his decision had also been based on Klein's involvement: a Beatles reunion, he said, would have been "an historical event", for which "Klein would have taken the credit".
Read more about this topic: The Concert For Bangladesh
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