George Harrison with Indian sitar master Ravi Shankar circa 1975; Bettmann via Getty ImagesThe sitar that George Harrison bought in an Oxford Street shop in London in 1965 — and subsequently used in the recording of the 1965 Rubber Soul single “Norwegian Wood” and other Beatles classics — fetched $62,500 at auction Thursday night in Los Angeles.
The sitar’s purchase, apparently a spur-of-the-moment decision by the late, former Beatle, inspired not only that song, but also touched off a lifelong love of Indian music, culture, and Hinduism for Harrison.
According to Nate D. Sanders Auctions, quoting the book Beatles ’66: The Revolutionary Year, the sitar was eventually given as a gift to Harrison’s friend George Drummond, as a thank-you present: Drummond opened his home in Barbados to Harrison and his then-wife, Pattie Boyd, for their honeymoon.
The certificate of authenticity on the sitar was certified by both Boyd and Drummond.
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