Sweet profit for Harrison charity

My Sweet Lord was at number one for five weeksi n 1971

Profits from the re-release of George Harrison's My Sweet Lord will go to a charity set up by the musician, it has been announced.

The ex-Beatle's number one single and biggest solo hit is being re-released on 14 January following his death in November.

Proceeds will go to the Material World Charitable Foundation, which supports other charities worldwide particularly those working with children and the poor, said the Parlophone record label.

Harrison's charity was set up at the time of his 1973 album, Living In The Material World, and it received royalties from nine of the 11 songs from the LP.

Sales of Harrison albums rose after his death

The record company said the single's re-release was "due to public demand".

It features new artwork with an original photograph taken by Harrison.

It will also include a remix of My Sweet Lord which Harrison did for the reissue in 2000 of his critically acclaimed album All Things Must Pass.

My Sweet Lord was originally released 31 years ago in January 1971 and became the first solo post-Beatles number one for any of the group.

It was number one on both sides of the Atlantic, staying at the top of the UK charts for five weeks in January and February.

But it was also the source of a court battle in which Harrison was successfully sued for plagiarism by the publishers of The Chiffons' 1964 hit She's So Fine.

Harrison's other solo hits included Bangla Desh and Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).

He was 58 when he died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on 29 November.