George McConnell attended the University of Mississippi, where he was in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

In 1985, McConnell co-founded the band Beanland in Oxford, Mississippi with guitarist, Bill McCorry.

After some early shuffling, the band's line-up comprised McConnell and McCrory on guitar, John Hermann on keyboards, Ron Lewis on bass, and Harry Peel on drums.

[2] In 2002, following Widespread Panic guitarist Michael Houser's diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, McConnell and saxophone player Randall Bramblett were asked to accompany the band on their summer tour.

McConnell was named as the new lead guitarist in the band following Houser's death in August 2002.