George Martin

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Sir George Martin

Sir George Martin CBE (born January 3, 1926 in Holloway, London) is sometimes referred to as "the fifth Beatle", a title that he owes to his work as producer of almost all of The Beatles' records. In recognition of his services to the music industry and popular culture, he was made a Knight Bachelor of the British Empire in 1996. He is also the father of producer Giles Martin.

1 Biography
2 Hit records produced or co-produced by George Martin
3 Discography
4 Selected Discography (as producer)
5 See also
6 External links

Biography

Martin attended the Guildhall School of Music in the years after World War II, paying his way with a veteran's grant (he had served during the war in the Royal Air Force). Following his graduation, he first worked for the BBC's classical music department, then joined EMI in 1950, as assistant to Oscar Preuss, the head of EMI's Parlophone Records. Taking over Parlophone as Preuss retired, Martin spent his first years with the record label recording classical and Baroque music, original cast recordings of hit plays, and regional music from around the British Isles. He also produced numerous comedy and novelty records, working with offbeat acts such as Peter Sellers, Rolf Harris and Shirley Abicair. Adding rock and roll to Parlophone's repertoire, Martin struggled to find a "fireproof", hitmaking rock artist or group.

He first auditioned The Beatles in 1962, after they had been turned down by Decca Records and most of the major British labels. Although his initial reaction was that "they were pretty awful", Martin signed them to a recording contract. This marked the beginning of a long relationship, in which Martin's musical expertise helped fill the gap between The Beatles' raw talent and the sound they wanted to achieve. Most of the orchestral arrangements and instrumentation (as well as frequent keyboard parts on the early records) on Beatles records were made or performed by Martin, in collaboration with the band. (A good example of this was on "Penny Lane", where Martin worked with McCartney on a piccolo trumpet solo: McCartney hummed the melody, and Martin wrote it down in music notation for the classically trained trumpeter.)

Martin's distinctive arranging work on Beatles recordings appears in "Eleanor Rigby", for which he scored and conducted a strings-only accompaniment (inspired by Bernard Herrmann's music for Fahrenheit 451), "Strawberry Fields Forever", where he turned two very different takes into a single master through careful use of vari-speed and editing, "I Am the Walrus", a quirky and original arrangement (for brass, violins, cellos and choir) effectively complementing the surreal imagery of the song's lyrics, playing a sped-up Baroque piano solo on "In My Life", and the orchestral 'windup' appearing in "A Day In The Life". He also contributed less praised but integral parts to other songs, including the piano in "Lovely Rita", the circus instrumentation in "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite", and the orchestration in "Good Night".

The Arms of Sir George Martin, decorated with beetles and with the motto, in Latin, "All you need is love".

Within the recording industry, Martin is noted for going independent at a time when many producers were still salaried staff A+R men — which he was until The Beatles' success gave him the leverage to start, in 1965, Associated Independent Recording (and hire out his own services to those artists that requested him). This arrangement not only demonstrated how important Martin's talents were considered to be by his artists, but also allowed him to take part in the share of record royalties on his hits. Today, Martin's AIR Studios remains one of the world's preeminent recording studios. Many Academy Award–winning films and Grammy-winning songs have been recorded at AIR.

Aside from his work with The Beatles (both group and solo projects), Martin has also produced recordings for many other artists, including the band America and country singer Kenny Rogers. He is also a renowned composer; he scored the Beatles' film Yellow Submarine and the James Bond film Live And Let Die, for which Paul McCartney wrote and sang the title song. Martin also worked with Gary Glitter before he was famous and recorded several songs with him in the 1960s under the name of "Paul Raven". Though none of these were major hits they later became collectable after Glitter became a star in the 1970s.

In 1979, he published a memoir, All You Need is Ears (co-written with Jeremy Hornsby), that both detailed his work with The Beatles and other artists (including Peter Sellers, Sophia Loren, Shirley Bassey, Flanders and Swann, Matt Monro, and Dudley Moore), and gave an informal introduction to the art and science of sound recording. In 1993 Martin published With A Little Help From My Friends: The Making of Sgt Pepper (published in UK as Summer of Love: The Making of Sgt Pepper, co-authored with William Pearson). Sir George also edited a 1983 book called Making Music: The Guide to Writing, Performing and Recording.

In 1990 Sir George Martin OBE accepted the offer to produce an original artist, Andy Leek (formerly of Dexy's Midnight Runners). The album, Say Something, was recorded for Atlantic Records and received critical acclaim.

Martin oversaw post-production on The Beatles Anthology in 1994 and 1995, but stepped down when it came to producing the two new singles to be included (reuniting McCartney, Harrison and Starr, to overdub two old Lennon demos). Martin had suffered a hearing loss, and left the work to writer/producer Jeff Lynne of ELO fame.

Martin was named the British Phonographic Industry's "Man of the Year" for 1998.

Sir George Martin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

In 2001 he released Produced By George Martin: 50 Years In Recording, a 6CD retrospective of his entire studio career.

In 2002, Martin launched Playback, his limited-edition illustrated autobiography.

Sir George has also been honored with a Gold Medal for Services to the Arts from the CISAC (the World Federation of Authors and Composers) and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to Film at Belgium's Flanders Film Festival.

2006 saw the Las Vegas launch of LOVE, a Cirque du Soleil spectacular set to 90 minutes of Beatles music, remixed by Sir George Martin and his son Giles Martin (a notable producer in his own right).

Hit records produced or co-produced by George Martin

chart positions courtsey of the United States Billboard Hot 100 unless noted otherwise.

“My Kind of Girl,” Matt Monro (7/31/61, #18)
“Why Not Now,” Matt Monro (10/30/61, #92)
“My Boomerang Won’t Come Back,” Charlie Drake (3/17/62, #21)
“Sun Arise,” Rolf Harris (4/13/63, #61)
“Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport,” Rolf Harris (7/13/63, #3)
“Nick Teen and Al K. Hall,” Rolf Harris (9/28/63, #95)
“I Want to Hold Your Hand,” Beatles (2/01/64, #1)
“Please Please Me,” Beatles (3/14/64, #3)
“She Loves You,” Beatles (3/21/64, #1)
“I Saw Her Standing There,” Beatles (3/21/64, #14)
“Can’t Buy Me Love,” Beatles (4/04/64, #1)
“Twist and Shout,” Beatles (4/04/64, #2)
“From Me to You,” Beatles (4/04/64, #41)
“Roll Over Beethoven,” Beatles (4/04/64, #68)
“You Can’t Do That,” Beatles (4/11/64, #48)
“There’s a Place,” Beatles (4/11/64, #64)
“All My Loving,” Beatles (4/25/64, #45)
“Do You Want to Know a Secret,” Beatles (5/09/64, #2)
“Thank You Girl,” Beatles (5/09/64, #35)
“Love Me Do,” Beatles (5/30/64, #1)
“P.S. I Love You,” Beatles (6/06/64, #10)
“Little Children,” Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas (6/13/64, #7)
“Bad to Me,” Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas (6/27/64, #9)
Four by the Beatles (EP), Beatles (6/27/64, #92)
“Sie Liebt Dich (She Loves You),” Beatles (6/27/64, #97)
“Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying,” Gerry and the Pacemakers (7/04/64, #4)
“I’m the One,” Gerry and the Pacemakers (7/18/64, #82)
“A Hard Day’s Night,” Beatles (8/01/64, #1)
“You’re My World,” Cilla Black (8/01/64, #26)
“I’m Happy Just to Dance with You,” Beatles (8/01/64, #95)
“I Should Have Known Better,” Beatles (8/15/64, #53)
“I’ll Keep You Satisfied,” Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas (8/22/64, #30)
“I’ll Cry Instead,” Beatles (8/29/64, #25)
“How Do You Do It?,” Gerry and the Pacemakers (9/05/64, #9)
“If I Fell,” Beatles (9/05/64, #53)
“And I Love Her,” Beatles (9/12/64, #12)
“Ringo’s Theme (This Boy),” George Martin (9/12/64, #53)
“From a Window,” Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas (10/03/64, #23)
“It’s for You,” Cilla Black (10/03/64, #79)
“Slow Down,” Beatles (10/10/64, #25)
“Matchbox,” Beatles (10/17/64, #17)
“I Like It,” Gerry and the Pacemakers (11/07/64, #17)
“I Feel Fine,” Beatles (12/26/54, #1)
“She’s a Woman,” Beatles (12/26/64, #4)
“Walk Away,” Matt Monro (1/09/65, #23)
“I’ll Be There,” Gerry and the Pacemakers (1/30/65, #14)
“It’s Gotta Last Forever,” Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas (3/06/65, #67)
“Eight Days a Week,” Beatles (3/13/65, #1)
“Ferry Across the Mersey,” Gerry and the Pacemakers (3/20/65, #6)
“I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party,” Beatles (3/20/65, #39)
“Goldfinger,” Shirley Bassey (3/27/65, #8)
4-By the Beatles (EP), Beatles (3/27/65, #68)
“It’s Gonna Be Alright,” Gerry and the Pacemakers (5/08/65, #23)
“Yes It Is,” Beatles (5/15/65, #46)
“Ticket to Ride,” Beatles (5/22/65, #1)
“You’ll Never Walk Alone,” Gerry and the Pacemakers (7/03/65, #48)
“Trains and Boats and Planes,” Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas (7/31/65, #47)
“Help!,” Beatles (9/04/65, #1)
“Give All Your Love to Me,” Gerry and the Pacemakers (9/11/65, #68)
“Yesterday,” Beatles (10/09/65, #1)
“Act Naturally,” Beatles (10/23/65, #47)
“We Can Work It Out,” Beatles (1/08/66, #1)
“Day Tripper,” Beatles (1/22/66, #5)
“Michelle,” David and Jonathan (2/12/66, #18)
“What Goes On,” Beatles (3/19/66, #81)
“Nowhere Man,” Beatles (3/26/66, #3)
“La La La,” Gerry and the Pacemakers (4/16/66, #90)
“Paperback Writer,” Beatles (6/25/66, #1)
“Rain,” Beatles (7/09/66, #23)
“Alfie,” Cilla Black (9/10/66, #95)
“Yellow Submarine,” Beatles (9/17/66, #2)
“Eleanor Rigby,” Beatles (9/24/66, #11)
“Girl on a Swing,” Gerry and the Pacemakers (10/22/66, #28)
“Penny Lane,” Beatles (3/18/67, #1)
“Strawberry Fields Forever,” Beatles (4/01/67, #8)
“Baby You’re a Rich Man,” Beatles (8/12/67, #34)
“All You Need Is Love,” Beatles (8/19/67, #1)
“I Am the Walrus,” Beatles (12/23/67, #1)
“Hello Goodbye,” Beatles (12/30/67, #1)
“The Inner Light,” Beatles (3/30/68, #96)
“Lady Madonna,” Beatles (4/20/68, #4)
“Revolution,” Beatles (9/21/68, #12)
“Hey Jude,” Beatles (9/28/68, #1)
“Get Back,” Beatles with Billy Preston (5/24/69, #1)
“Don’t Let Me Down,” Beatles with Billy Preston (5/24/69, #35)
“The Ballad of John and Yoko,” Beatles (7/12/69, #8)
“Come Together” / “Something,” Beatles (11/29/69, #1)
“Let It Be,” Beatles (4/11/70, #1)
“Live and Let Die,” Paul McCartney and Wings (8/11/73, #2)
“Tin Man,” America (11/09/74, #4)
“Lonely People,” America (3/08/75, #5)
“Sister Golden Hair,” America (6/14/75, #1)
“Daisy Jane,” America (9/27/75, #23)
“Woman Tonight,” America (1/17/76, #44)
“Today’s the Day,” America (7/10/76, #23)
“Got to Get You into My Life,” Beatles (7/24/76, #7)
“Amber Cascades,” America (9/11/76, #75)
“Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da,” Beatles (12/11/76, #49)
“Got to Get You into My Life,” Earth, Wind and Fire (9/16/78, #9)
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band/With a Little Help from My Friends,” Beatles (9/30/78, #71)
“Oh! Darling,” Robin Gibb (10/07/78, #15)
“Get Back,” Billy Preston (10/28/78, #86)
“Stop This Game,” Cheap Trick (12/06/80, #48)
“The Beatles Movie Medley,” Beatles (5/08/82, #12)
“Ebony and Ivory,” Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder (5/15/82, #1)
“Take It Away,” Paul McCartney (8/21/82, #10)
“Tug of War,” Paul McCartney (10/23/82, #53)
“Say Say Say,” Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson (12/10/83, #1)
“So Bad,” Paul McCartney (2/11/84, #23)
“No More Lonely Nights,” Paul McCartney (12/08/84, #6)
“Morning Desire,” Kenny Rogers (1985, #72, Country #1, Adult Contemporary #8)
“Tomb Of The Unknown Love,” (1986, Country #1)
“Twist and Shout,” Beatles (reissue) (9/27/86, #23)
“Candle in the Wind 1997,” Elton John (10/11/97, #1)

Discography

Off The Beatle Track (1964)
Help! (1965)
George Martin Instrumentally Salutes The Beatle Girls (1966)
Yellow Submarine (side one: The Beatles, side two: The George Martin Orchestra) (1969)
Live and Let Die (producer for Paul McCartney's song and composer of musical score) (1973)
In My Life (1998)
Produced by George Martin (2001)
The Family Way (2003)

Selected Discography (as producer)

The Action (several singles) (1960s)
Michael Flanders and Donald Swann — At the Drop of a Hat (1960)
The Beatles — Please Please Me (1963)
The Beatles — With the Beatles (1963)
Michael Flanders and Donald Swann — At the Drop of Another Hat (1964)
The Beatles — Beatles for Sale (1964)
Michael Flanders and Donald Swann — Bestiary of Flanders & Swann (1964)
The Beatles — A Hard Day's Night (1964)
Gerry and the Pacemakers — Ferry Cross the Mersey (1965)
The Beatles — Help! (1965)
The Beatles — Rubber Soul (1965)
The Beatles — Revolver (1966)
Ivor Cutler Trio — Ludo (1967)
The Beatles — Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
The Beatles — Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
The Beatles — Beatles (White Album) (1968)
The Beatles — Abbey Road (1969)
Ringo Starr — Sentimental Journey (1970)
Paul Winter Consort — Icarus (1973)
Mahavishnu Orchestra — Apocalypse (1974)
America — Holiday (1974)
Jeff Beck — Blow by Blow (1975)
America — Hearts (1975)
America — Hideaway (1976)
Jeff Beck — Wired (1976)
Jimmy Webb — El Mirage (1977)
America — Harbor (1977)
Gary Brooker — No More Fear of Flying (1979)
Cheap Trick — All Shook Up (1980)
UFO — No Place to Run (1980)
Little River Band — Time Exposure (1981)
Ultravox — Quartet (1982)
Paul McCartney — Tug of War (1982)
Paul McCartney — Pipes of Peace (1983)
Paul McCartney — Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984)
Laurie London — He's Got the Whole World in His Hands (1984)
Andy Leek — Say Something (1990)
3D Picnic — New Wave Party (1991)
Aerosmith — Pandora's Box (1991)
Tommy (Original Cast Recording) (1993)
Matt Monro — Softly, As I Leave You (1995)
The Vipers Skiffle Group — 10,000 Years Ago (1996)
Paul McCartney — Flaming Pie (1997)
Celine Dion — Let's Talk About Love (1997)
George Martin — In My Life (1998)

External links

Sir George Martin
College of Arms - The Arms of Sir George Martin, Kt., C.B.E.
Biography on AIR Studios website
Official Website of Andy Leek - the last original artist to be produced by Sir George Martin OBE

Preceded by: John Barry 1962-1971	James Bond film score composer 1973	Succeeded by: John Barry 1974

The Beatles
John Lennon \| Paul McCartney \| George Harrison \| Ringo Starr Pete Best \| Stuart Sutcliffe
Management
Brian Epstein \| Allen Klein \| Apple Records
Production
George Martin \| Geoff Emerick \| Norman Smith \| Phil Spector \| Abbey Road Studios
Official studio albums
Please Please Me (1963) \| With the Beatles (1963) \| A Hard Day's Night (1964) \| Beatles for Sale (1964) \| Help! (1965) \| Rubber Soul (1965) \| Revolver (1966) \| Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) \| Magical Mystery Tour (1967) \| The Beatles (The White Album) (1968) \| Yellow Submarine (1969) \| Abbey Road (1969) \| Let It Be (1970)
Filmography
A Hard Day's Night (1964) \| Help! (1965) \| Magical Mystery Tour (1967) \| Yellow Submarine (1968) \| Let It Be (1970)
Related articles
Line-ups \| Bootlegs \| Lennon/McCartney \| Anthology \| Influence \| The Quarrymen \| London \| Beatlemania \| Fifth Beatle \| Paul is dead \| British Invasion \| Apple Corps \| Northern Songs \| Yoko Ono
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James Bond music

Title themes

Unofficial films: Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass "Casino Royale" | Lani Hall "Never Say Never Again"

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