George Martin

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Lore & Background

Martin's career spanned more than sixty years. Before working with the Beatles, he produced comedy and novelty records in the 1950s and early 1960s as head of EMI's Parlophone label, working with Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, and Bernard Cribbins. He joined EMI in November 1950 as an assistant to Oscar Preuss, the head of Parlophone. When Preuss retired in April 1955, the 29-year-old Martin took over the label. He staved off corporate pressure with successes like the 1957 recording of At the Drop of a Hat featuring Michael Flanders and Donald Swann. Martin's first British number-one came in May 1961 with the Temperance Seven song "You're Driving Me Crazy (What Did I Do?)." He cultivated a working relationship with Brian Epstein, discussing the Beatles on 13 February 1962. Martin auditioned them on 6 June 1962, and they signed a record contract on 4 September 1962 (not backdated to include the June recordings). "Love Me Do" became the group's first hit in October 1962. Between the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Martin-produced and Epstein-managed acts were responsible for 37 weeks of number-one singles in 1963, transforming Parlophone into the leading EMI label.

In Their Own Story

In December 1962 in Liverpool, Epstein showed Martin other successful local acts like Gerry and the Pacemakers and the Fourmost. Martin urged Epstein to audition them for EMI. Gerry and the Pacemakers scored their first number-one with their version of "How Do You Do It?", which Martin produced, in April 1963. Martin also produced the Epstein-managed Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, the Fourmost, and Cilla Black. By the time he signed a three-year contract renewal in 1959, Martin sought but failed to obtain a royalty on Parlophone's record sales. He reflected, "I reckoned that if I was going to devote my life to building up something which wasn't mine, I deserved some form of commission." The issue continued to linger, and Martin said he "nearly didn't sign" his spring 1962 contract renewal over this matter, even threatening EMI's managing director.

Reader's Guide

Martin's formal musical expertise and interest in novel recording practices facilitated the Beatles' rudimentary musical education and desire for new musical sounds to record. Most of their orchestral and string arrangements were written by Martin, and he played the piano or keyboards on a number of their records. Their collaborations resulted in popular, highly acclaimed records with innovative sounds, such as the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. In 1965, Martin left EMI and formed his own production company, Associated Independent Recording. AllMusic has described Martin as the "world's most famous record producer." In his career, Martin produced 30 number-one hit singles in the United Kingdom and 23 number-one hits in the United States, winning six Grammy Awards. In recognition of his services to the music industry and popular culture, he was made a Knight Bachelor in 1996.

Did You Know?

• Martin produced 30 number-one hit singles in the United Kingdom and 23 number-one hits in the United States.
• He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1996 for his services to the music industry and popular culture.
• Martin's first British number-one came in May 1961 with the Temperance Seven song "You're Driving Me Crazy (What Did I Do?)."
• Between the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Martin-produced and Epstein-managed acts were responsible for 37 weeks of number-one singles in 1963.
• Martin joined EMI in November 1950 as an assistant to Oscar Preuss, the head of Parlophone, and took over the label in April 1955 at age 29.