Profile of George Martin on Famous Like Me

For the author, see George R. R. Martin.

Sir George Martin CBE (born January 3, 1926) 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 is now a knight. Additionally he is the father of producer Giles Martin.

Martin first worked for EMI in 1950, becoming manager of the Parlophone label in 1955. Originally he worked with comedians such as Peter Sellers and Rolf Harris. He first auditioned the Beatles in 1962 after they had been turned down by Decca. He signed them up although his initial reaction was that "they were pretty awful". This marked the beginning of a long relationship, in which Martin's musical expertise helped fill the gap between their raw talent and the sound they wanted to achieve. Most of the arrangements for orchestral instruments were done by Martin, in collaboration with members of the Beatles - 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 as sheet music. Some of Martin's noteworthy arrangements include "Eleanor Rigby", for which he scored and conducted a strings-only accompaniment, "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".

Aside from his work with the Beatles (both group and solo projects), Martin has also produced albums for many 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 sang the title song.

He published a memoir, All You Need is Ears, 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 music recording.

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.

In My Life

Not wanting to leave his final production to chance, Martin released the CD In My Life in 1998. There, he assembled a variety of unexpected instrumentalists, singers, and non-singing vocalists. The CD comprises cover versions of Beatles songs. The tracks:

Track listing

1. "Come Together" -- Robin Williams & Bobby McFerrin
2. "A Hard Day's Night" -- Goldie Hawn
3. "A Day in the Life" -- Jeff Beck
4. "Here, There, and Everywhere" -- Céline Dion
5. "Because" -- Vanessa Mae
6. "I Am the Walrus" -- Jim Carrey
7. "Here Comes the Sun" -- John Williams
8. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" -- Billy Connolly
9. "The Pepperland Suite" -- George Martin
10. "Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight"/"The End" -- Phil Collins
11. "Friends and Lovers" -- George Martin
12. "In My Life" -- Sean Connery

A bonus track is included on pressings of the album for South America ("Ticket to Ride" by the Meninas Cantoras de Petropolis) & Japan ("Blackbird" by Bonnie Pink).

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