George Martin

Sir George Henry Martin was an award-winning English record producer and arranger. He produced many of The Beatles' albums. Martin also played the piano for many of their songs, and wrote the instrumental scores for their movies, as well as for the movie . George was born on 3 January 1926, and he passed away on 8 March 2016, aged 90.

When Martin was six years old, his parents bought a piano that sparked their son's musical interest. Two years later he persuaded his parents to pay for piano lessons. He listened to a wide range of musical styles, encompassing, and , attending the from 1947 to 1950, studying piano and oboe. While still at the Academy, Martin married Sheena Chisholm, with whom he had two children, Alexis and Gregory. He later married Judy Lockhart-Smith on 24 June 1966, and they also had two children, Lucy and Giles Martin. Following his graduation, he worked for the 's department, then joined  in 1950. Martin produced numerous comedy and s. In the early 1950s, he worked with, and.

In a career that spanned over six decades, he worked in music, film, TV, and live performance. As well as all the creative work, he held a number of senior executive roles at media companies and contributed to a wide range of charitable causes, including his work for the and the  island of.

In recognition of his services to the music industry and, he was made a in 1996. He was the father of producer Giles Martin and writer, producer and actor Gregory Paul Martin.

Selected non-Beatles hit records produced or co-produced by George Martin
During his career, Martin produced 30 number-one singles and 16 number-one albums in the UK – plus a record-tying 23 number-one singles and 19 number-one albums in the US (most of which were by the Beatles).


 * "You're Driving Me Crazy", The Temperance Seven (25 May 1961, no. 1 UK)
 * "My Kind of Girl", Matt Monro (31 July 1961, no. 5 UK)
 * "My Boomerang Won't Come Back", Charlie Drake (5 October 1961, no. 14 UK)
 * "Sun Arise", Rolf Harris (25 October 1962, no. 3 UK)
 * "How Do You Do It?", Gerry & the Pacemakers (11 April 1963, no. 1 UK)
 * "Bad to Me", Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas (22 August 1963, no. 1 UK)
 * "Hello Little Girl", The Fourmost (30 August 1963, no. 9 UK)
 * "Little Children", Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas (19 March 1964, no. 1 UK)
 * "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying", Gerry and the Pacemakers (4 July 1964, no. 4 US)
 * "You're My World", Cilla Black (1 August 1964, no. 1 UK)
 * "Walk Away", Matt Monro (4 September 1964, no. 4 UK)
 * "I Like It", Gerry & the Pacemakers (7 November 1964, no. 1 UK)
 * "I'll Be There", Gerry & the Pacemakers (30 January 1965, no. 15 UK)
 * "Ferry Cross the Mersey", Gerry & the Pacemakers (20 March 1965, no. 6 US)
 * "Goldfinger", Shirley Bassey (27 March 1965, no. 8 UK)
 * "Alfie", Cilla Black (10 September 1966, no. 9 UK)
 * "Step Inside Love", Cilla Black (8 March 1968, no. 8 UK)
 * "Live and Let Die", Paul McCartney & Wings (1 June 1973, no. 9 UK, no. 2 US)
 * "Tin Man", America (9 November 1974, no. 4 US)
 * "Lonely People", America (8 March 1975, no. 5 US)
 * "Sister Golden Hair", America (14 June 1975, no. 1 US)
 * "Oh! Darling", Robin Gibb (7 October 1978, no. 15 UK)
 * "The Night Owls", Little River Band (1981, no. 6 US)
 * "Ebony and Ivory", Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (29 March 1982, no. 1 UK and US)
 * "Say Say Say", Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson (10 December 1983, no. 2 UK, no. 1 US)
 * "No More Lonely Nights", Paul McCartney (8 December 1984, no. 2 UK, no. 6 US)
 * "Morning Desire", Kenny Rogers (10 July 1985, no. 1 US Country)
 * "The Man I Love", Kate Bush & Larry Adler (18 July 1994, no. 27 UK)
 * "Candle in the Wind 1997", Elton John (11 October 1997, no. 1 UK and US)
 * Pure, Hayley Westenra (10 July 2003, no. 1 UK classical chart, no. 8 UK album chart)

Discography

 * Off the Beatle Track (1964 Parlophone PCS 3057)
 * By Popular Demand, A Hard Day's Night: Instrumental Versions of the Motion Picture Score (19 February 1964, United Artists)
 * George Martin Scores Instrumental Versions of the Hits (1965)
 * Help! (1965, Columbia TWO 102)
 * ..and I Love Her (1966, Columbia TWO 141)
 * George Martin Instrumentally Salutes The Beatle Girls (1966)
 * The Family Way (1967)
 * British Maid (1968, United Artists SULP 1196, released in the US as London by George)
 * Yellow Submarine (side one: The Beatles, side two: The George Martin Orchestra, 1969)
 * By George! (1970, Sunset SLS 50182, reissue of British Maid)
 * Live and Let Die (producer for Paul McCartney's song, and composer of musical score, 1973)
 * Beatles to Bond and Bach (1974)
 * In My Life (1998)
 * Produced by George Martin (2001)
 * The Family Way (2003)

Selected discography (as producer)

 * Sidney Torch – "Barwick Green" (The Archers theme) (1951)
 * Jack Parnell – "The White Suit Samba" (1951)
 * Jimmy Shand – "Bluebell Polka" (1952)
 * Kenneth McKellar – "Ae Fond Kiss" (1952)
 * Tommy Reilly – "Melody on the Move" (1952)
 * Adrian Boult / Jean Pougnet / London Philharmonic Orchestra – The Lark Ascending (1952)
 * Peter Ustinov – "Mock Mozart" (1952)
 * Eve Boswell – "Pickin' a Chicken" (1955)
 * Edna Savage – "Arrivederci Darling" (1955)
 * Eamonn Andrews – "The Shifting Whispering Sands" (1956)
 * Dick James – "Robin Hood" (1956)
 * The Ivor and Basil Kirchin Band – "Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie" (1956)
 * Johnny Dankworth – "Experiments With Mice" (1956)
 * Shirley Abicair – "Smiley" (1956)
 * Glen Mason – "Glendora" (1956)
 * Mandy Miller – "Nellie the Elephant" (1956)
 * The Vipers Skiffle Group – "Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O" (1957)
 * Jim Dale – "Be My Girl" (1957)
 * Flanders and Swann – At the Drop of a Hat (1957)
 * Ian Wallace – "The Hippopotamus Song" (1957)
 * Charlie Drake – "Splish Splash" (1958)
 * Peter Sellers – The Best of Sellers (1958)
 * Humphrey Lyttelton – "Saturday Jump" (1959)
 * Bruce Forsyth – "I'm in Charge" (1959)
 * Peter Sellers – Songs for Swingin' Sellers (1959)
 * Matt Monro – "Portrait of My Love" (1960)
 * Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren – "Goodness Gracious Me" (1960)
 * Beyond the Fringe (Original Cast Recording) (1961)
 * Dudley Moore – "Strictly for the Birds" (1961)
 * Bernard Cribbins – "Right Said Fred" (1962); "Hole in the Ground" (1962); "Gossip Calypso" (1962)
 * The Alberts – "Morse Code Melody" (1962)
 * Michael Bentine – "Football Results" (1962)
 * Terry Scott – "My Brother" (1962)
 * Christine Campbell – "If This Should Be a Dream" (1963)
 * Joan Sims – "Oh Not Again Ken" (1963)
 * Shirley Bassey – "I (Who Have Nothing)" (1963)
 * David Frost and Millicent Martin – That Was the Week That Was (1963)
 * Cambridge Circus (Original Cast Recording) (1963)
 * Flanders and Swann – At the Drop of Another Hat (1964)
 * Alma Cogan – "It's You" (1964)
 * The Scaffold – "2 Day's Monday" (1966)
 * Ron Goodwin – Adventure (1966)
 * Edwards Hand – Edwards Hand (1969)
 * Stan Getz – Marrakesh Express (1969)
 * Ringo Starr – Sentimental Journey (1970)
 * Seatrain – Seatrain (1970)
 * Seatrain – The Marblehead Messenger (1971)
 * The King's Singers – "The King's Singers Collection" (1972)
 * Paul Winter Consort – Icarus (1972)
 * The King's Singers – "A French Collection" (1973)
 * The King's Singers – "Deck the Hall" (1973)
 * John Williams – The Height Below (1973)
 * Stackridge – The Man in the Bowler Hat (1974, released as Pinafore Days in the US and Canada)
 * Mahavishnu Orchestra – Apocalypse (1974)
 * America – Holiday (1974)
 * Tommy Steele – My Life, My Song (1974)
 * Jeff Beck – Blow by Blow (1975)
 * America – Hearts (1975)
 * America – Hideaway (1976)
 * American Flyer – American Flyer (1976)
 * Jeff Beck – Wired (1976)
 * Cleo Laine – Born On a Friday (1976)
 * Jimmy Webb – El Mirage (1977)
 * America – Harbor (1977)
 * Neil Sedaka – A Song (1977)
 * Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978, original soundtrack)
 * America – Silent Letter (1979)
 * 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)
 * Kenny Rogers - The Heart of the Matter (1985)
 * Peabo Bryson – Quiet Storm (1986)
 * Peabo Bryson – Positive (1988)
 * Andy Leek – Say Something (1988)
 * Yoshiki – Eternal Melody (1993)
 * Tommy (Original Cast Recording) (1993)
 * Larry Adler – The Glory of Gershwin (1994)
 * Celine Dion – "The Reason" (1997)
 * George Martin – In My Life (1998)
 * The Beatles – Love (2006)