Sir George Henry Martin was born on the 3rd of January, 1926, in Highbury, London.
He was a prolific British music producer, composer and musician, best known for his extensive association with The Beatles.
Having learned to play the piano at a young age, Martin began his musical career by performing in a band at events around the area of Bromley, while he was completing his secondary education. Later, during his service in World War II, he played a piece of his own music at the Royal Navy Variety show covered by the BBC in July of 1945, which ultimately inspired him to further his potential by attending the Guildhall School of Music and Drama between 1947 and 1950. While there, he studied orchestration and composing, which became invaluable to his success later in his career.
During the 1950’s George joined EMI (Electric and Musical Industries) to manage the classical records catalogue at Parlophone Records, which included signing noted British composer Ron Goodwin and releasing his instrumental cover of Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Limelight‘. He eventually took over the label in April of 1955 and went on to produce a number of records for some of the most successful talents of the period. A series of hits followed during the early 1960’s with The Temperance Seven, Bernard Cribbins and Humphrey Lyttelton, and by that time he had also forged a strong professional relationship with Brian Epstein, who had begun managing The Beatles in 1961. The pair worked together to release a number of major hits with bands like Gerry and the Pacemakers and The Dakotas, and George Martin was fast becoming one of the finest producers in the industry. In June of 1962, the first recording session with The Beatles took place at EMI’s studio in London and the following year they achieved a number 1 hit with ‘Please Please Me’. From this moment on, George Martin became the key contributor to their success as he moulded them into superstars and advised them during the critical point in their careers. He would become effectively known as ‘The Fifth Beatle’, due to his numerous composing contributions and his guidance which was imperative to the band achieving the status they earned.
Alongside his producing, Martin also became an accomplished music composer for a number of film productions, beginning in 1962 with the British comedy “Crooks Anonymous”, having previously worked on several of Peter Sellers’ comedy records. Several years later he earned an Academy Award nomination for best music in The Beatles’ comedy film “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964), and during the same year also produced the James Bond title song “Goldfinger”. He would rejoin the 007 franchise in 1973, after arranging and producing the song “Live & Let Die” by Paul McCartney and Wings, which ultimately led to his hiring as composer for the film. Some of his other composing credits include “Ferry Cross the Mersey” (1964), “Pulp” (1972) and “The Optimists of Nine Elms” (1973), as well as almost all films and videos associated with The Beatles.
There is no doubt that George Martin was regarded as one of the most influential figures in the music industry. His technical skill and mentoring acumen, ultimately made him one of the most in-demand producers in the world. His awards included 7 Grammy’s, 2 Brit Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award by the World Soundtrack Academy and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the 15th of March, 1999, amongst many other honours.
George Martin passed away on the 8th of March, 2016, aged 90.
In "Live & Let Die", George Martin was offered the role as the music composer for the production, following the impressive orchestration of the title song with Paul McCartney.
The poster shot displayed below was signed by George Martin for the collection of Steve Oxenrider in February of 1999.
His autograph is easily found on a variety of materials including photos, programmes and albums. Due to his success and association with The Beatles, his autograph is considered valuable to fans.
Signed James Bond related items are considered scarce however.
During the production, director Guy Hamilton worked closely with George Martin to develop the music for each required sequence.
The soundtrack was recorded at the Associated Independent Recording (AIR) studios, located at number 214 Oxford Street. At the time, it was considered one of the most in-demand recording studios in London.
He received a Grammy nomination for his work on "Live & Let Die".
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