Death of the “fifth Beatle” George Martin – The World

Le Monde | 03/09/2016 at 07h40 • Updated 03/09/2016 at 11:08 | By Sylvain Siclier

As of others, drummer Pete Best, bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, pianist Billy Preston or manager Brian Epstein, the title of “fifth Beatle” had often been assigned. And although his work with one of the most famous rock and pop group of the 1960s will have represented that part of his career, it is through this collaboration that the British producer George Martin, who died in age of 90 years on the night of March 8 to 9, should remain in the history of popular music. Leaving the group the latitude to experiment in the studio, at a time and in a phonographic company (EMI) where it was unusual, bringing his knowledge of music, arrangement for recordings becoming during the ascent Beatles increasingly sophisticated, suggesting the right idea at the right time, George Martin has brought her expertise, her ear to the compositions of the group. His death was announced on the night of 8 to 9 March in a message with a tweet drummer Ringo Starr.

Student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Born January 3, 1926, in London, in a modest background – his father is a carpenter – George Martin served in the British Navy between 1943 and 1947 before studying piano and oboe, arrangement and composition at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. This is the department of classical public service radio BBC he made his professional debut before being hired in early 1950 by Parlophone, one of the labels of the Phonographic company EMI Records. He oversees and produced his first recordings, jazz, cabaret music, folk, traditional music, children’s records and specializes in actors records as Peter Ustinov, Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan, who won a mainstream success. In 1955, he became head of Parlophone. Rock’n’roll US will soon sweep across Europe and Britain in particular.

“It is their character, charisma, enthusiasm that attracted me, “George Martin, Beatles producer

This is the beginning of February 1962 in search of a group that comes in contact with Brian Epstein, the manager of the Beatles. The group, who learned his trade in the clubs of Hamburg and Liverpool, failed to convince another record. Following a hearing on June 6, Martin decided to sign the group, without being totally convinced at the time. Further tests will take place until the recording of Love Me Do, September 4, with Ringo Starr on drums, who replaced Pete Best. The first 45s Beatles out October 5, 1962 with the B-side PS I Love You. Both songs signed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney will provide in the coming years, most of the Beatles’ compositions.

in a meeting with our colleague Bruno Lesprit, published in Le Monde 7 January 1998, George Martin remembered: “In fact their first songs were not that good. Only Love Me Do and PS I Love You hold water. It is their character, charisma, enthusiasm that attracted me. And then the flower has blossomed. In less than a year, they began writing songs terrifying. “ The success and soon Beatlemania will come with the following 45s Please Please Me , in January 1963. It is from the sessions of the album Rubber Soul, that appears in early December 1965 that the Beatles music will become more complex and the role of George Martin will gain importance. Strings, winds, keyboards, sound effects will soon dress recordings of the group, in close collaboration with Martin. He will receive the first two of his six Grammy Awards for its production of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band , Album of the Year in 1967.

In 1965, Martin left Parlophone, while remaining the official producer of the Beatles. It is to him that after the band split in 1970, we will look at regularly reissues campaign whose operation commemorative Anthology in 1995. He founded the Associated Independent Recording structure ( AIR) in 1965 and freelances for other artists, he has already made including Gerry & amp; the Pacemakers or Shirley Bassey. He also composed his first film music. One of his most famous is the one that comes in 1973 one of the films in the James Bond series, Live and Let Die ( Live and Let Die ) whose title track is sung by Paul McCartney. He had already produced in 1964 the song for Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey.

collaborations with Elton John, Kate Bush, Celine Dion …

the reputation of Martin outside the Beatles led him to work for musicians as diverse as saxophonist Stan Getz in 1969, the jazz-rock band Mahavishnu Orchestra, the trio America, guitarist Jeff Beck, groups Cheap Trick or Ultravox, Neil Sedaka, Elton John, Kate Bush, Celine Dion … in 1969 he opened the first AIR Studio in Oxford Street, London. In 1979, a second resort is located in Montserrat, West Indies, where the elite street of rock and pop. The studio will be seriously damaged in 1989 following a hurricane and closed. It’s in Hampstead in 1991 that George Martin opened its third facility in a Victorian church. He will find Paul McCartney repeatedly for disk Tug of War , Pipes of Peace , Give my Regards to Broad Street , or the songs Ebony and Ivory , a duet with Stevie Wonder, or Say Say Say , duet with Michael Jackson.

Gentleman of an exquisite politeness, George Martin was knighted in 1996 for “services to music and popular culture.”