George Martin, the music producer who most famously worked with the Beatles, died at age 90 yesterday.
Ringo Starr first announced the news on Twitter. Paul McCartney made his statement here.
To learn more about George’s interactions with the Beatles, you can read his memoir, All You Need Is Ears. But my favorite Beatle book is Tune In by Mark Lewisohn. The Lewisohn book really gets into the state of the recording business at the time when the Beatles were trying to get signed (the Decca label, which rejected the band, believed “guitar groups are on the way out.”) Even George Martin wasn’t impressed with them at first. It’s fascinating how he came around.
If you can’t commit the time to a book, this 2001 Guardian interview — done when George knew he was going deaf — is excellent.
RIP (Rest in “Penny Lane“), George!