Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter
January 3rd
Legendary producer Sir George Martin would’ve turned 97 today (January 3.) Martin is, of course, best known for his work with The Beatles. However, he’s worked with countless other artists in his incredible career. Here’s a five non-Beatles track sampling from Martin’s astounding career.
Okay, this one involves a Beatle, but it still counts, especially since MJ is included and the track was a massive hit off of Sir Paul’s 1983 album Pipes Of Peace.
One of the very few acts that received Martin’s producing touch during the time of Beatlemania, Gerry and the Pacemakers’s scored their biggest U.S. hit with “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” in 1964.
Once The Beatles called it quits in 1970, this opened up more time for Martin to work with other acts. One of the most notable was America, whose biggest Martin-produced hit came in 1974 with “Tin Man,” which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number four.
The favorite sons of Rockford, Ill. got their chance to work with Martin in 1980 on their fifth studio album All Shook Up, whose lead single was “Stop This Game.”
Perhaps the biggest commercial success of Martin’s producing career, Elton John’s tribute to late Princess Diana has sold over 33 million copies worldwide and was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for a staggering 14 weeks. It remains the best-selling single in the history of Billboard, which is likely a feat that won’t be matched or topped ever.
