According to the Los Angeles Times, George Martin, the record producer and label executive who signed the Beatles and became their indispensable mentor and collaborator throughout their career, has died.
He was 90.
Martin produced nearly all of the Beatles’ recordings, advising them on songwriting and arranging and capturing the vitality of their early performances in the studio.
As arranger, orchestrator and occasional player later in their career, Martin was responsible for some of the landmark moments of ’60s rock: the swelling symphonic buildup and the lingering last chord of “A Day in the Life,” the delicate, harpsichord-like piano on “In My Life,” the string arrangement for “Yesterday” that signaled the group’s expanding ambitions.
In his 50-year career, Sir George, or “The Fifth Beatle,” as he was affectionately known, signed the Beatles and produced more than 700 records.
