The Day George Martin Became A Knight

06/29/2012
. (Gibson) On this day in 1996, Record producer George Martin received a Knighthood. Plus, music promoter Harvey Goldsmith became an MBE and Van Morrison an OBE. Gibson looks back:

Back in the '60s, George Martin probably felt unappreciated by his bosses. He was stuck on a meager salary throughout The Beatles' and Parlophone's commercial heyday, forcing him to go independent in 1965. Even The Beatles seemed to take his talents for granted at the end and didn't even credit his preliminary work on Let it Be.

But he'd have the last laugh. On this very day in 1996, George Martin, producer extraordinaire, was honored for all his contributions to British music with a Knighthood from the Queen of England. He was the fist of the Beatles camp to be honored so highly. Paul McCartney would have to wait another year for his.

And nobody could say that Martin's honor wasn't deserved. Producing music that is both artistic and commercial is nigh on impossible, but Martin managed it with apparent ease.

Of course, working with The Beatles helped him amass his 30 #1 U.K. singles and 16 #1 albums and 22 #1 singles and 19 #1 albums in North America. But at Parlophone in the early '60s, he also produced worldwide hits for Gerry & The Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, The Fourmost and Cilla Black. In fact, in 1963, Sir George Martin produced the #1 song on the U.K. singles charts for 37 weeks of the year. more on this story

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