Sir George Martin: Thank You

Sir George Martin: Thank You

 You helped so many make better music

By Craig Anderton

I read the news today, oh boy…such a loss.

At Harmony Central, our goal is to help people “make better music.” We can’t think of anyone who lived that ideal more than Sir George Martin, who not only helped the Beatles and many other artists make better music, but influenced and inspired an entire generation to push the envelope of what was possible with recording and artistic expression.

However, his dedication to advancing the art of recording wasn’t limited to the elite of the pop world. In 1975, I was establishing a career as an author and had written the book “Home Recording for Musicians.” My publisher asked who would be a good choice to write the foreword. I flippantly said “George Martin,” although of course I was sure there was a better chance of my sprouting wings and flying to the moon than him agreeing to write a foreword.

Quite the contrary. He asked to see a sample of the book, and thankfully, loved what he saw so he wrote an eloquent foreword that set a tone of inspiration. It couldn’t have been a better opener…and he did it all for someone he had never even met. But in retrospect, I think I know the reason why: he simply couldn’t pass up any opportunity to encourage others to participate in the joy of making and recording music.

Many years later, I attended an event where he was present. I summoned up the courage to approach him, and said “I’m sure you don’t remember, but you did me a tremendous favor years ago. You wrote a foreword to my book and I just wanted to thank you in person.” He smiled and said “Ah yes, Craig Anderton.” I was totally blown away that he took writing a foreword to a book from some nobody so seriously that he remembered it. Apparently he brought the same degree of careful attention to detail to everything he did—not just outstanding record production.

Sir George Martin did a lot for the world. He helped re-define the role of the studio, what a producer could contribute, and helped artists make better music…but more importantly, he helped bring joy to millions of people. He changed the world, and he’s leaving behind a better world than the one he was born into.

Thank you, Sir George.  

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 Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.