Sir George Martin turns 87 today. Of all the people who have been called the ‘5th Beatle” I think the best claim goes to George Martin who produced all The Beatles records except for “Let It Be” In all Martin has produced 30 #1 hit in the UK and 23 #1 hits in the United States.

Before The Beatles came along Martin was known for producing comedy albums. Of course he will always be known most for his work with The Beatles.  Martin helped The Beatles get the sound that they wanted in the studio. It was Martin’s idea to put a string quartet on “Yesterday” During The Beatles middle years especially Martin was very influential in the studio. One thing I have always liked about George Martin is-the man is full of class. He never threw The Beatles under the bus with any scandalous tell all books.  He never got big headed, he always gave the credit to the boys. Paul said of Martin “George Martin was quite experimental for what he was, a grown up.”