George Martin and the Beatles

George Martin's first recording session with the Beatles, in September 1962, focused on "How Do You Do It?" Martin was certain it would be a hit. The band, however, was reluctant to release it, since it wasn't their own composition. Martin proved he had a nose for hits: A Version of "How Do You Do It," later recorded by Gerry & the Pacemakers, spent three weeks at number one in 1963.

That first session also produced the original song "Love Me Do," eventually released as the Beatles' first single in October 1962. It went on to become their first UK top 20 hit; when it was rereleased in 1982, it managed to reach number four in the charts. Some recordings of the song briefly entered the public domain in 2013, before EU laws extended copyright protection to 70 years.

The single "Please Please Me," from the album of the same name, was recorded in November 1962. Listening from the control room, Martin suggested they speed the song up. When the band finished, he told them: "Gentlemen, you have just made your first number one record" - a prediction that went on to become true (on an alternative UK listing, at least).

Later that year, the Beatles released "She Loves You" - which went on to become the biggest-selling single in British history. Martin found the lyrics "corny," but suggested the band kick off the song with the well-known chorus. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the song was ranked number 64 on the "Rolling Stone" list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The Beatles didn't have a major US release until 1964, with their single "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The single, and the album "Meet the Beatles," went on to become the band's first US chart-toppers, kicking off the British invasion. Screaming fans greeted the band when they made their first US TV appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

A trained musician, Martin would sometimes play on the Beatles' records. One of his contributions included the instrumental solo near the end of "In My Life," from the 1965 album "Rubber Soul." The sound, similar to a harpsichord, was actually produced by an electric piano which was later sped up on tape.

With the 1967 release of the double-sided single "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane," the band's music began to feature more electronically altered sounds, paving the way for the psychedelic rock genre. "Without my instruments and scoring, very many of the records would not have sounded as they do," wrote Martin in 1979. "Whether they would have been any better, I cannot say."

Martin went on to become one of the most sought-after producers in the world. Later in life, he produced records for many well-known artists, including Celine Dion, Elton John (pictured), Bob Dylan, and Sting, along with two classic James Bond themes: "Goldfinger" and "Live and Let Die" - the latter with Paul McCartney and his band Wings.

Martin's first impression of the Beatles wasn't completely positive. "As composers, they didn't rate. They hadn't shown me that they could write anything at all," he remembered later in an interview with "Melody Maker" magazine. But he added, "I liked them as people apart from anything else and I was convinced that we had the makings of a hit group."