3 Times George Martin Proved He Really Was the “Fifth Beatle”
George Martin was an incredibly important figure in The Beatles’ career. The Fab Four’s talent was enough to catapult them to fame, but Martin’s influence, control, and decision-making as the band’s producer and mentor helped them dominate the 1960s. Let’s look at just a few reasons why George Martin deserves his title as the “fifth Beatle”!
1. He Believed In Them From The Beginning
Being a talented musician might be enough to get famous. However, plenty of artists through the years have rivaled the talent of their contemporaries, only to fail to thrive in the music industry. For all we know, this could have happened to The Beatles.
Without George Martin to play the role of the fifth Beatle and invite the band to work at EMI Studios, who knows if anyone would have picked them up? Martin’s decision to believe in the band and sign them to a record contract before even meeting them was a huge deal. Clearly, Martin knew how to identify groundbreaking talent with ease.
2. He Fired Pete Best
Firing a band member is no easy thing to do. And fortunately for The Beatles, George Martin wasn’t exactly afraid of getting his hands dirty. By the time the band was ready to take off, it had become clear that Pete Best was not the right fit as the band’s drummer. None of the remaining three Beatles wanted to break the news to him, so they had their producer do it for them.
“The basic thing was that I didn’t like his drumming, it wasn’t solid and he didn’t bind the group together,” said Martin back in the 1970s.
Source: Em Casalena/americansongwriter.com
