The Music Producers Guild will honour renowned producer, composer and musician Sir George Martin CBE at its 2013 Awards ceremony by presenting him with the Award for Outstanding Contribution to UK Music, sponsored by PPL.
Best known for the integral part he played in the success of the Beatles, Sir George has a career spanning more than six decades, with 30 Number One hits and over one billion records sold.
Steve Levine, chairman of the Music Producers Guild, says: “The Outstanding Contribution Award acknowledges those who have made a significant contribution over a long period of time to the success of the UK music recording industry, so we are thrilled that Sir George Martin has agreed to accept the Music Producers Guild’s highest honour. Many record producers around the world owe George a huge debt of gratitude, not just for his inspired production techniques, but also for his efforts to ensure that all producers rightfully receive a royalty for their work.”
Sir George began his career in the music industry in 1950 when he joined EMI. After five years he became Head of Parlophone and was entirely responsible for the label’s output. During this time he worked with esteemed classical musicians of the day and turned his hand to the pioneering comedy recordings of Flanders and Swann, Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Beyond the Fringe.
In 1962, Sir George met and signed The Beatles, a partnership that revolutionised studio recording and the creative process, incorporating new technology to take their music to new and increasingly diverse levels. Following their split, Sir George continued to push the creative boundaries with acts such as Jeff Beck, Jimmy Webb, America and the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Sir George has also scored a number of feature films, including the ground-breaking A Hard Day’s Night and Yellow Submarine, as well as working on the title tracks to the Bond films From Russia with Love and Goldfinger and the title and score for Live and Let Die.
In his career to date, Sir George has been awarded two Ivor Novellos and six Grammy awards.
As sponsors of the MPG Outstanding Contribution to UK Music Award, industry organisation PPL says it is delighted that Sir George Martin has been chosen as the 2013 recipient.
Fran Nevrkla Chairman of PPL says: “I am truly delighted about Sir George’s Special Award, particularly from his own community of his fellow studio producers which PPL is honoured to sponsor. Sir George is a unique and hugely talented, successful individual who is universally admired and respected worldwide. He is also one of the nicest human beings and an example to us all. We at PPL offer him our profound thanks together with congratulations and compliments on his extraordinary contribution to British music over so many decades.”
Sir George will be presented with his award at the MPG’s 2013 Awards Ceremony, which takes place on February 7th next year at the Café de Paris in London.
Now in their fifth year, these Awards are firmly established as a must-attend industry event. Last year the event attracted more than 300 stars and music industry VIPs who turned out in force to celebrate the enormous contribution that recording professionals make to the success of the UK’s music industry. In 2013, the MPG is once again collaborating with the BRITS to present the winner of its Producer of the Year category with a BRIT Award for Best Producer.
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About Music Producers Guild (UK):
The Music Producers Guild (UK) is an independent and democratic organisation that encourages the highest standards of music production, and actively engages with other music industry organisations to campaign and lobby on matters of important mutual interest.
The MPG represents and promotes the interests of all those involved in the production of recorded music, including producers, engineers, mixers, re-mixers, programmers and mastering engineers. www.mpg.org.uk or www.mpgawards.com
