University of Surrey awards honorary doctorate to Sir George Martin
Wednesday 25 June 2008
The University of Surrey is proud to confer the honorary degree of Doctor of the University to Sir George Martin for services to the music industry. The award was made on Thursday, June 19 at Guildford Cathedral.
Born in 1926, Sir George showed a keen interest in and aptitude for music from a young age and maintained this interest throughout his early life and whilst serving in the Royal Navy. On leaving the service in 1947 he used his veteran’s grant to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he studied piano and oboe. After graduating Sir George worked for the BBC before joining EMI and Parlophone Records in the early 1950s.
He became affectionately and justifiably known as "the fifth Beatle", working with the group as producer/co-producer on every record they made as well as being an influential arranger and occasional performer throughout the prolific and groundbreaking era until the group disbanded in 1970.
In 1969 Sir George established his own independent label and studios, Associated Independent Recording or AIR, which has become one of the world’s pre-eminent recording studios.
To date Sir George’s career has earned him two Ivor Novello and seven Grammy awards.
He continues to work as a producer, composer and arranger and remains dedicated to the industry which he helped to shape more than 50 years ago.