George Martin will be best remembered for his landmark production work with the Beatles. But London-born Sir George \u2013 who was knighted in 1996 in recognition for his major contributions to the music industry and popular culture \u2013 had a thriving and creatively fruitful career before, outside of and beyond his work with the Beatles. He produced sessions and\/or albums for artists as diverse as Celine Dion, UFO, Peter Sellers, America, Stan Getz, Ultravox, Kenny Rogers and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Here are five tracks that demonstrate the wide range of his talents and producer, arranger and musician.<\/p>\n
Peter Ustinov and Antony Hopkins \u2013 \u201cMock Mozart\u201d (1953)<\/strong>
\nWhen the Beatles first met George Martin, they were most impressed by his pedigree: he had worked with some of their comedy heroes including the Goons and the Beyond the Fringe troupe (including Dudley Moore and Peter Cook). But Martin\u2019s first success in the comedy field was producing this wacky riff on classical music, featuring two distinguished British actors. Nearly forty years before portraying Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs<\/em>, Hopkins plays harpischord on the track.<\/p>\n