Beatles News

George Martin is best remembered as the producer who gave The Beatles a chance and contributed to their explosive rise to fame for many years. Many would refer to Martin as the “fifth Beatle.” However, his career spans far beyond the Fab Four alone. In fact, Martin enjoyed a long and storied career well after The Beatles called it quits in 1970.

 Let’s take a look at a few deep cuts by other artists that Martin helped produce. A few of these were surprises to me, personally.
“Sister Golden Hair” by America

This standout single from Hearts was a No. 1 hit for America, and I can see why. George Martin’s production, coupled with Gerry Buckley’s songwriting, resulted in a country rock classic that is still favored by fans of America to this day. Oddly enough, “Sister Golden Hair” was quite a personal song, which wasn’t very common for the band.

“The Reason” by Celine Dion

I actually didn’t know that George Martin produced this Celine Dion classic until the time came to write this list. I’m not surprised, though. He was far from done with producing amazing music in the 1990s, and that much is evidenced details

There are few moments in music history that rocked the world harder than the breakup of the Beatles. John Lennon announced he was leaving the group on this day 56 years go, but fans didn’t find out about his shocking decision until the next year…why?

According to The Beatles Bible, while Lennon actually decided he wanted to end his time with the Beatles a week earlier, business manager Allen Klein (who’d been trying to negotiate a new contract for the band with EMI/Capitol) persuaded him to keep the information to himself.

However, by Sept. 20, 1969, Lennon couldn’t hold back anymore. When the group came together at Apple’s headquarters in London’s Savile Row to sign the aforementioned contract, he took the opportunity to let his bandmates know it was over.

“When I got back [from Toronto] there were a few meetings and Allen said, ‘Cool it,’ ’cause there was a lot to do [with The Beatles] business-wise, and it wouldn’t have been suitable at the time,” Lennon recalled in the book Lennon Remembers by Jann Wenner.

“Then we were discussing something in the office with Paul [McCartney] and Paul was saying to do something, an details

The process of inheriting family heirlooms doesn’t work in quite the same way when someone in that family is one of the biggest celebrities in the world, which is how Paul McCartney’s “Hey Jude” recording notes took a long, expensive journey through several hands before the document found its way to its rightful owner. In this case, the “owner” was the man—at that time, the young boy—for whom McCartney originally wrote this classic Beatles track.

Several decades after McCartney first wrote the musical pep talk to his bandmate’s young son, “Hey Jude”’s namesake finally got to say he owned the physical evidence of McCartney’s heartwarming message of strength and love.
From Song Devotee To Auction Bidder

Because of their status as one of the biggest bands in the world, virtually everything The Beatles ever put their hands on developed great, instantaneous value. Whether a scrap piece of tape from a session, hand-drawn doodles during a bit of band downtime, or the notepads where the musicians scribbled down their lyrics or recording notes, these momentos have passed among the artists’ family members, music historians, museum cur details

The breakup of The Beatles didn't just mark the end of an era in music; it also signified the start of an unspoken competition between the former band members. They all rushed to put out solo albums the second the breakup was announced, and Paul McCartney and John Lennon, in particular, were eager to prove they were the true talent out of the Fab Four. The former songwriting duo didn't hold back from airing their grievances on their solo albums. But while they were busy firing shots at each other, it was the quiet Beatle who surprised the world with his original songwriting and knack for catchy yet moving songs. George Harrison became the first Beatle to have a chart-topping solo album, and with a triple album, he established himself as a force to be reckoned with. While each of their solo work reflects them as individuals, there's no denying that these three albums get even better when you listen to one after the other.

Imagine (1971)
Artist: John Lennon

Most people think of the slow ballad when they hear the name Imagine, but the album by the same name is anything but peaceful. In fact, while its most popular song is a call for peace on Earth during a troubled time, a lot of the songs in it reflect confli details

Anticipation grows for The Beatles’ Anthology 4 as “Helter Skelter (Second Version – Take 17)” debuts as a top-selling track on iTunes, decades after it was first recorded. The Beatles (left to right) George Harrison (1943 - 2001), Ringo Starr, John Lennon (1940 - 1980) and Paul McCartney, hold the sleeve of their new LP, 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', at the press launch for the album, held at Brian Epstein's house at 24 Chapel Street, London, 19th May 1967. (Photo by John Downing/Getty Images)

The Beatles may be done releasing new music, but there are still plenty of recordings from the band’s history that are shared with the world. From time to time, there’s still an intense demand for anything connected to the Fab Four, and countless films, books, and albums have been issued in the decades since the musicians split. Many of them have become commercial successes. Now, months ahead of a new compilation of the group’s work being released, a new take on a Beatles classic quickly becomes a bestseller in America.
“Helter Skelter (Second Version – Take 17)” Debuts On iTunes

The Beatles currently sit at No. 23 on the iTunes Top Songs chart, w details

 John Lennon was a bully and nuisance as a schoolboy, a current teacher at the singer’s old school has claimed.

The Beatles star was said to have been such a troublesome student that the staff at Quarry Bank School in Liverpool were reluctant to recognise him as a former pupil after he found fame with the Beatles.

Tom Barry, a design and technology teacher at what is now The Calderstones School, said: “When John left, he was that much of a nuisance and a bully and that much of a poor student the school staff didn’t want to acknowledge that he ever went to the school and removed any trace of him.

“He was never spoken about, he was never acknowledged through Beatlemania. Apparently, fans would come to the school gates and just be sent away because the school didn’t want any connection to him.”

The teacher added: “They didn’t want to idolise him and for students to think you can prat about and be a bit of a bully and still be successful.”

Lennon attended the school from 1952 to 1957 and formed the Quarrymen, the forerunners of the Beatles, while a pupil there.

His record and antics in school have been well-documented, includi details

The first ever public memorial dedicated to a legendary Beatles producer is underway.

The rose garden, at Strawberry Field, will is the first of its kind commemorating Sir George Martin CBE - often nicknamed the 'fifth Beatle' - and his wife Lady Judy Martin.

The garden, built at the iconic Liverpool attraction made famous by John Lennon in the Beatles hit 'Strawberry Fields Forever', will feature a curved wall with a biography of Sir George Martin's career, alongside 30 discs commemorating the number one UK hit singles he produced.

A calming water feature and circular raised rose bed will also feature, designed as "a place of peace and reflection," and will be donated by CEO of Orange Amps, Cliff Cooper.

He said: "As a patron of Strawberry Field, I'm honoured to support this tribute to Sir George and Lady Martin. Their impact on music and their dedication to charitable causes align in harmony with the spirit of Strawberry Field.”
Cliff Cooper also donated Strawberry Field its drum shaped bandstand. Credit: Strawberry Field

Before her passing, Lady Martin personally gifted rose bushes to Strawberry Field and envisioned the garden as a lasting tribute to her husband.

It details

It’s previously been acknowledged that the ancestral roots of John Lennon are firmly rooted in Wales. However the extent of his Welsh DNA was little known, but according to a book on The Beatles family history his fascinating ancestry can be traced all the way back to the greatest of Welsh royalty.

Lennon’s family connections to Wales have been fully detailed in genealogist Richard Edmunds’ book ‘Inside the Beatles Family Tree’ – a forensic tome that took 10 years to complete and details the family histories of the Fab Four. And it unearths some incredible findings, especially when it comes to one half of the greatest songwriting duo in music history.

From his mother Julia’s side of the Lennon family, the ancestral line can be traced back to the days of Owain Glyndŵr and Llywelyn the Great. Inside The Beatles Family Tree by Richard Edmunds

“Past Beatles biographers have tended to skim over their family roots, or filled a vacuum of knowledge, by utilising scant and woefully inadequate earlier published accounts,” says the author. “As a result, a variety of tales, often belonging firmly to urban mythology rather than serious ac details

A first-time encounter between John Lennon and Paul McCartney left the former impressed with the latter’s musical talents.

The two would go on to found The Beatles with George Harrison and Pete Best, later replaced by Ringo Starr, and the rest is history. But even from their first meeting, it appeared the two were destined for greatness thanks to a mutual respect for one another’s abilities. The pair would recall this meeting in the Anthology documentary, with McCartney saying he figured out what had really impressed Lennon during the initial encounter. The meeting would come at a church fete in Woolton, Liverpool. McCartney and Lennon were both impressed with one another’s musical talents, with Lennon inviting McCartney to join what was, at the time, The Quarrymen.

Lennon’s reason for doing so was relatively simple. Lennon said: “We met and talked after the show, and I saw he had talent and he was playing guitar backstage and he was doing Twenty Flight Rock by Eddie Cochran.” McCartney’s impressive guitar playing would be enough to seal his spot in The Quarrymen, which eventually evolved into The Beatles.

A shared interest in Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly helped details

“They basically declared war on him after these shows were broadcast”: When John Lennon alarmed the FBI after platforming radical political ideas in a week-long takeover of American TV.

It’s difficult to conceive of just how shocking it was for the Nixon-led US government of the early '70s, when John Lennon - erstwhile Beatle and now a counterculture firebrand - and his wife Yoko Ono, took over over one of America’s biggest daytime television shows. Recalibrating a family-friendly programming touchpoint into a showcase of progressive, left-wing ideology.

The week allowed many with then-radical ideas to reach millions more ears than ever before. But they were ideas that some saw as an existential threat to the nation.

John and Yoko's aim was to present middle-American viewers to counter-arguments against the government line on numerous social and political themes. Topics spanned feminism, race, the right to protest and government overreach.

Perhaps the most popular daytime television show in America at the time, The Mike Douglas Show reached upwards of 40 million viewers on a regular basis, many of whom lived in the heartlands of the US. Far from the more liberally-min details

When death and celebrity mix, it can make for an especially compelling narrative, as was the case for a story involving John Lennon’s ghost making itself known in the studio during The Beatles’ mid-1990s reunion. Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr (or the “Threetles”) met in February 1994 to work on an unreleased Lennon demo that would become part of the band’s Anthology 1 compilation album.

Some corners of the internet suggest Lennon’s ghost was there in the studio with the rest of his bandmates. But are we really to believe a dead rockstar was lurking in the shadows?
The Story of John Lennon’s Ghost in the Studio

In August 2025, The Mirror published a story that cited an unlinked interview with Paul McCartney conducted by OnHike.com. For whatever it’s worth, this writer was unable to track down the primary source of this interview. But for context purposes, we’ll repeat the narrative published in the British tabloid. In the alleged conversation, McCartney recalled a series of uncanny occurrences happening mid-recording sessions.

“There were a lot of strange goings-on in the studio,” he said of the sessions for Lennon&r details

A “lot of money” borrowed by George Harrison landed him his first musical instrument.

Even before he bought his first guitar, Harrison was obsessed with the instrument. His attention at school would suffer because he was “drawing guitars” and he eventually managed to convince his mother to purchase him his first guitar. It marked quite an expensive purchase too, with the £3.10 loaned to Harrison for a “little acoustic” instrument. The Beatles‘ Harrison said: “When I was thirteen or fourteen I used to be at the back of the class drawing guitars, big cello cutaway guitars with F holes, little solid ones with pointed cutaways and rounded cutaways.

“You know, I was totally into guitars. I heard about this kid who had a guitar and it was £3.10 it was just a little acoustic round guitar and I got the £3.10 off my mother, that was a lot of money in those days.” It was a similar story for McCartney, who shared early musical influences with Harrison and would end up trading his way to a guitar.

McCartney said as much on the Anthology documentary, and recalled his early years of musical influences. He said: “My dad bought me a trum details

George Martin had a natural flair for music. He was fascinated by orchestras from a young age and studied oboe at Guildhall before working in the BBC’s classical music department. After not long doing that job, Martin found his true calling at EMI in Abbey Road as a record producer. He was head of Parlophone at 29 and, in 1962, he met a band from Liverpool that had been rejected by pretty much every label in the country, one he remembered as "Not very in tune. They weren't very good." But they were special, they were the Beatles. Over the next eight years, Martin became the architect who made the ideas of the Beatles become a reality. He experimented endlessly and crafted a sound of depth for the band that would catapult them into global sensations.
George Martin Brought Class to the Beatles

Martin’s classical training was invaluable, but perhaps an initial shock to the pop system. Paul McCartney recalled the time he presented the classic “Yesterday,” and discussed the arrangements with Martin. In this talk, Martin calmly suggested putting a string quartet on the record, and McCartney responded, thinking it was a bad idea, as they were a rock and roll band. Ultimately, McCartney shared that details

The guitar featured on All My Loving was a “last-minute” idea, according to songwriter Paul McCartney.

The Beatles‘ hit would have a recognisable guitar line throughout the track, but it would be added at the very last moment. John Lennon would play the riff on the With The Beatles song, and McCartney would say this instrumental addition was a difference-maker. In his book, The Lyrics, McCartney shared the help Lennon offered to the song with the instrumental addition. While it’s difficult to pin down when the Wings frontman wrote the song (he has said he thought of the lyrics while shaving, and also wrote it on a tour bus), the song is one of the many great hits of The Beatles. It drew consistent wordplay and, released on November 22, 1963, became one of the Fab Four’s biggest, early hits. Though it has the Lennon-McCartney writing credit, it’s the latter name which is behind the song.

Lennon was full of praise for the song even after the band had broken up, saying All My Loving is a “damn good song” in an interview given months before his death. Speaking to Playboy in 1980, Lennon said: “[I]t’s a damn good piece of work … But I play a pretty me details

Individual Beatles members got together on several occasions after the band broke up. Though they were never all in the studio as a foursome again, different duos and trios broke off from the pack, creating pseudo reunions for fans to get excited about. The one pairing that never could work things out, at least musically, was Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The two took jabs at each other in their solo discographies, making it known that at least part of their breakup as a band was to do with this fracturing relationship. Lennon tapped George Harrison for one of his most cutting songs about McCartney. Harrison found it intensely “nerve-wracking” to work on this Lennon project. Find out why below.

The title track to Lennon’s 1971 album, Imagine, is his most famous work from his post-Beatles career. The rest of the album was similarly popular upon its release, but it may not be as widespread as Lennon’s magnum opus ballad.

Other than “Imagine,” the most interesting part of this album is “How Do You Sleep?” Lennon penned this song as a reaction to his broken partnership with McCartney. He certainly didn’t set out to spare McCartney’s feelings with this son details