Pre-Beatles, Martin produced popular comedy albums for Peter Sellers' radio troupe "The Goon Show." In the '70s, Martin produced massive hits for artists such as America ("Sister Golden Hair"), and he helped British guitarist Jeff Beck transition from blues-rock to fusion jazz.
Martin's success continued into the 21st century, with two 2007 Grammy Awards for his work on the Cirque de Soleil show Love and the related Beatles remix album.
“He became the grand old man of British recording,” Dr. Martin says. “I just bought a book about the great British recording studios, and guess who wrote the introduction.”
Commenting on the 2014 anniversary of the "British Invasion," Dr. Martin had this to say:
“There’s always a tension between young people, who spontaneously generate their own culture from below, and the commercial interests who try to co-opt it for profit,” says UIndy Assistant Professor Chad Martin, a specialist in pop culture, modern British history and transatlantic youth culture. “The Beatles inspired young people to recapture their own culture from the marketers and the corporations.”
Contact Dr. Martin directly, or the communications office at UIndy to arrange an interview.
“The Beatles in many ways represented the first time after World War II that the British were able to push back against the American cultural juggernaut,” he says.
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