Sir George Martin CBE appointed DR-UK Vice President

7 April 2009

Music industry legend Sir George Martin CBE has become a Vice President of Deafness Research UK. Sir George Martin CBE. Sir George's role will be one of a non-executive ambassador, lending his name and generally supporting Deafness Research UK campaigns and marketing activity.

Sir George Martin said: “I think Deafness Research UK does a wonderful job in raising awareness of the present day problems associated with loud noise. I am forever telling young ones to lower the volume whenever they listen to music, and it is a message that needs to be spread far and wide.”

Vivienne Michael said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Sir George has agreed to support Deafness Research UK in this way. He has supported the charity over many years, officially opening the UCL Ear Institute building (the Centre for Auditory Research) in 2006 and helping launch Deafness Research UK’s Ear Institute appeal - a programme of postgraduate studentships and research fellowships that is bringing the world’s most talented young scientists into hearing research.”

The music industry legend is perhaps best known for producing The Beatles. He has worked with an astonishing array of talent – from the great classical conductors, Sir Thomas Beecham and Sir Malcolm Sargent, to the comedy of Goons Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers, as well as the eccentric Ivor Cutler. Among the many other stars he has produced are Ella Fitzgerald, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Kenny Rogers, Cher, Peter Gabriel, Jon Bon Jovi, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Sean Connery and Jeff Beck.  His most recent work has been the score for the Cirque du Soleil show “Love” in Las Vegas which is still running to capacity after three successful years.

Sir George suffers from progressive hearing loss and tinnitus, and wears two hearing aids. On his loss of hearing in an interview in 2001, he said: "I know a lot about it now because I have had to learn. The ear is an incredible instrument.….. it all began for me when I heard the maintenance engineer in the studio putting test tones through the machine. I listened to the various frequencies and then, suddenly I realised I could not hear the tone I could see was being recorded on the tape machine. I asked the engineer what the frequency was and he said '12Khz'. 12Khz is not a disaster, - most cinemas did not go above 8Khz, but it was a shock for me because I realised my hearing was deteriorating."