George Martin

Music producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and audio engineer -- via the BBC. Best known for his work with the Beatles, his extensive knowledge of classical and other musics really helped the Fab Four create their unique sound. Before then, he was known for his work on comedy records -- he recorded Peter Sellers's most successful comedy albums, as well as "Beyond the Fringe." After the Beatles, he was the go-to guy for many musicians trying to capture lightning in the same jar.

His great genius working with the Beatles was in not acknowledging boundaries between musics. His inclusive sensibility didn't see a problem with combining genres and instruments without regard for how they "should" sound or in what compositions they "should" appear. Everything was subordinate to the clearest expression of the content of the song, a great lesson for any producer.

And for us listeners, he woke us up and freed us. After him, we could try anything sonically, as he had paved the way.