Died On This Date (December 3, 2011) Mike Smith / Famously Turned Down The Beatles
themusicsover Mike Smith
April 30, 1935 – December 3, 2011
Mike Smith was an English record producer who, although he was responsible for many hit records, will always be remembered as the guy who passed on the Beatles. Born into a musical family, Smith’s first job in music came by way of the BBC where he worked as a recording engineer. Following his stint there, Smith landed at Decca Records, at first working as an assistant on recordings by the likes of Mantovani and Edmundo Ros. Before he knew it, he was elevated to producer at the label. He went on to produce hits by the likes of the Tremeloes, Georgie Fame, and Brian Poole. But is was what he did on New Years Day, 1962 that unfortunately for him, will go down as one of pop music’s biggest blunders. About two weeks earlier, Smith caught one of the Beatles’ legendary Cavern Club performances and invited them to audition for Decca. The band came in on January 1st and performed 15 songs for label management who were clearly not as impressed as Smith had been, so he decided to sign another recent audition, the Tremeloes, instead. That decision would haunt him for the rest of his life. Either way, Smith still had a very admirable track record with acts he DID work with over the years. He later worked for GTO Records. Mike Smith was 76 when he passed away on December 3, 2011.
Thanks Paul Bearer for the assist.
The undisputed King of Easy Listening passed away on this date in 1980. If you’re under 40, you likely never heard of Mantovani unless you worked in record store in the ’70s or ’80s. He released over 40 albums in the US, 11 of which landing in the Top 10. Mantovani passed away in his home at the age of 74.
