Last weekend we received the sad news that producer Martin Birch passed away at the age of 71, and since then tributes have been posted online by some of the artists he worked with, such as Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath , and Deep Purple.
Birch was an essential figure in creating Iron Maiden's sound, producing all of the band's albums from 1981's Killers Fear of the Dark . Furthermore, after working with various bands in the 70s and 80s, the producer made Maiden the priority of his career for the last decade before retiring at age 43 in 1992.
On Iron Maiden's official website , bassist Steve Harris wrote: “He was absolutely brilliant. He wasn't just a producer, he was a great engineer too, so he knew how to make a good sound. He was also fantastic at motivating people; he had a gift for bringing out the best in people. He was also a very good man, very funny with a great sense of humor which made him a very easy person to work with.”
Vocalist Bruce Dickinson also paid tribute to the producer: “For me, Martin was a mentor who completely transformed my way of singing (…) He didn’t manipulate the band’s sound, he reflected it in the best possible way. Besides that, he was an incredible and funny human being. Martin and I shared a passion for martial arts – him for karate and me for fencing – which gave us another thing to connect with. I’m very sad to receive this news, it’s unbelievable that he passed away so young after having lived such a full life.”
Birch also produced two very important albums in Black Sabbath's career, Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules , the group's first albums with Ronnie James Dio after Ozzy Osbourne's departure .
“I am shocked by the sad news of Martin Birch’s death,” wrote guitarist Tony Iommi , “Martin was a lovely guy and a great producer. He will be greatly missed and my thoughts are with his family. Rest in peace.”
Bassist Geezer Butler added: “I am very saddened by the death of Martin Birch. A brilliant producer. I had the pleasure of working with him on Black Sabbath's albums Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules . My condolences to [his wife] Vera and the family.”
Wendy Dio, widow of Ronnie James Dio, also lamented the loss: “My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Vera and his daughter Haley. He was a brilliant producer and a great friend of Ronnie's. Rest in peace.”
Between the 1960s and 1970s, Birch worked with Deep Purple as a producer and engineer on several of the band's albums. Ian Gillan, Roger Glover , and Ian Paice released a statement about the sad news: “Meeting Martin in the early 70s was a pivotal moment in our lives. He was our sound engineer when the experience of live shows also extended to the studio. He managed to capture so much, especially on 'Hard Loving Man'. He connected with us immediately, he had the same sense of humor as us and was a very meticulous professional (…) Our thoughts are with Vera and all her family and friends.”
Birch also worked with Fleetwood Mac, Rainbow, Blue Öyster Cult, Whitesnake , among others. David Coverdale , vocalist of Whitesnake, was the first to announce and confirm Birch's death, also celebrating it, saying that he was very important in his life.
See all the tributes below.