Inscribed to songwriter Bill Martin, the man whose legal threat compelled Harrison to grant credit and royalties for a track on his debut solo album. Decades later, Harrison reportedly decided not to remove the track from the album because “I like Bill.”
London: Genesis Publications, 1980. Signed limited edition (#1,736 of 2,000 numbered copies). Lacking the slipcase. Interior clean; gilt bright; some rubbing to the boards and edges; and a small nick to the lowest spine band. On the limitation page, which normally bears only a signature, Harrison adds an inscription: “To Bill Martin, with best wishes from George Harrison.” We cannot find another inscribed example in an extensive search of auction records and dealer catalogs, even for two copies that were specially bound for industry associates of Harrison, like Ringo Starr’s manager.
Presented with Bill Martin’s autobiography (UK: Dujio, 2017), which is inscribed by the author in the year of publication to a person named Chris. Minimal wear to the boards and jacket; interior clean. The autobiography, sourced separately from I Me Mine, provides a fascinating window into the behind-the-scenes world of the British music industry and covers several of Martin’s interactions with Harrison.
Provenance: Bill Martin BME (1938-2020) was a Scottish songwriter and businessman, with writing credits for #1 hits for artists such as Elvis Presley, Sandy Shaw, Cliff Richard, The Bay City Rollers, and Slik.
In 1970, Martin threatened to sue Harrison and his publisher for a credit and royalties for a track on his debut solo album, All Things Must Pass. The contested track, “It’s Johnny’s Birthday,” was sung to the tune of the #1 hit song "Congratulations," written by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter, without credit. Martin understood his leverage and used it, informing the publisher that he would have the presses stopped right as album sales were soaring. The matter was resolved swiftly out of court, with the two songwriters properly credited and granted royalties of 4 pence per record sold, a significant sum across millions of sales.
Harrison appears to have taken the matter in stride, much unlike later disputes that he spoke of bitterly. Martin writes that when the album achieved gold status, Harrison personally presented him with a gold disc. In 2001, when Harrison’s lawyer asked if he wanted to remove the disputed track from the album to end the royalty stream, Harrison reportedly replied, “No, leave it on as I like Bill.”
In his autobiography, Martin recounts further interactions with Harrison and other former members of the Beatles. In 1976, he describes arranging for Harrison to approach Lennon on his behalf. Harrison did speak to Lennon about the matter, and Lennon followed up with a letter and a phone call. In 1980, Martin attempted to secure publishing rights for Lennon and Ono’s album Double Fantasy. In 1981, he initiated a bid to acquire Northern Songs and the entire Beatles catalog with it. After raising £10 million of the £25 million required, he approached EMI records and Paul McCartney for the balance. McCartney declined because he did not want to pay for songs he already felt were his, and the catalog was later acquired by Michael Jackson for $47.5 million.
The present copy first appeared on the market at auction. It then passed through Tracks Ltd., a highly regarded firm specializing in Beatles memorabilia, before coming to us. Items from Bill Martin’s estate have been appearing on the market in recent years, including his three award medals given for the Eurovision competition and BBC TV’s A Song For Europe.
References
The Times of London. (30 March 2020). "Bill Martin Obiturary. Colourful Scottish songwriter who co-composed the Eurovision song Congratulations and sued George Harrison for copying it."
PRS for Music. (8 December 2017). Interview with Bill Martin.
George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle. Phillip, N. (2024). New York: Scribner.
Congratulations: Songwriter to the Stars. Martin, B. (2017). UK: Dujio.
Inventory ID: 849 - 497 - 134
Inscribed to songwriter Bill Martin, the man whose legal threat compelled Harrison to grant credit and royalties for a track on his debut solo album. Decades later, Harrison reportedly decided not to remove the track from the album because “I like Bill.”
London: Genesis Publications, 1980. Signed limited edition (#1,736 of 2,000 numbered copies). Lacking the slipcase. Interior clean; gilt bright; some rubbing to the boards and edges; and a small nick to the lowest spine band. On the limitation page, which normally bears only a signature, Harrison adds an inscription: “To Bill Martin, with best wishes from George Harrison.” We cannot find another inscribed example in an extensive search of auction records and dealer catalogs, even for two copies that were specially bound for industry associates of Harrison, like Ringo Starr’s manager.
Presented with Bill Martin’s autobiography (UK: Dujio, 2017), which is inscribed by the author in the year of publication to a person named Chris. Minimal wear to the boards and jacket; interior clean. The autobiography, sourced separately from I Me Mine, provides a fascinating window into the behind-the-scenes world of the British music industry and covers several of Martin’s interactions with Harrison.
Provenance: Bill Martin BME (1938-2020) was a Scottish songwriter and businessman, with writing credits for #1 hits for artists such as Elvis Presley, Sandy Shaw, Cliff Richard, The Bay City Rollers, and Slik.
In 1970, Martin threatened to sue Harrison and his publisher for a credit and royalties for a track on his debut solo album, All Things Must Pass. The contested track, “It’s Johnny’s Birthday,” was sung to the tune of the #1 hit song "Congratulations," written by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter, without credit. Martin understood his leverage and used it, informing the publisher that he would have the presses stopped right as album sales were soaring. The matter was resolved swiftly out of court, with the two songwriters properly credited and granted royalties of 4 pence per record sold, a significant sum across millions of sales.
Harrison appears to have taken the matter in stride, much unlike later disputes that he spoke of bitterly. Martin writes that when the album achieved gold status, Harrison personally presented him with a gold disc. In 2001, when Harrison’s lawyer asked if he wanted to remove the disputed track from the album to end the royalty stream, Harrison reportedly replied, “No, leave it on as I like Bill.”
In his autobiography, Martin recounts further interactions with Harrison and other former members of the Beatles. In 1976, he describes arranging for Harrison to approach Lennon on his behalf. Harrison did speak to Lennon about the matter, and Lennon followed up with a letter and a phone call. In 1980, Martin attempted to secure publishing rights for Lennon and Ono’s album Double Fantasy. In 1981, he initiated a bid to acquire Northern Songs and the entire Beatles catalog with it. After raising £10 million of the £25 million required, he approached EMI records and Paul McCartney for the balance. McCartney declined because he did not want to pay for songs he already felt were his, and the catalog was later acquired by Michael Jackson for $47.5 million.
The present copy first appeared on the market at auction. It then passed through Tracks Ltd., a highly regarded firm specializing in Beatles memorabilia, before coming to us. Items from Bill Martin’s estate have been appearing on the market in recent years, including his three award medals given for the Eurovision competition and BBC TV’s A Song For Europe.
References
The Times of London. (30 March 2020). "Bill Martin Obiturary. Colourful Scottish songwriter who co-composed the Eurovision song Congratulations and sued George Harrison for copying it."
PRS for Music. (8 December 2017). Interview with Bill Martin.
George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle. Phillip, N. (2024). New York: Scribner.
Congratulations: Songwriter to the Stars. Martin, B. (2017). UK: Dujio.
Inventory ID: 849 - 497 - 134
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