George "Porky" Peckham (born 1942) is an English
record engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
, widely recognised as among the most accomplished in the business. He has been responsible for producing the master discs from which many
vinyl record
A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, ...
s have been pressed over the last 40 years.
His master discs, and the records that were produced from them, often bear either the motto "A Porky Prime Cut" or a
cryptic or a humorous comment, etched onto the
run-out grooves in his handwriting. Other inscriptions attributed to him include "Pecko" and "Pecko Duck".
One of his most technically demanding achievements was the so-called "three-sided" album, ''
The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief'' (1973), mastered with two concentric
grooves on side two, so that different material would be played depending on where the
stylus
A stylus is a writing utensil or tool for scribing or marking into softer materials. Different styluses were used to write in cuneiform by pressing into wet clay, and to scribe or carve into a wax tablet. Very hard styluses are also used to En ...
was put down on the record's surface.
Biography
Peckham was born in
Blackburn
Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
and brought up in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. In school, he formed a band with friends called the Renegades, where he played guitar. The band later also enrolled his younger brother Derek on the bass guitar. Peckham started dabbling with audio electronics when he had to build a bass amplifier for Derek. According to Peckham, The Renegades played support to
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
, then an up-and-coming band.
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
, whose bass amplifier had failed, borrowed Derek's and afterwards offered to buy it.
Peckham later played and toured with
the Pawns, which he knew from the music circuit, and the group recorded sessions for
Decca
Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label
* Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...
. After a stint playing in Germany, Peckham returned to Britain, and was asked to join Billy Kelly (stage name 'Earl Royce') and his group,
the Olympics.
Peckham was poached from Royce to join
the Fourmost
The Fourmost are an English beat music, Merseybeat band that recorded in the 1960s. Their biggest UK hit single was "A Little Loving" in 1964.
History Formation
Guitarist/vocalist Brian O'Hara and best friend guitarist/vocalist Joey Bower (bor ...
, where he replaced Mike Millward, who had health issues. Keen on the recording side of the business, he left the Fourmost to join
Apple Studios
Apple Studios LLC is an American film, television and in-house production company that is a subsidiary of Apple Inc. It specializes in developing and producing original television series and films for Apple's digital video streaming service Appl ...
when the Beatles acquired the property at 3
Savile Row
Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...
where they would open their own studio.
George Peckham started his career in disc cutting as a trainee disc cutter at Apple Studios in November 1968 before assuming the chief disc cutting role there a year later. Whilst working at Apple, Peckham began adding short messages on the run-out grooves of records he mastered. The messages, along with the phrase "A PORKY PRIME CUT", become his professional signature.
[Peckham, Georg]
"George Peckham – Apple (cont.)"
''The George Peckham Story'' After various stints at other studios he went on to establish Porky's Mastering Services where he was responsible for cutting some of the most influential English records during the '80s. He is now retired.
References
External links
''The George Peckham Story: Growing up in Liverpool''*
George Peckhaman
Porkyat Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peckham, George
Mastering engineers
Musicians from Liverpool
English audio engineers
Living people
People from Blackburn
1942 births