By Fatma Younis
Phil McDonald, the recording engineer who worked on The Beatles' final albums including Abbey Road, has died at the age of 80. Abbey Road Studios announced his death in a statement on its website.
Early career at Abbey Road
Born in Leeds on February 3, 1946, McDonald joined EMI Recording Studios at Abbey Road in 1964 at age 18. He began in the tape library, moved to disc cutting, then became a tape operator and later a balance engineer.
Work with The Beatles
His first documented Beatles session was on June 17, 1965, for "Yesterday." He went on to work on Revolver (1966), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), the White Album (1968), and nearly every session for Abbey Road (1969).
Grammy Award and later projects
McDonald shared the 1970 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical, with Geoff Emerick for Abbey Road. After the band's breakup, he engineered solo recordings by all four Beatles, including George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, John Lennon's Imagine, and Paul McCartney's McCartney. He also worked with Eric Clapton, Deep Purple, Harry Nilsson, and later the Traveling Wilburys and Roy Orbison.
Tributes from Abbey Road Studios
The studio's statement described McDonald as a highly skilled and much-loved engineer who returned for a visit last year. He is survived by his wife Sandra.
