Veteran record producer Martin Erdman passes

 Veteran record producer and label founder Martin Erdman passed on Monday May 5 in Sydney, after a brief illness. He was 77. Erdman was best known as in-house producer for Festival Records from the ‘70s. He produced the first Australian single to sell a million copies in the U.S., with Sister Janet Mead’s rocked-up The Lord’s Prayer reaching #1 there.

He was behind Peter Allen’s I Still Call Australia Home, Abigail’s Je T’aime, and They’re Playing Our Song by John Waters and Jackie Weaver. Peter Hebbes, then Festival’s A&R head, recalled to TMN: “Martin was one of the most active and prolific producers of Australian talent, having a tremendous success with a cross-section of artists. Above all, he was a great guy and one of the industry’s true gentlemen and up until recently still producing records and constantly on the phone with ideas. Many of today’s recording engineers and producers owe a lot to Martin and those exciting pioneering years in the Australasian music industry.”

Jim White, former CEO of Festival Records and ex-GM of ARIA/PPCA, told TMN: “From the early days he had no real interest other than music.” Erdman set up a studio at the back of his father’s record shop in Rose Bay, and in 1963 opened Sound World record bar and studio at San Souci. His record label Du Monde signed Harry Young and Sabbath, Flake, Samael Lillith, Clapham Junction, The ’69ers, Donnie Sutherland and Nev Nicholls.

Post-Festival, Erdman ran an audio/video studio with wife Sandra. He was also a staunch fundraiser for Support Act Limited through his “Break-a-leg” lunches.