Hurricane Smith, real name Norman Smith, was the record producer and engineer of all recordings done by The Beatles up until 1965. Smith worked as a musician before entering the recording industry in his mid-thirties. Before his career in music, he was in the Royal Air Force as a glider pilot. On March 3, 2008, Smith lost his battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Eileen, his son Nick, and daughter Dee Smith.

• "I didn't really understand psychedelia. But I could see that they did have one hell of a following even then. I figured I should put my business hat on, as it was obvious that we could sell some records."