Martin Birch began his career as a sound engineer, including bands such as Fleetwood Mac and Deep Purple. He produced a total of eleven records for Deep Purple, including classics such as Deep Purple In Rock, Machine Head and Burn. The track record also includes albums by bands such as Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Wishbone Ash and Iron Maiden.
David Coverdale, former singer of Deep Purple and since the late 70's singer of Whitesnake, expresses his grief on Twitter:
"It is with a very heavy heart that I have just learned that my dear friend and producer Martin Birch has passed away. Martin was a big part of my life. He helped me from the first time we met until Slide it in. My thoughts go to his family, friends and fans ”.
Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler also laments the grief:
"It's sad to hear about Martin Birch's death. A brilliant producer. Had the pleasure of working with him on the Black Sabbath albums Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules. My condolences to Vera and the family, "he wrote on his Twitter account.