John Barry
John Barry, OBE (born John Barry Prendergast on 3 November 1933 in York, England) was an English film score composer. He is best known for composing 11 James Bond soundtracks and was hugely influential on the 007 series' distinctive style.
Personal life
- Barry was educated at St Peter's School, York, and also received composition lessons from Francis Jackson, Organist of York Minster. Living in his native England until the mid 1970s, Barry spent some time in Spain (for tax reasons) but has since lived in the United States, mainly in Oyster Bay outside New York.
- Barry suffered a rupture of the oesophagus in 1988 following a toxic reaction to a health potion he had consumed. The incident rendered him unable to work for two years and left him vulnerable to pneumonia.
Career
- Although originally a classical pianist Barry also decided to learn the trumpet and started growing an interest for composing and arranging music. But it was during his National Service that he began performing as a musician.
- After taking a correspondence course (with jazz composer Bill Russo) and arranging for some of the bands of the day, he formed The John Barry Seven, with whom he had some hit records.
- Barry was employed by the EMI record company from 1959 until 1962 arranging orchestral accompaniment for the company's recording artists. From 1962 Barry transferred to Ember Records where he produced albums as well as arranging them.
- This would be the turning point for Barry, and he would go on to become one of the most celebrated film composers of modern times, winning five Academy Awards and four Grammy Awards, with scores for, among others, The Lion in Winter, Midnight Cowboy, Born Free, and Somewhere In Time.
- One of Barry's best known compositions is the theme for the 1971 TV series The Persuaders!, also known as "The Unlucky Heroes", in which Tony Curtis and Roger Moore were paired as rich playboys solving crimes.
- After the success of Dr. No, Barry scored eleven of the next 14 James Bond films (but with Monty Norman continually credited as the composer of The James Bond Theme).
Awards
Five Academy Awards
- 1967 Best Original Song for Born Free" from Born Free
- 1967 Best Original Music Score for Born Free
- 1969 Best Original Music Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical) for The Lion in Winter
- 1986 Best Original Score for Out of Africa
- 1991 Best Original Score for Dances with Wolves
BAFTA Award
- 1969 Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music for The Lion in Winter
- 2005 BAFTA Fellowship Award
Emmy Award nominations
- 1964 Outstanding Achievement in Composing Original Music for Television for Elizabeth Taylor in London (a 1963 television special)
- 1977 Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Special (Dramatic Underscore) for Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years
Barry was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1998.
Did you know?
John Barry's family was in the cinema business, which first sparked his musical interests.
There are more than 100 recordings of Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto and its sales exceed five million.
- For more classical facts, buy Classic Ephemera:A Classic FM Musical Miscellany in our shop
- More composers
Source: Wikipedia
In memory of John Barry
As a tribute to John Barry, here's an interview he did with Anne-Marie Minhall for Classic FM a few years ago.
