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 John Barry was born in York, England in 1933, and was the youngest of three children. His father, Jack, owned several local cinemas and by the age of fourteen, Barry was capable of running the projection box on his own - in particular, The Rialto in York. As he was brought up in a cinematic environment, he soon began to assimilate the music which accompanied the films he saw nightly to a point when, even before he'd left St. Peters school, he had decided to become a film music composer. Helped by lessons provided locally on piano and trumpet, followed by the more exacting theory taught by tutors as diverse as Dr Francis Jackson of York Minster and William Russo, formerly arranger to Stan Kenton and His Orchestra, he soon became equipped to embark upon his chosen career, but had no knowledge of how one actually got a start in the business. A three year sojourn in the army as a bandsman combined with his evening stints with local jazz bands gave him the idea to ease this passage by forming a small band of his own. This was how The John Barry Seven came into existence, and Barry successfully launched them during 1957 via a succession of tours and TV appearances. A recording contract with EMI soon followed, and although initial releases made by them failed to chart, Barry's undoubted talent showed enough promise to influence the studio management at Abbey Road in allowing him to make his debut as an arranger and conductor for other artists on the EMI roster.A chance meeting with a young singer named Adam Faith, whilst both were appearing on astage show version of the innovative BBC TV programme, Six-Five Special (1957), led Barry to recommend Faith for a later BBC TV series, Drumbeat (1959), which was broadcast in 1959. Faith had made two or three commercially unsuccessful records before singer/songwriter Johnny Worth, also appearing on Drumbeat, offered him a song he'd just finished entitled What Do You Want? With the assistance of the JB7 pianist, Les Reed, Barry contrived an arrangement considered suited to Faith's soft vocal delivery, and within weeks, the record was number one. Barry (and Faith) then went from strength to strength; Faith achieving a swift succession of chart hits, with Barry joining him soon afterwards when the Seven, riding high on the wave of the early sixties instrumental boom, scored with Hit & Miss, Walk Don't Run and Black Stockings.Faith had long harboured ambitions to act even before his first hit record and was offered a part in the up and coming British movie, Wild for Kicks (1960), at that time. As Barry was by then arranging not only his recordings but also his live Drumbeat material, it came as no surprise when the film company asked him to write the score to accompany Faith's big screen debut. It should be emphasised that the film was hardly a cinematic masterpiece. However, it did give Faith a chance to demonstrate his acting potential, and Barry the chance to show just how quickly he'd mastered the technique of film music writing. Although the film and soundtrack album were both commercial successes, further film score offers failed to flood in. On those that did, such as Never Let Go (1960) and The Amorous Mr. Prawn (1962), Barry proved highly inventive, diverse and adaptable and, as a result, built up a reputation as an emerging talent. It was with this in mind that Noel Rogers, of United Artists Music, approached him in the summer of '62, with a view to involving him in the music for the forthcoming James Bond film, Dr. No (1962).He was also assisted onto the cinematic ladder as a result of a burgeoning relationship with actor/writer turned director Bryan Forbes, who asked him to write a couple of jazz numbers for use in a club scene in Forbes' then latest film, The L-Shaped Room (1962). From this very modest beginning, the couple went on to collaborate on five subsequent films, including the highly acclaimed Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964), King Rat (1965) and The Whisperers (1967). Other highlights from the sixties included five more Bond films, Zulu (1964), Born Free (1966) (a double Oscar), The Lion in Winter (1968) (another Oscar) and Midnight Cowboy (1969).In the seventies he scored the cult film Walkabout (1971), The Last Valley (1971), Mary, Queen of Scots (1971) (Oscar nomination), wrote the theme for The Persuaders! (1971), a musical version of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and the hit musical Billy. Then, in 1974, he made the decision to leave his Thameside penthouse apartment for the peace of a remote villa he was having built in Majorca. He had been living there for about a year, during which time he turned down all film scoring opportunities, until he received an invitation to write the score for the American TV movie, Eleanor and Franklin (1976). In order to accomplish the task, he booked into the Beverly Hills Hotel for six weeks in October 1975. However, during this period, he was also offered Robin and Marian (1976) and King Kong (1976), which caused his stay to be extended. He was eventually to live and work in the hotel for almost a year, as more assignments were offered and accepted. His stay on America's West Coast eventually lasted almost five years, during which time he met and married his wife, Laurie, who lived with him at his Beverly Hills residence. They moved to Oyster Bay, New York and have since split their time between there and a house in Cadogan Square, London.After adopting a seemingly lower profile towards the end of the seventies, largely due to the relatively obscure nature of the commissions he accepted, the eighties saw John Barry re-emerge once more into the cinematic limelight. This was achieved, not only by continuing to experiment and diversify, but also by mixing larger budget commissions of the calibre of Body Heat (1981), Jagged Edge (1985), Out of Africa (1985) (another Oscar) and The Cotton Club (1984) with smaller ones such as the TV movies, Touched by Love (1980) and Svengali (1983). Other successes included: Somewhere in Time (1980), Frances (1982), three more Bond films, and Peggy Sue Got Married (1986).After serious illness in the late eighties, Barry returned with yet another Oscar success with Dances with Wolves (1990) and was also nominated for Chaplin (1992). Since then he scored the controversial Indecent Proposal (1993), My Life (1993), Deception (1992), Cry, the Beloved Country (1995) and has made compilation albums for Sony (Moviola and Moviola II) and non-soundtrack albums for Decca ('The Beyondness Of Things' & 'Eternal Echoes').In the late nineties he made a staggeringly successful return to the concert arena, playing to sell-out audiences at the Royal Albert Hall. Since then he has appeared as a guest conductor at a RAH concert celebrating the life and career of Elizabeth Taylor and made brief appearances at a couple of London concerts dedicated to his music. In 2004 he re-united with Don Black to write his fifth stage musical, Brighton Rock, which enjoyed a limited run at The Almeida Theatre in London.He continued to appear at concerts of his own music, often making brief appearances at the podium. In November 2007, Christine Albanel, the French Minister for Culture, appointed him Commander in the National Order of Arts and Letters. The award was made at the eighth International Festival Music and Cinema, in Auxerre, France, when, in his honour, a concert of his music also took place.In August 2008 he was working on a new album, provisionally entitled Seasons, which he has described as "a soundtrack of his life." A new biography, "John Barry: The Man with The Midas Touch", by Geoff Leonard, Pete Walker, and Gareth Bramley, was published in November 2008.He died following a heart-attack on 30th January 2011, at his home in Oyster Bay, New York.John began his musical training with piano lessons when he was 9 and subsequently studied with master of music Dr. Francis Jackson at York Minster followed by course work in composition,harmony and orchestration with American jazz musician Bill Russo of the Stan Kenton Orchestra. H then served in Egypt and Cyprus with the military band of the Second Infantry Division of the Green Howards Regiment. He and his fellow army musicians formed what later became The John Barry Seven attracting attention from many pop and rock and roll acts of the day. In addition to producing a string of records including 'Hit or Miss', which became the theme for the BBC's 'Juke Box Jury' he produced and arranged for many British artists, in particular Adam Faith which led to his first film score for 'Dr No' in 1962 causing him to become recognised as an important film composer. While being best known for composing 13 of the first 16 Bond films he also did the scores for 'Midnight Cowboy'(1969 Grammy Award), 'The Cotton Club (1985 Grammy Award) ,'Peggy Sue Got 'Married', 'Body Heat' and 'The Juror' amongst many others.In addition he conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchstra in recording eleven of his most unforgettable film themesJohn took up the piano at 9 and studied with Dr Francis Jackson, master of music at York Minster and via a correspondence course .with American Bill Russo who worked with the Stan Kenton Band. At 16 John played the trumpet in a local jazz band, The Modernaires. After military service in a military band he formed the John Barry Seven and while touring met Adam Faith and helped him with many of his early records and became musical director with EMI. which led to his first film score - Beat Girl. Since then he must have scored over a 100 films including all of the early Bonds, and many of the top films such as Zulu, Midnight Cowboy, Jagged Edge, Out of Africa and Dances With Wolves among st many others. Among all his many accolades was one from his home city of York when they made him a Freeman of the City.
Bio:
John Barry was born in York, England in 1933, and was the youngest of three children. His father, Jack, owned several local cinemas and by the age of fourteen, Barry was capable of running the projection box on his own - in particular, The Rialto in York. As he was brought up in a cinematic environment, he soon began to assimilate the music which accompanied the films he saw nightly to a point when, even before he'd left St. Peters school, he had decided to become a film music composer. Helped by lessons provided locally on piano and trumpet, followed by the more exacting theory taught by tutors as diverse as Dr Francis Jackson of York Minster and William Russo, formerly arranger to Stan Kenton and His Orchestra, he soon became equipped to embark upon his chosen career, but had no knowledge of how one actually got a start in the business. A three year sojourn in the army as a bandsman combined with his evening stints with local jazz bands gave him the idea to ease this passage by forming a small band of his own. This was how The John Barry Seven came into existence, and Barry successfully launched them during 1957 via a succession of tours and TV appearances. A recording contract with EMI soon followed, and although initial releases made by them failed to chart, Barry's undoubted talent showed enough promise to influence the studio management at Abbey Road in allowing him to make his debut as an arranger and conductor for other artists on the EMI roster.A chance meeting with a young singer named Adam Faith, whilst both were appearing on astage show version of the innovative BBC TV programme, Six-Five Special (1957), led Barry to recommend Faith for a later BBC TV series, Drumbeat (1959), which was broadcast in 1959. Faith had made two or three commercially unsuccessful records before singer/songwriter Johnny Worth, also appearing on Drumbeat, offered him a song he'd just finished entitled What Do You Want? With the assistance of the JB7 pianist, Les Reed, Barry contrived an arrangement considered suited to Faith's soft vocal delivery, and within weeks, the record was number one. Barry (and Faith) then went from strength to strength; Faith achieving a swift succession of chart hits, with Barry joining him soon afterwards when the Seven, riding high on the wave of the early sixties instrumental boom, scored with Hit & Miss, Walk Don't Run and Black Stockings.Faith had long harboured ambitions to act even before his first hit record and was offered a part in the up and coming British movie, Wild for Kicks (1960), at that time. As Barry was by then arranging not only his recordings but also his live Drumbeat material, it came as no surprise when the film company asked him to write the score to accompany Faith's big screen debut. It should be emphasised that the film was hardly a cinematic masterpiece. However, it did give Faith a chance to demonstrate his acting potential, and Barry the chance to show just how quickly he'd mastered the technique of film music writing. Although the film and soundtrack album were both commercial successes, further film score offers failed to flood in. On those that did, such as Never Let Go (1960) and The Amorous Mr. Prawn (1962), Barry proved highly inventive, diverse and adaptable and, as a result, built up a reputation as an emerging talent. It was with this in mind that Noel Rogers, of United Artists Music, approached him in the summer of '62, with a view to involving him in the music for the forthcoming James Bond film, Dr. No (1962).He was also assisted onto the cinematic ladder as a result of a burgeoning relationship with actor/writer turned director Bryan Forbes, who asked him to write a couple of jazz numbers for use in a club scene in Forbes' then latest film, The L-Shaped Room (1962). From this very modest beginning, the couple went on to collaborate on five subsequent films, including the highly acclaimed Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964), King Rat (1965) and The Whisperers (1967). Other highlights from the sixties included five more Bond films, Zulu (1964), Born Free (1966) (a double Oscar), The Lion in Winter (1968) (another Oscar) and Midnight Cowboy (1969).In the seventies he scored the cult film Walkabout (1971), The Last Valley (1971), Mary, Queen of Scots (1971) (Oscar nomination), wrote the theme for The Persuaders! (1971), a musical version of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and the hit musical Billy. Then, in 1974, he made the decision to leave his Thameside penthouse apartment for the peace of a remote villa he was having built in Majorca. He had been living there for about a year, during which time he turned down all film scoring opportunities, until he received an invitation to write the score for the American TV movie, Eleanor and Franklin (1976). In order to accomplish the task, he booked into the Beverly Hills Hotel for six weeks in October 1975. However, during this period, he was also offered Robin and Marian (1976) and King Kong (1976), which caused his stay to be extended. He was eventually to live and work in the hotel for almost a year, as more assignments were offered and accepted. His stay on America's West Coast eventually lasted almost five years, during which time he met and married his wife, Laurie, who lived with him at his Beverly Hills residence. They moved to Oyster Bay, New York and have since split their time between there and a house in Cadogan Square, London.After adopting a seemingly lower profile towards the end of the seventies, largely due to the relatively obscure nature of the commissions he accepted, the eighties saw John Barry re-emerge once more into the cinematic limelight. This was achieved, not only by continuing to experiment and diversify, but also by mixing larger budget commissions of the calibre of Body Heat (1981), Jagged Edge (1985), Out of Africa (1985) (another Oscar) and The Cotton Club (1984) with smaller ones such as the TV movies, Touched by Love (1980) and Svengali (1983). Other successes included: Somewhere in Time (1980), Frances (1982), three more Bond films, and Peggy Sue Got Married (1986).After serious illness in the late eighties, Barry returned with yet another Oscar success with Dances with Wolves (1990) and was also nominated for Chaplin (1992). Since then he scored the controversial Indecent Proposal (1993), My Life (1993), Deception (1992), Cry, the Beloved Country (1995) and has made compilation albums for Sony (Moviola and Moviola II) and non-soundtrack albums for Decca ('The Beyondness Of Things' & 'Eternal Echoes').In the late nineties he made a staggeringly successful return to the concert arena, playing to sell-out audiences at the Royal Albert Hall. Since then he has appeared as a guest conductor at a RAH concert celebrating the life and career of Elizabeth Taylor and made brief appearances at a couple of London concerts dedicated to his music. In 2004 he re-united with Don Black to write his fifth stage musical, Brighton Rock, which enjoyed a limited run at The Almeida Theatre in London.He continued to appear at concerts of his own music, often making brief appearances at the podium. In November 2007, Christine Albanel, the French Minister for Culture, appointed him Commander in the National Order of Arts and Letters. The award was made at the eighth International Festival Music and Cinema, in Auxerre, France, when, in his honour, a concert of his music also took place.In August 2008 he was working on a new album, provisionally entitled Seasons, which he has described as "a soundtrack of his life." A new biography, "John Barry: The Man with The Midas Touch", by Geoff Leonard, Pete Walker, and Gareth Bramley, was published in November 2008.He died following a heart-attack on 30th January 2011, at his home in Oyster Bay, New York.
John began his musical training with piano lessons when he was 9 and subsequently studied with master of music Dr. Francis Jackson at York Minster followed by course work in composition,harmony and orchestration with American jazz musician Bill Russo of the Stan Kenton Orchestra. H then served in Egypt and Cyprus with the military band of the Second Infantry Division of the Green Howards Regiment. He and his fellow army musicians formed what later became The John Barry Seven attracting attention from many pop and rock and roll acts of the day. In addition to producing a string of records including 'Hit or Miss', which became the theme for the BBC's 'Juke Box Jury' he produced and arranged for many British artists, in particular Adam Faith which led to his first film score for 'Dr No' in 1962 causing him to become recognised as an important film composer. While being best known for composing 13 of the first 16 Bond films he also did the scores for 'Midnight Cowboy'(1969 Grammy Award), 'The Cotton Club (1985 Grammy Award) ,'Peggy Sue Got 'Married', 'Body Heat' and 'The Juror' amongst many others.In addition he conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchstra in recording eleven of his most unforgettable film themes
John took up the piano at 9 and studied with Dr Francis Jackson, master of music at York Minster and via a correspondence course .with American Bill Russo who worked with the Stan Kenton Band. At 16 John played the trumpet in a local jazz band, The Modernaires. After military service in a military band he formed the John Barry Seven and while touring met Adam Faith and helped him with many of his early records and became musical director with EMI. which led to his first film score - Beat Girl. Since then he must have scored over a 100 films including all of the early Bonds, and many of the top films such as Zulu, Midnight Cowboy, Jagged Edge, Out of Africa and Dances With Wolves among st many others. Among all his many accolades was one from his home city of York when they made him a Freeman of the City.
Tivia:
Has scored 11 of the James Bond films and his influence was very much heard in the first, Dr. No (1962), via his work on The James Bond Theme.His "We Have All the Time in the World," sung by Louis Armstrong, from the soundtrack of the Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) -- in which 007 weds -- was found in 2005 to be the third most popular choice for UK just-married couples' first dance (after Bryan Adams and The Carpenters).Federico Fellini once confessed to an interviewer that Barry's Goldfinger (1964) was his favorite movie score.Japanese film and television composer Shir? Sagisu has acknowledged Barry's work as an influence; in fact, one of Shir?'s compositions for Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) is a blatant homage to a theme called "007" which appears in several James Bond film scored by Barry.To date (2009), the composer holds the record for the most James Bond scores - a total of 12. Barry also holds the record for the most consecutive 007 scores - six.The BBC frequently uses his film themes and cues during documentaries or factual programmes such as Top Gear, Countryfile etc.He was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honors List for his services to music.Counts Goldfinger (1964) as his personal favorite of all his 007 scores.Met his fourth wife, Laurie Barry, through 007 producer Barbara Broccoli.Residing in Oyster Bay, New York. (January 2009)His memorable string introduction to "You Only Live Twice" was sampled by former Take That singer and solo superstar Robbie Williams as the main hook for his first UK number one single "Millennium" in 1998.Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1998.At one point during the inception of his song "Goldfinger," Barry approached fellow-composers Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse about writing the lyrics. Barry proceeded to play the first few bars and both men sang: "... wider than a mile ..." (from Henry Mancini's "Moon River"). The first three notes of both songs have identical melodies.When Barry won Oscars for "Best Music, Original Music Score" and "Best Music, Original Song" from Born Free (1966), not only was it his first Oscar victory, it was also the first time an Englishman had won both those particular categories. Barry first heard of his wins from friend (and future "Phantom of the Opera" star) Michael Crawford who'd seen the ceremonies on TV in New York and called him in the UK with the news.Made many recordings with Johnny De Little, including the film themes "The Knack" and "Days of Wine & Roses".On Tuesday June 25, 2002, he was confirmed as an Honorary Freeman of the City of York in a special ceremony at the city's Assembly Rooms. He received his award from City of York Council at a special luncheon at the Assembly Rooms where he once used to play trumpet in a jazz band on Saturday nights in the 1950s.Children: Suzanne (with Barbara Pickard), Sian (with Ulla Larsson), Kate Barry (with Jane Birkin) and JonPatrick (with Laurie Barry).Was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship at the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London, February 12, 2005, becoming the first composer to receive the honour.He declined an offer to score GoldenEye (1995), so ��ric Serra filled in.He suffered a rupture of the oesophagus in 1988, following a toxic reaction to a health tonic he had consumed. The incident rendered him unable to work for two years and left him vulnerable to pneumonia.On Friday June 28, 2002, at The James Bond Celebrity Golf Classic and Gala Dinner, held at the prestigious Stoke Poges, Stoke Park Club, Barry received the prestigious GoldenEye award, for his contribution to the music of James Bond. The award was courtesy of The Ian Fleming Foundation.He was unable to score Licence to Kill (1989) as he was undergoing throat surgery, so Michael Kamen filled in.He regarded his score for The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) as his least favourite James Bond score, having only three weeks to do it.He was unavailable to score Live and Let Die (1973), so George Martin stepped in.He recorded a score for Howard the Duck (1986) that went unused, after producer Gloria Katz deemed it to be too old-fashioned and lacking in energy. Sylvester Levay was hired to rescore much of the film, including nearly the entire final third act.In 1975 Barry moved to California. A British judge later accused him of emigrating to avoid paying ��134,000 due the Inland Revenue. The matter was resolved in the late 1980s and Barry was able to return to the UK. He subsequently lived for many years in the United States, mainly in Oyster Bay, New York, in Centre Island on Long Island, from 1980.September 2004 - in London for the opening of his stage musical version of Graham Greene's 'Brighton Rock', with lyrics by Don Black.He was unable to score The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and For Your Eyes Only (1981) as he was unavailable to work in the United Kingdom because of tax reasons. Marvin Hamlisch and Bill Conti filled in.He wrote a score for The Golden Child (1986), but it was rejected in favor of Michel Colombier's synthesizer music. Two Barry compositions remain in the soundtrack, one of those being Ann Wilson's "Best Man in The World" (La-La Land released the complete work of both composers).In 1999 Barry was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at Buckingham Palace for services to music.Early in his career the composer owned an E-Type Jaguar car.He was invited to do the music for Never Say Never Again (1983), but he politely declined, out of respect for Albert R. Broccoli, and his association with EON Productions.Elizabeth Taylor employed him in 1964 as music director for her tv special ''Elizabeth Taylor in London'.Presented with the Music Industry Trusts' Award in 1999 for his outstanding contribution to the British music industry.September 2006 - in London for a concert of his music at the Royal Albert Hall.He's composed and conducted the music for all the Bond films, up to the time of his death, with the exception of Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, Licence To Kill and Goldeneye.He composed the music for 13 of the James Bond films.He did his military service in Egypt and Cyprus with the Military Band of the Second Infantry Division of the Green Howards.He had little interest in school as he knew even then that he wanted to be a film music composer. He loved Erich Korngold's score for 'The Adventures of Robin Hood'.Went to court to try and disown the score for 'Howard the Duck'.His father, apart from running 8 Cinemas he staged concerts with artists such as Nat King Cole and Gracie Fields..He had total recall and could remember every film he scored, every hit he had,and every musician he worked with.The directors he likes are Sidney Pollack, Richard Attenborough, Francis Coppola and John Schlessinger.Despite him having a hit with 'We Have All the Time in the World' he's never been crazy about writing individual songs. He prefers it when the music with the song is embedded in the drama.Whilst known for all his film score he has done some for the theatre including 'Passion Flower Hotel' and 'Lolita My Love'.The first film he recalled seeing was 'A Song to Remember starring Merle Oberon and Cornel Wilde.Had a house set in 4 acres on an island 40 miles North of New York.His mother was a classical pianist.While John absorbed jazz and big bands it was classical music that was his first love.. and studied composition with Francis Jackson, head of music at York Minster. It was only when he did his national service did what then passed for pop take over and he did a 2 year correspondence course with Bill Russo, Stan Kenton's music arranger.Married Laurie, 25 years younger than himself. |
| Name: |
John Barry |
Type: |
Music Department,Composer,Actor (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
|
Business scope: |
Music Department,Composer,Actor |
| Products for sale: |
Music Department,Composer,Actor |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 05:28:24 |
| Height: |
5' 10' (1.78 m) |
| Biography: |
John Barry was born in York, England in 1933, and was the youngest of three children. His father, Jack, owned several local cinemas and by the age of fourteen, Barry was capable of running the projection box on his own - in particular, The Rialto in |
| Trivia: |
Has scored 11 of the James Bond films and his influence was very much heard in the first, Dr. No (1962), via his work on The James Bond Theme.His "We Have All the Time in the World," sung by Louis Armstrong, from the soundtrack of the Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) -- in which 007 weds -- was found in 2005 to be the third most popular choice for UK just-married couples' first dance (after Bryan Adams and The Carpenters).Federico Fellini once confessed to an interviewer that Barry's Goldfinger (1964) was his favorite movie score.Japanese film and television composer Shir? Sagisu has acknowledged Barry's work as an influence; in fact, one of Shir?'s compositions for Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) is a blatant homage to a theme called "007" which appears in several James Bond film scored by Barry.To date (2009), the composer holds the record for the most James Bond scores - a total of 12. Barry also holds the record for the most consecutive 007 scores - six.The BBC frequently uses his film themes and cues during documentaries or factual programmes such as Top Gear, Countryfile etc.He was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honors List for his services to music.Counts Goldfinger (1964) as his personal favorite of all his 007 scores.Met his fourth wife, Laurie Barry, through 007 producer Barbara Broccoli.Residing in Oyster Bay, New York. (January 2009)His memorable string introduction to "You Only Live Twice" was sampled by former Take That singer and solo superstar Robbie Williams as the main hook for his first UK number one single "Millennium" in 1998.Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1998.At one point during the inception of his song "Goldfinger," Barry approached fellow-composers Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse about writing the lyrics. Barry proceeded to play the first few bars and both men sang: "... wider than a mile ..." (from Henry Mancini's "Moon River"). The first three notes of both songs have identical melodies.When Barry won Oscars for "Best Music, Original Music Score" and "Best Music, Original Song" from Born Free (1966), not only was it his first Oscar victory, it was also the first time an Englishman had won both those particular categories. Barry first heard of his wins from friend (and future "Phantom of the Opera" star) Michael Crawford who'd seen the ceremonies on TV in New York and called him in the UK with the news.Made many recordings with Johnny De Little, including the film themes "The Knack" and "Days of Wine & Roses".On Tuesday June 25, 2002, he was confirmed as an Honorary Freeman of the City of York in a special ceremony at the city's Assembly Rooms. He received his award from City of York Council at a special luncheon at the Assembly Rooms where he once used to play trumpet in a jazz band on Saturday nights in the 1950s.Children: Suzanne (with Barbara Pickard), Sian (with Ulla Larsson), Kate Barry (with Jane Birkin) and JonPatrick (with Laurie Barry).Was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship at the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London, February 12, 2005, becoming the first composer to receive the honour.He declined an offer to score GoldenEye (1995), so ��ric Serra filled in.He suffered a rupture of the oesophagus in 1988, following a toxic reaction to a health tonic he had consumed. The incident rendered him unable to work for two years and left him vulnerable to pneumonia.On Friday June 28, 2002, at The James Bond Celebrity Golf Classic and Gala Dinner, held at the prestigious Stoke Poges, Stoke Park Club, Barry received the prestigious GoldenEye award, for his contribution to the music of James Bond. The award was courtesy of The Ian Fleming Foundation.He was unable to score Licence to Kill (1989) as he was undergoing throat surgery, so Michael Kamen filled in.He regarded his score for The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) as his least favourite James Bond score, having only three weeks to do it.He was unavailable to score Live and Let Die (1973), so George Martin stepped in.He recorded a score for Howard the Duck (1986) that went unused, after producer Gloria Katz deemed it to be too old-fashioned and lacking in energy. Sylvester Levay was hired to rescore much of the film, including nearly the entire final third act.In 1975 Barry moved to California. A British judge later accused him of emigrating to avoid paying ��134,000 due the Inland Revenue. The matter was resolved in the late 1980s and Barry was able to return to the UK. He subsequently lived for many years in the United States, mainly in Oyster Bay, New York, in Centre Island on Long Island, from 1980.September 2004 - in London for the opening of his stage musical version of Graham Greene's 'Brighton Rock', with lyrics by Don Black.He was unable to score The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and For Your Eyes Only (1981) as he was unavailable to work in the United Kingdom because of tax reasons. Marvin Hamlisch and Bill Conti filled in.He wrote a score for The Golden Child (1986), but it was rejected in favor of Michel Colombier's synthesizer music. Two Barry compositions remain in the soundtrack, one of those being Ann Wilson's "Best Man in The World" (La-La Land released the complete work of both composers).In 1999 Barry was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at Buckingham Palace for services to music.Early in his career the composer owned an E-Type Jaguar car.He was invited to do the music for Never Say Never Again (1983), but he politely declined, out of respect for Albert R. Broccoli, and his association with EON Productions.Elizabeth Taylor employed him in 1964 as music director for her tv special ''Elizabeth Taylor in London'.Presented with the Music Industry Trusts' Award in 1999 for his outstanding contribution to the British music industry.September 2006 - in London for a concert of his music at the Royal Albert Hall.He's composed and conducted the music for all the Bond films, up to the time of his death, with the exception of Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, Licence To Kill and Goldeneye.He composed the music for 13 of the James Bond films.He did his military service in Egypt and Cyprus with the Military Band of the Second Infantry Division of the Green Howards.He had little interest in school as he knew even then that he wanted to be a film music composer. He loved Erich Korngold's score for 'The Adventures of Robin Hood'.Went to court to try and disown the score for 'Howard the Duck'.His father, apart from running 8 Cinemas he staged concerts with artists such as Nat King Cole and Gracie Fields..He had total recall and could remember every film he scored, every hit he had,and every musician he worked with.The directors he likes are Sidney Pollack, Richard Attenborough, Francis Coppola and John Schlessinger.Despite him having a hit with 'We Have All the Time in the World' he's never been crazy about writing individual songs. He prefers it when the music with the song is embedded in the drama.Whilst known for all his film score he has done some for the theatre including 'Passion Flower Hotel' and 'Lolita My Love'.The first film he recalled seeing was 'A Song to Remember starring Merle Oberon and Cornel Wilde.Had a house set in 4 acres on an island 40 miles North of New York.His mother was a classical pianist.While John absorbed jazz and big bands it was classical music that was his first love.. and studied composition with Francis Jackson, head of music at York Minster. It was only when he did his national service did what then passed for pop take over and he did a 2 year correspondence course with Bill Russo, Stan Kenton's music arranger.Married Laurie, 25 years younger than himself. |
| Quotes: |
Geoff Leonard knows more about me than I know myself.
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[on the singer who sampled "You Only Live Twice" for his first number one solo single] I wouldn't know Robbie Williams if I fell over him.
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[on being awarded an O.B.E.] I'm very honored. I really didn't expect. My father received an MBE at the end of World War II and I didn't believe I would be doing the same.
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[on The John Barry Seven] I hated it. I hated it. It was a means to an end. I never wanted to work for anybody else, I always wanted to be my own boss. And so the Seven was a means to get started but I hated performing, really hated it. |
| Job title: |
Music Department,Composer,Actor |
| Others works: |
Musical, "Brighton Rock", with Don Black, which ran at the Almeida, London, late 2004.
His John Barry Seven's recording of "Walk Don't Run" (a top ten hit in the UK in 1960) was used for a Debenham's TV commercial durin |
| Spouse: |
Laurie Barry (January 3, 1978 - January 30, 2011) (his death, 1 child)Jane Sidey (1969 - 1978) (divorced)Jane Birkin (October 16, 1965 - 1968) (divorced, 1 child)Barbara Pickard (1959 - 1963) (divorced, |
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