From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sun Nov 3, 2002  7:05 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : John Barry
 
JOHN BARRY

Born Jonathan Barry Prendergast, 3 November 1933, York, Yorkshire, England

Renowned as one of the leading composers of film soundtrack music, Barry
began his career leading the John Barry Seven (formed as John Barry and the
Seven in 1957). This rousing instrumental unit scored several notable UK hits
between 1960-62, the best-known of which were "Hit And Miss" and a cover
of the Ventures' "Walk Don't Run" (both 1960). The former, which reached # 10
in the UK charts, was the theme to Juke Box Jury, BBC television's long-running
record release show. Barry made regular appearances on several early pop
programmes, including "Six Five Special", ITV's "Oh Boy" and its BBC rival,
"Drumbeat" and also enjoyed concurrent fame as a writer and arranger, scoring
the distinctive pizzicato strings on numerous Adam Faith hits, including the # 1
"What Do You Want" (1959). He also composed the soundtrack to "Beat Girl",
Adam Faith's film debut.
Barry's experiments with string arrangements (notably on his original album
"Stringbeat"), his arranger/producer credits for EMI artists, and his long held
desire to compose using a broader musical canvas, soon led to a series of
assignments for low budget films. All that changed when James Bond
entered the picture in 1962.
That year Barry had a UK # 13 hit with his own "James Bond Theme" which
was part of Monty Norman's score for the film Dr. No, the first in a highly
successful series. He produced music for several subsequent Bond films,
including From Russia With Love, Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice, the
title songs from which provided hit singles for Matt Monro (1963), Shirley
Bassey
(1964) and Nancy Sinatra (1967). Such success led to a series of stylish sound-
tracks which encompassed contrasting moods and music, including The Ipcress
File, The Knack (both 1965); Born Free (which won an Oscar in 1966); Midnight
Cowboy (1969) and Mary, Queen Of Scots (1971). Although his theme songs
have enjoyed a high commercial profile, it is Barry's imaginative incidental
music
which has assured his peerless reputation.
His consistency remained intact throughout the '70s and '80s (King Kong, The
Deep, Out Of Africa, The Living Daylights, etc.) and Dances With Wolves (1990)
earned him an Oscar.

Recommended CD's:
The EMI Years, Vol. 1 (1957-1960), Vol. 2 (1961) and Vol. 3 (1962-1964). (EMI)