John Barry

about

John Barry, OBE (3 November 1933 - 30 January 2011), born John Barry Prendergast in York, UK is considered one of the "Big Four" of late 20th century film composers (the others being John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, and Henry Mancini). His family was in the cinema business, but it was during his National Service that he began performing as a musician. After taking a correspondence course and arranging for some of the bands of the day, he formed The John Barry Seven. Barry then met Adam Faith, and composed songs and film scores on the singer's behalf. It was this notoriety that caught the attention of the producers of Dr. No, who were dissatisfied with the score given to them by Monty Norman. Barry and the JB7 were hired and their recording of Norman's "James Bond Theme" would go on to be one of the most famous signature tunes in film history. This would be the turning point for Barry, as he would go on to become one of the most celebrated film composers of modern times, winning five Academy Awards and four Grammys, with such memorable scores as The Lion in Winter, Midnight Cowboy, Out of Africa, and Dances with Wolves. Barry is often cited as having had a distinct style which concentrated on lush strings and extensive use of brass. However, he was also an innovator, being one of the first to employ synthesizers in a film score (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), and to make wide use of pop artists and original songs in Midnight Cowboy. Living in his native England until th

top songs

albums

Dances With Wolves - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

The Music Of John Barry

The Best Of John Barry

Dances With Wolves

Moviola

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Expanded Edition)

Out of Africa

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

The Music Of

Thunderball

Themeology: The Best of John Barry

Somewhere in Time (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

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