John Barry (composer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Barry OBE
Barry in 2006
Background information
Birth name	John Barry Prendergast
Born	(1933-11-03)3 November 1933 York, England
Died	30 January 2011(2011-01-30) (aged 77) Oyster Bay, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Composer, conductor

John Barry Prendergast (3 November 1933 – 30 January 2011) was a famous British composer and conductor. He created music for many films.

He is most famous for writing the music for eleven of the James Bond movies between 1963 and 1987. He also arranged and performed the "James Bond Theme" for the very first film, Dr. No, in 1962.

Barry won many awards, including Grammy Awards and Academy Awards (Oscars). His award-winning music includes the scores for Dances with Wolves and Out of Africa. He also composed music for films like The Scarlet Letter, Chaplin, and the theme for the TV show The Persuaders!. His amazing career lasted over 50 years. In 1999, he was given an OBE for his great contributions to music.

Born in York, England, Barry grew up working in cinemas owned by his father. During his time in the British Army, he learned to play the trumpet and started performing music. After leaving the army, he formed his own band, the John Barry Seven, in 1957. He soon became interested in composing and arranging music.

Barry caught the attention of the people making the first James Bond film, Dr. No. They needed a new theme song for James Bond. This led to a very successful partnership between Barry and the Bond series that lasted for 25 years.

He won five Academy Awards and four Grammy Awards. He received two Oscars for Born Free, and one each for The Lion in Winter, Out of Africa, and Dances with Wolves. He also won a BAFTA Award for Best Film Music for The Lion in Winter. Barry received ten Golden Globe Award nominations, winning once for Out of Africa in 1986.

His last film score was for Enigma in 2001. He also released a successful album called Eternal Echoes that same year. After that, he mostly focused on live performances and co-wrote music for the musical Brighton Rock in 2004.

In 2001, Barry became a Fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. In 2005, he was made a Fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. John Barry was married four times and had four children. He moved to the United States in 1975 and lived there until he passed away in 2011.

John Barry's Life Story

Early Life and Learning Music

John Barry Prendergast was born in York, England. His mother was a classical pianist, and his father, John Xavier "Jack" Prendergast, owned many cinemas. Growing up around movies greatly influenced his love for music. He was the youngest of four children. Barry went to St Peter's School, York. He also took music composition lessons from Francis Jackson, who was the Organist of York Minster.

Starting His Music Career

While serving in the British Army, Barry played the trumpet. He also took a music course by mail. After the army, he worked as an arranger for other orchestras. In 1957, he formed his own band, the John Barry Seven. This band had hit songs like "Hit and Miss," which was the theme for the BBC show Juke Box Jury.

By 1959, Barry began arranging music for other singers. His big break came with the BBC TV show Drumbeat, where his band performed. From 1959 to 1962, he worked for EMI, arranging music for their singers, including Adam Faith. He also wrote songs and scores for films that Faith starred in. His first film score was for Beat Girl (1960), which was also the UK's first soundtrack album.

Barry also composed music for other films like Never Let Go (1960) and The Amorous Prawn (1962). In 1962, he moved to Ember Records, where he produced and arranged albums.

The James Bond Connection

Barry's work caught the eye of the producers of a new film called Dr. No (1962). They weren't happy with the original James Bond Theme given to them. Barry was hired to arrange it, and his version became the famous "James Bond Theme."

When the producers needed music for the next Bond film, From Russia with Love (1963), they remembered Barry's amazing work. This started a long and successful partnership. Barry also worked on other films, like Zulu (1964) and King Rat (1965).

This was a major turning point for Barry. He went on to win five Academy Awards and four Grammy Awards for his film scores. These included Born Free (1966), The Lion in Winter (1968), and Somewhere in Time (1980).

Barry was known for his unique style, which often featured rich strings and strong brass sounds. He was one of the first composers to use synthesizers in a film score, like in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). He also used popular artists and songs in his soundtracks, like in Midnight Cowboy. His music often made films even better, such as Midnight Cowboy, The Tamarind Seed, King Kong (1976), Out of Africa (1985), and Dances with Wolves (1990).

Barry also composed the theme for the TV series The Persuaders! (1971). This theme became a hit song in many European countries. He also wrote music for musicals like Billy (1974) and the soundtrack for the Bruce Lee film Game of Death (1978).

In 2001, the University of York gave Barry an honorary degree. In 2002, he was named an Honorary Freeman of the City of York.

In 2006, Barry was a producer for an album called Here's to the Heroes by The Ten Tenors. This album featured songs Barry wrote with his friend, lyricist Don Black. They also wrote a song called "Our Time Is Now" for Shirley Bassey's 2009 album.

His Work on James Bond Films

After Dr. No was a hit, Barry was hired to compose music for eleven of the next fourteen James Bond films.

His music for the Bond series was very popular, known for its brassy and sometimes moody sounds. For From Russia with Love, he created "007", another famous Bond theme. This theme appeared in four other Bond films.

In Goldfinger (1964), Barry perfected the "Bond sound." This sound was a mix of brass, jazz, and beautiful melodies. His love for Russian romantic composers often showed in his music. He combined this with strong jazz sounds in his Bond scores. He also used strings and complex musical changes to add a touch of sadness or depth.

As Barry grew as a composer, his Bond scores became more melodic, like in Moonraker (1979) and Octopussy (1983). Barry's music for A View to a Kill was classic Bond, but his collaboration with Duran Duran for the title song was modern. This song reached number one in the United States. Both A View to a Kill and The Living Daylights theme by A-ha mixed pop music with Barry's orchestral style.

A-ha's Pal Waaktaar praised Barry's work, saying, "I loved the stuff he added to the track, I mean it gave it this really cool string arrangement. That's when for me it started to sound like a Bond thing."

Barry's last score for the Bond series was The Living Daylights (1987), which was Timothy Dalton's first film as James Bond. Barry even made a small appearance in the film as a conductor. Barry was supposed to score Licence to Kill (1989), but he was recovering from throat surgery and couldn't travel. Michael Kamen then completed the score.

David Arnold, another British composer, created an album called Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project in 1997. This album featured new versions of Bond themes, mostly composed by John Barry. Barry approved of Arnold's work and even recommended him to the producers of the next Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies. Arnold went on to score four more Bond films.

The original "James Bond Theme" credit is given to Monty Norman. In 2001, there was a legal case about who truly composed the theme. Barry said in court that he was given Norman's music and was asked to arrange it. He said he added more music and arranged the final "James Bond Theme." He also said he agreed to a small payment and Norman getting the main credit because it would help his career. However, the jury decided in favor of Norman.

On 7 September 2006, John Barry repeated his claim that he was the author of the theme on a BBC Radio 2 show.

Personal Life and Passing Away

John Barry was married four times. He was married to his fourth wife, Laurie, from 1978 until his death. They had a son named Jonpatrick. Barry also had three daughters: Suzanne, Kate, and Sian.

In 1975, Barry moved to the United States. He lived there for many years, mainly in Oyster Bay, New York.

In 1988, Barry had a serious health issue called a rupture of the esophagus. This meant he couldn't work for two years and made him more likely to get pneumonia.

John Barry passed away from a heart attack on 30 January 2011, at his home in Oyster Bay. He was 77 years old.

A special memorial concert was held on 20 June 2011, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Shirley Bassey, Rumer, David Arnold, and others performed Barry's music. Many famous people, including Sir George Martin and Timothy Dalton, also celebrated his life and work.

Awards and Honors

In 1999, John Barry was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to music. He received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award in 2005, which is a very high honor. In 2005, the American Film Institute ranked Barry's score for Out of Africa as the 15th greatest film score ever.

His music for the following films was nominated for awards:

• Goldfinger (1964)
• Born Free (1966)
• The Lion in Winter (1968)
• Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
• The Dove (1974)
• The Deep (1977)
• Somewhere in Time (1980)
• Body Heat (1981)
• Out of Africa (1985)
• A View to a Kill (1985)
• Dances with Wolves (1990)
• Chaplin (1992)

Awards Won

• 1969 Best Instrumental Theme for Midnight Cowboy
• 1985 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band for The Cotton Club
• 1985 Best Instrumental Composition for Out of Africa
• 1991 Best Instrumental Composition for Dances with Wolves

• 1965 Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for Goldfinger

• 1964 Outstanding Achievement in Composing Original Music for Television for Elizabeth Taylor in London
• 1977 Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Special (Dramatic Underscore) for Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years

• 1981 Worst Musical Score for The Legend of the Lone Ranger

• 2009 Max Steiner Lifetime Achievement Award (from the City of Vienna)
• 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award from World Soundtrack Academy

In 2011, he received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.

Barry was added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1998.

Film and TV Music

James Bond Films

John Barry worked on the music for these James Bond films:

• Dr. No (1962) – He arranged the "James Bond Theme" (originally by Monty Norman).
• From Russia with Love (1963)
• Goldfinger (1964)
• Thunderball (1965)
• You Only Live Twice (1967)
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
• Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
• The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
• Moonraker (1979)
• Octopussy (1983)
• A View to a Kill (1985)
• The Living Daylights (1987)

Other Film and Television Work

Musicals John Barry Wrote

• Passion Flower Hotel (1965)
• Lolita, My Love (1971)
• Billy (1974)
• The Little Prince and the Aviator (1981)
• Brighton Rock (2004)

Other Music Albums

• Stringbeat (1961)
• Americans (1975)
• The Beyondness of Things (1999)
• Eternal Echoes (2001)

Hit Singles

These are some of John Barry's hit songs (not including songs he co-wrote with other artists like Duran Duran):

• "Hit and Miss" (as The John Barry Seven plus Four), UK#10 (1960)
• "Beat for Beatniks" (as The John Barry Orchestra), UK#40 (1960)
• "Never Let Go" (as The John Barry Orchestra), UK#49 (1960)
• "Blueberry Hill" (as The John Barry Orchestra), UK#34 (1960)
• "Walk Don't Run" (as The John Barry Seven), UK#11 (1960)
• "Black Stockings" (as The John Barry Seven), UK#27 (1960)
• "The Magnificent Seven" (as The John Barry Seven), UK#45 (1961)
• "Cutty Sark" (as The John Barry Seven), UK#35 (1962)
• "The James Bond Theme" (as The John Barry Orchestra), UK#13 (1962)
• "From Russia with Love" (as The John Barry Orchestra), UK#39 (1963)
• "Theme from The Persuaders!" (as John Barry), UK#13 (1971)

See also

In Spanish: John Barry para niños