Web Page No 2680

24th April 2020

1st Picture. John Barry

 2nd Picture. John Barry Seven

 3rd Picture. John Barry record cover

4th Picture. John Barry Memorial concert

John Barry and the John Barry Seven.

John Barry Prendergast, OBE who was born in November 1933 was known to us as the leader of the John Barry Seven but over the years he became a composer and conductor of film music. He was the son of an English mother and an Irish father. His mother was a classical pianist. His father, John Xavier "Jack" Prendergast, from Cork, was a projectionist during the silent film era, who later owned a chain of cinemas across northern England. John became well known when he  composed the scores for 11 of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1987, and also arranged and performed the "James Bond Theme" to the first film in the series, 1962's  Dr. No. He wrote the Grammy and Academy Award-winning scores to the films Dances with Wolves and Out of Africa, as well as the theme for the British television series The Persuaders and was appointed OBE for services to music.

Born in York, he spent his early years working in cinemas owned by his father. During his national service with the British Army in Cyprus, he began performing as a musician after learning to play the trumpet. Upon completing his national service, he formed his own band in 1957, The John Barry Seven. He later developed an interest in composing and arranging music, making his début for television in 1958. He came to the notice of the makers of the first James Bond film Dr. No, who were dissatisfied with a theme for James Bond given to them by Monty Norman. This started a successful association between John Barry and Eon Productions that lasted for 25 years.

He received many awards for his work, including five Academy Awards; two for Born Free, and one each for The Lion in Winter, Dances with Wolves and Out of Africa. He also received ten Golden Globe Award nominations, winning once for Best Original Score for Out of Africa in 1986. He then concentrated on live performances and co-wrote the music to the musical Brighton Rock in 2004 with Don Black. In 2001, he was appointed a Fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, and, 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 his death in 2011.

Take a look at the John Barry Seven

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxn5BdoVr_g

  

In 2001, the University of York conferred an honorary degree on him, and in 2002 he was named an Honorary Freeman of the City of York.

He was married four times. His first three marriages, to Barbara Pickard, Jane Birkin and Jane Sidey all ended in divorce. He was married to his fourth wife, Laurie, from January 1978 until his death. The couple had a son, Jonpatrick. He also had three daughters, Suzanne (Susie) with his first wife, Barbara, Kate with his second wife, Jane, and Sian from a relationship with Ulla Larson between the first two marriages.

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 and he died of a heart attack on 30^th January 2011 at his Oyster Bay home, aged 77.

Music he was best known for in the 1960’s:-

·         "Hit and Miss" as The John Barry Seven plus Four, UK#10 (first charted 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)

His four highest-charting hits all spent more than 10 weeks in the UK top 50.

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Peter

grseditor@gmail.com

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More from Griff:

Last week on Peter's Manor Court web chat I showed you a picture of my Fidelity record player from 1969. Many of us though would have had a Dansette record player in the 1960's and I did have one as well but this was sold about 15 years ago when I was having a massive clear out for a very good price that I could not refuse I do have to say. The  Dansette "Viva" model is shown in the photograph. This model was about £8-10 shillings in 1961/62.         

My Mum worked for Curry's in Commercial Rd back in 1962 and for my 16th birthday she bought me a Dansette record player as my present for the princely sum of 6 guineas after staff discount.  Now it has to be said the Dansette record player was of a far more superior quality to the Fidelity range of record players and for those of you with long memories you will also know  that Curry's produced their own brand of record players labelled as "Westminster" which were made mainly by Fidelity in London but not always as other manufacturer's were commissioned by Curry's to produce their Westminster range of electrical products.

The Collectors World of Old Record / Gramophone players is vast and I don't want to enter the World of being a Nurdy expert on this subject......lol   so I will keep it brief out of interest and here are some facts that may jog your memory from a time long ago.

The first Dansette record player was manufactured in 1952 and at least one million were sold in the 1950s and 1960s. Dansette became a household name in the late 1950s and 60s when the British music industry shot up in popularity after the arrival of acts such as Cliff Richard, The Beatles, and The Shadows. Teenagers would have used various Dansette players to take to and from parties to listen to the latest records. ( yes, we did ! )

A Dansette was a common sight in many British households during the 1960s and is a statement and artifact of the vibrant, popular youth culture which developed during the period.

The Dansette was a versatile machine with many being equipped to play 7, 10- and 12-inch discs of 78, 45, 33⅓, and 16 ⅔rpm. Larger models such as the Bermuda could be fitted with optional legs for home use, while the Viva, Junior and "Diplomat" models were designed to be transportable, with a handle and studs affixed to the side of the case and latches to secure the protective lid. Like almost all record players of the day, they had built-in speakers. Some models of Dansette record players had a BSR autochanger allowing several records to be loaded at once, and played in succession.

Even though Dansette players were expensive, some experts and fans of the industry argue that the players were overrated. Despite this, the Dansette brand outsold other makes such as Dynatron, Bush, Kolster-Brandes, Ferguson, Fidelity and others.

Dansette set a "standard look" for all portable record players of the time - a latched lid on top, a speaker and control knobs on the front, and sometimes a carrying handle.

Part 2 to follow next week.

Regards Melvyn (Griff) Griffiths     ( currently in week 5 of Corona virus lock down. )

News and Views:

  On 24th April 1960-1965

On 24/04/1960 the number one single was My Old Man's a Dustman - Lonnie Donegan and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Armchair Theatre (ABC) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 24/04/1961 the number one single was Wooden Heart - Elvis Presley and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 24/04/1962 the number one single was Wonderful Land - The Shadows and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 24/04/1963 the number one single was How Do You Do It? - Gerry & the Pacemakers and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 24/04/1965 the number one single was Ticket to Ride - The Beatles and the number one album was Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.