Web Page No 2680
24th April 2020
1st Picture. John Barry
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
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 30th 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)
·
"Cutty Sark" as The John Barry Seven,
UK#35 (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.
Stay in touch
Peter
grseditor@gmail.com
You Write:
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.
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.
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.
