Music at the Movies

Program Notes

by Betty Herten

Dances with Wolves
Somewhere in Time
by John Barry

John Barry (Born November 13, 1933 in York, England; died January 30, 2011 in Oyster Bay, New York) was the youngest of three children. His given name was John Barry Prendergast. His father owned several local cinemas and, by the age of fourteen, John Barry was a capable projectionist. Watching so many movies had a profound effect on him, which made him want to become a film composer. He took lessons on piano and trumpet. He received his professional training in music theory and arranging from Dr. Francis Jackson and “Bill” William Russo, the former arranger for the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Barry spent three years in the army as a bandsman, spending evenings with local jazz bands. He founded his own ensemble, the John Barry Seven, which gained popularity with tours and television appearances in 1957. His group got the opportunity to record for EMI. Although their record did not climb the charts, it was enough for the EMI management to recognize Barry’s skills as an arranger and conductor.

Barry met singer Adam Faith while both were appearing on a stage show version “Six-Five Special” on the BBC, which led them to work together. Despite not being successful at first they eventually had a hit song followed by a number of other hits throughout the early sixties. When Adam Faith got a movie role, Barry was asked to write a score to accompany his friend on the big screen. The movie “Wild for Kicks” (1960) was somewhat successful, but not many offers for other movie scores rolled in. Barry did eventually get the attention of Noel Rogers of United Artists Music, who approached him in 1962 to work on the music for the James Bond film “Dr. No.” Since then he has completed the most James Bond film scores, a total of eleven. The rest is history – he wrote numerous film scores, five stage musicals, and recorded many albums.

John Barry relocated to the United States in 1975, planning to stay in Beverly Hills for six weeks to complete the music for the television movie “Eleanor and Franklin,” but at the same time was offered work writing the film scores for “Robin and Marian” and “King Kong.” He remained on the West coast for five years. He met his wife, Laurie, and they divided their time between Hollywood, Oyster Bay, and London.

The 1970’s were not busy for John Barry, but during 1980’s he came back into the cinematic limelight big time with such hits as “Body Heat,” “Jagged Edge,” “Out of Africa” (an Oscar winner), “The Cotton Club,” and “Somewhere in Time.” He achieved his cinematic success by continuing to experiment and diversify.

In the 1980’s John Barry was seriously ill but, upon recovering, had another Oscar success with “Dances with Wolves.” He was also nominated for an Oscar for the film “Chaplain.” In the 1990’s he made a comeback in the performance arena, playing to sell-out audiences at the Albert Hall. He appeared as a guest conductor at a Royal Albert Hall concert celebrating the life and career of Elizabeth Taylor. There were London concerts dedicated to his music. Throughout the early part of this century he continued performing and writing a new album, which he described as a “soundtrack of his life.”

John Barry died of a heart attack at his home in Oyster Bay on January 30, 2011.