John Barry

John Barry, the Academy Award-winning film composer whose idiosyncratic and iconic compositions over the course of a lifetime in the movies -- including some of the best known James Bond music and the themes to “Midnight Cowboy,” and “Out of Africa,” among dozens of others.

The British-born composer not only helped define the feel of the Bond films but crafted music that served as a 1960s soundtrack to a new kind of jet-setting lifestyle. With his wildly adventurous arrangements and instrumentation, his music's devil-may-care feel will forever be connected to fashionably mod cocktail lounges of the era.

John Barry, the Academy Award-winning film composer whose idiosyncratic and iconic compositions over the course of a lifetime in the movies -- including some of the best known James Bond music and the themes to “Midnight Cowboy,” and “Out of Africa,” among dozens of others.

The British-born composer not only helped define the feel of the Bond films but crafted music that served as a 1960s soundtrack to a new kind of jet-setting lifestyle. With his wildly adventurous arrangements and instrumentation, his music's devil-may-care feel will forever be connected to fashionably mod cocktail lounges of the era.

With its seductive strings and grand melodies, “You Only Live Twice” captures the sound of sexy adventure, both smooth and pleasantly casual but somehow filled with tension. The pluck of an acoustic guitar sits alongside the flutter of a harp; an underlying rhythm sounds like Phil Spector's wall of sound as filtered through a cocktail shaker.

Though the authorship of the original theme song for the James Bond films has been in dispute (Monty Norman is credited as sole writer), there's no denying that regardless of who thought up the melody -- the crux of the authorship claim -- it's Barry's arrangement that pushes the song over the edge. Witty and sharp, his use of brass as de facto exclamation points helped define James Bond.

One of the most profoundly moving theme songs in film, Barry's 1969 score to “Midnight Cowboy” won the 1970 Grammy for best instrumental composition. Barry oversaw both the score and soundtrack, which also featured Fred Neil's song, “Everybody's Talkin'” as performed by Harry Nilsson. That won the Grammy for best male pop vocal performance.

Barry's genius was on full display for his Academy Award-winning score to “Out of Africa.” The theme was somehow both epic and gentle, a patient, moving hymn that takes its time unfolding, but whose open spaces are filled with majestic grandeur. The score offered evidence of a composer who was settling down from decades providing energy and action to thrilling narratives, and moving toward a contemplation that felt less tense but no less urgent.

Barry's father was in the cinema business running eight cinemas in York, which first sparked his musical interests. Although originally a classical pianist Barry also decided to learn the trumpet and started growing an interest for composing and arranging music. But it was during his National Service that he began performing as a musician.

After taking a correspondence course (with jazz composer Bill Russo) and arranging for some of the bands of the day, he formed The John Barry Seven, with whom he had some hit records, including “Hit and Miss”, the theme tune he composed for the BBC's Juke Box Jury programme, and a cover of the Ventures' “Walk Don't Run”.

The career breakthrough for Barry was the BBC television series Drumbeat, when he appeared with The John Barry Seven and arranged for many of the singers, including Adam Faith; he also composed songs (along with Les Vandyke) and film scores on Faith's behalf. When Faith made his first film Beat Girl in 1960 Barry composed, arranged and conducted the score that was not only Barry's first film, but the first soundtrack album to be released on an LP in the UK. Barry also composed the music for another Faith film “Never Let Go”, orchestrated the score for “Mix Me a Person,” and composed, arranged and conducted the score for “The Amorous Prawn.”

Barry was employed by the EMI record company from 1959 until 1962 arranging orchestral accompaniment for the company's recording artists. From 1962 Barry transferred to Ember Records where he produced albums as well as arranging them.

Awards

Awards and nominations

Five Academy Awards

1967 Best Original Song for "Born Free" from Born Free

1967 Best Original Music Score for Born Free

1969 Best Original Music Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical) for The Lion in Winter

1986 Best Original Score for Out of Africa

1991 Best Original Score for Dances with Wolves

Academy Award nominations

1972 Best Original Dramatic Score for Mary, Queen of Scots

1993 Best Original Score for Chaplin Grammy Award

1992 Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for Dances with Wolves BAFTA Award 1969 Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music for The Lion in Winter BAFTA Fellowship Award

2005 BAFTA nominations

1987 Best Score for Out of Africa

1992 Best Original Score for Dances with Wolves

Emmy Award nominations

1964 Outstanding Achievement in Composing Original Music for Television for Elizabeth Taylor in London (a 1963 television special)

1977 Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Special (Dramatic Underscore) for Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years Max Steiner Lifetime Achievement Award (presented by the City of Vienna)

2009 Barry was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1998.