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Welcome to
Jeff Barry: The Man
and His Music
Songwriter
and Producer for legendary rock 'n' roll acts including The Crystals, The Ronettes, The Shangri-Las,
The Monkees,
The Archies, and many others
In 1968,
Andy Kim recorded the single "Shoot 'Em Up, Baby," which was co-written and produced by Jeff Barry. Just released is a new,
glorious re-working of the song by Andy on his newest album, It's Decided. Listen to the 2015 version by activating the player below.
Below is
an excerpt from an audio interview of Jeff Barry by Alyce Faye Cleese, which was originally broadcast live at radio station
KZSB in Santa Barbara, CA. To listen to the entire segment, please visit this page on Alyce's website.
February 2010 - Jeff Barry interview by Jeffrey Moehlis on Music-Illuminati.com. Well written, comprehensive,
educational, and interesting to read - click here to check it out!
December 2009 - Congratulations to Jeff Barry for his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame! Jeff, along with the late Ellie Greenwich, is among the nonperformers who will be receiving the Ahmet Ertegun
Award at the RRHOF induction ceremony in March 2010. To see the complete list of 2010 inductees, click on the link to
visit the official Rock Hall website.
In Memoriam, a tribute to friends of Jeff Barry who are no longer with us
Jeff
Moehlis, contributor for the Noozhawk.com website, conducted an interview with Jeff Barry last year, an excerpt from
which has just been published on the site in honor of Jeff's induction into the Rock Hall. Click on the preceding
link to read the article.
Jeff
Barry made an "appearance" in an Archie comic back in 1969, a page from which is now posted on the cool blog On My Mind - check it out!
Many
thanks to Artie Wayne on the Web for featuring this website in his June 22, 2009 post, HAPPY DAY AFTER FATHER'S DAY - very much appreciated, Artie!
Jeff Barry is one of
a host of top songwriters featured in The Story Behind the Song, a new book in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
This book focuses on how, when and why 101 of the world's most popular tunes came into being, with composers sharing their
inspirations and influences. Jeff gives readers the history of one of his personal favorites, "Walkin' in the Sun" -
which as dedicated Jeff Barry fans might recall was inspired by his father - as well as his first hit as a songwriter, "Tell
Laura I Love Her."
The book was written
by Jo-Ann Geffen along with veteran Chicken Soup for the Soul authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. Foreword
is by Lamont Dozier (from the prolific hitmaking team of Holland-Dozier-Holland).
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Do-Wah-Diddy: Words and Music by Ellie Greenwich
and Jeff Barry. Click on the graphic to the left for details and to order from
Amazon.com!
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Open Letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation
Please
check out the YouTube player on the Videos Page!
My essay,
Mr. Music Man: A Glimpse
Into the Life and Career of Jeff Barry, is on the Spectropop site; just click on the link above!
The Archies' first album - on CD!
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Jeff Barry
has been a major force in the music business since rock and roll's Golden Era, when New York's Brill Building churned out
young talent and hit records by the dozens . . . when girl groups in miniskirts and teased beehive hairdos were all the
rage, and when rock and roll music was actually melodic, with lyrics young people could understand and relate to.
Jeff
Barry's first Top Ten song was "Tell Laura I Love Her." Ray Peterson recorded it, and the
song reached #7 on the U.S. Billboard charts in 1960, instantly propelling Jeff Barry to the status of hit songwriter.
Barry would go on to write dozens of hit songs for artists such as Darlene Love, The
Crystals, The Ronettes, The Shangri-La's, The
Dixie Cups, Bobby Bloom, Andy Kim, Tommy
James and The Shondells, Manfred Mann, The Beach Boys, and Olivia Newton-John. He'd work alongside the likes of Jerry Leiber,
Mike Stoller, Don Kirshner and Phil Spector.
He'd produce for artists such as Neil Diamond, Dusty Springfield, The Drifters, The McCoys, Sha-Na-Na, John
Travolta, Lisa Hartman Black, The Monkees, and The
Archies. He'd compose for movies (The Idolmaker), television ("The
Jeffersons," "Family Ties") and Broadway (The Boy from Oz).
This
web site is a loving tribute to one of the most successful and prolific writer/producers in the history of popular music.
Don "Stuffed Animal" Charles (who researched and compiled the biography and musical credits on the following pages) and Laura
"Pineapple Princess" Pinto crafted this gift to the man we call The Godfather of Rock and Roll. From "I
Honestly Love You" (composer) to "I'm a Believer" (producer) to "Sugar,
Sugar" (both) . . . from pop songs with simple lyrics and simple melodic lines to country/western, gospel and
reggae. . . to the joyful sounds of hands clapping, the frenzied shaking of tambourines and the infectious rhythms of a steel
drum . . . Jeff Barry's role in 20th century music cannot be overstated, and his influence in our everyday lives is indisputable.
DISCLAIMER:
While a fair amount of the content presented here was compiled expressly for this site, we have also included essays
on Jeff Barry that have been previously published (in magazines and/or on web sites), as well as some material that had previously
been written in contemplation of publication. Although all material has been exhaustively researched and to the
best of our knowledge is factually accurate, the opinions expressed therein do not necessarily reflect those of Jeff Barry
or Jeff Barry International. All the content on this site is presented for information and entertainment purposes only.
Check out the Jeff Barry Blog
Stop by the message board - connect with other fans of Jeff Barry's wonderful music!
To
join the official Jeff Barry discussion forum on Yahoo Groups, click on the link below.
Click to join jeffbarry
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