JOHN BARRY

Bold as brass…

BORN TO SCORE John Barry Prendergast had movies and music in his blood.

The son of a cinema owner and a classical pianist, he was born in York in 1933, spending much of his childhood helping out at his dad’s picture houses. During National Service, Barry played trumpet in the Army band and learned crucial arranging skills. In 1957, he formed jazz-pop combo the John Barry Seven, who soon straddled the charts and screen work.

OUT OF LONDON Building on Midnight Cowboy (1969), Barry became a versatile Hollywood composer. He aced romance (1980’s Somewhere in Time), sci-fi (1979’s The Black Hole), crime (1984’s The Cotton Club), charm (1974’s The Dove), action (1994’s The Specialist) and more, even Howard the Duck (1986). His superior scores for films like King Kong (1976) often deserved better movies, but Out of Africa (1985) was a perfect film/composer pairing, earning Barry another Oscar.

POP PIONEER After soundtrack gigs on TV’s Drumbeat, Barry’s union with Adam Faith led to film music for Beat Girl (1960). Barry continued to innovate, merging jazz, rock and experimental instrumentation from The Ipcress File (1965) to TV’s The Persuaders! (1971-72).

Between Zulu’s (1964) grandeur and Walkabout’s (1971) yearning, his flexibility dazzled. Meanwhile, Born Free’s (1966) lyrical music and The Lion in Winter’s (1968) bold, brass-led score showed Oscarwinning melodic class and range.

SPY GUY ‘Everything that is cool and fabulous about James Bond is in the music,’ said composer David Arnold. For which, thank Barry. After his work with Monty Norman on Dr. No (1962), Barry’s brassy, sassy scores for 11 Bonds established and amplified franchise fundamentals –style, swagger, seduction. And he made soundtracks sell: Goldfinger (1964) knocked The Beatles off the US No 1 spot.

GONE WEST After illness in 1989, Barry banked another Oscar for Dances with Wolves (1990). Into the 90s, he was a magnet for retro-loving pop artists; David Arnold paid homage with 1997’s Shaken and Stirred 007 covers album. Late-career projects included the film Enigma (2001), a songwriting reunion with Shirley Bassey and a Brighton Rock musical. But it was the style and romance of Barry’s film work that secured his legacy: indelible, innovative, and unmistakable.