Barry Blue
Encyclopedia
Barry Blue is a singer / producer
/ songwriter
from the United Kingdom
. He is best known for his hit
song
s, "Dancin' (on a Saturday Night)" (1973), which he co-wrote with Lynsey de Paul
, and "Do You Wanna Dance" (1973).
At 14 he signed to record producer Norrie Paramor
whose erstwhile assistant was one Tim Rice
- the producer of Barry's first song "Rainmaker Girl" which became a hit for Gene Pitney
in America. Later he became bass player in the original line-up of heavy rock band Uriah Heep
, followed in 1966 by a two-year period in A&R
at the Bee Gees
' publishing company Abigail Music. In 1970 he signed as a writer to ATV-Kirshner. His first major hit was "Sugar Me" which became a million seller for Lynsey de Paul.
He signed to Bell Records in 1973 and had five hit singles, including "School Love" (1974). His final Top 40 hit in the UK Singles Chart
occurred in October 1974, when "Hot Shot", another song co-penned with de Paul, climbed to No.23.
Further success came with the production of multi-million selling band Heatwave
, the first British funk/soul act to take the US by storm with such mega classics as "Boogie Nights
" and "Always and Forever
". In 1989, under the banner of Cry Sisco!, Blue enjoyed another minor UK hit with a song called "Afro Dizzi Act", which reached No.42 on the UK Singles Chart. A compilation album, Greatest Hits was released on Repertoire Records
in 2002.
Blue continued to work in the music industry as a record producer
for other artists
, including Bananarama
, Toto Coelo
and Cheryl Lynn
.
Blue has also been a prolific songwriter for other acts. Among his hit compositions are:
He has written album
tracks for many more artists and has had over forty hits with such artists as Andrea Bocelli
, Diana Ross
, Celine Dion
, The Saturdays
and Pixie Lott
. Blue in film and TV has provided scores and/or themes for productions including The Eyes of Laura Mars, Long Good Friday and Escape to Athena
.
Barry Blue has also had a dynamic career in production music and was founder of Connect 2 Music, now owned by Universal Music Publishing.
He is a committed supporter of the creators' rights in music of all genres and styles and is dedicating his time to become more pro-active in this pursuit.
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
/ songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He is best known for his hit
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s, "Dancin' (on a Saturday Night)" (1973), which he co-wrote with Lynsey de Paul
Lynsey De Paul
Lynsey de Paul is an English singer-songwriter. Allmusic journalist, Craig Harris stated, "one of the first successful female singer-songwriters in England, de Paul has had an illustrious career".-Early life:De Paul was born to Meta and Herbert Rubin, a property developer...
, and "Do You Wanna Dance" (1973).
At 14 he signed to record producer Norrie Paramor
Norrie Paramor
Norrie Paramor was a British record producer, composer, arranger, and orchestral conductor.Although the term "producer" was not in circulation at the time Paramor started producing records , he effectively began this role in 1952 when he became Recording Director for EMI's Columbia...
whose erstwhile assistant was one Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
- the producer of Barry's first song "Rainmaker Girl" which became a hit for Gene Pitney
Gene Pitney
Eugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
in America. Later he became bass player in the original line-up of heavy rock band Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
, followed in 1966 by a two-year period in A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
at the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
' publishing company Abigail Music. In 1970 he signed as a writer to ATV-Kirshner. His first major hit was "Sugar Me" which became a million seller for Lynsey de Paul.
He signed to Bell Records in 1973 and had five hit singles, including "School Love" (1974). His final Top 40 hit in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
occurred in October 1974, when "Hot Shot", another song co-penned with de Paul, climbed to No.23.
Further success came with the production of multi-million selling band Heatwave
Heatwave (band)
Heatwave was an international funk/disco musical band featuring Americans Johnnie Wilder, Jr. and Keith Wilder of Dayton, Ohio, Englishman Rod Temperton , Swiss Mario Mantese , Czechoslovak Ernest "Bilbo" Berger , Jamaican Eric Johns and Briton Roy Carter .They were known for their successful...
, the first British funk/soul act to take the US by storm with such mega classics as "Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights is a 1997 drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley, the script focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic films, and chronicles his rise and fall from the Golden Age of Porn of the 1970s...
" and "Always and Forever
Always and Forever (Heatwave song)
"Always and Forever" is a R&B song written by Rod Temperton and first recorded by the British-based multinational funk-disco band Heatwave in 1976...
". In 1989, under the banner of Cry Sisco!, Blue enjoyed another minor UK hit with a song called "Afro Dizzi Act", which reached No.42 on the UK Singles Chart. A compilation album, Greatest Hits was released on Repertoire Records
Repertoire Records
Repertoire Records is a German record label from Hamburg, Germany, specialising in reissues of classic pop and rock albums originally issued in the 60s and 70s. The chairman is Thomas Neelsen....
in 2002.
Blue continued to work in the music industry as a record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
for other artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, including Bananarama
Bananarama
Bananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...
, Toto Coelo
Toto Coelo
Toto Coelo was a 1980s British one hit wonder new wave vocal group, masterminded by producer Barry Blue...
and Cheryl Lynn
Cheryl Lynn
Lynda Cheryl Smith , known better by her professional name Cheryl Lynn, is a female African-American disco, R&B and soul singer known best for her 1978 disco song, "Got to Be Real".-Early career:...
.
Blue has also been a prolific songwriter for other acts. Among his hit compositions are:
- "Kiss Me Kiss Your Baby" for Brotherhood of ManBrotherhood of ManBrotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s, most notably by winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me"....
(a European million seller) (1975) - "I Eat Cannibals Part 1" for Toto CoeloToto CoeloToto Coelo was a 1980s British one hit wonder new wave vocal group, masterminded by producer Barry Blue...
(1982) - "All Fall Down" for Five StarFive StarFive Star are a British pop / R&B group, formed in 1983. Comprising siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson, they were known for their flamboyant image, matching costumes and heavily choreographed dance routines...
(1985) and - "Escaping" for Dina CarrollDina CarrollDina Carroll is an English singer of Scottish and African American descent who had a string of hits from the late 1980s to the early 2000s.-Early career:...
(1996).
He has written album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
tracks for many more artists and has had over forty hits with such artists as Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....
, Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
, Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, The Saturdays
The Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...
and Pixie Lott
Pixie Lott
Victoria Louise "Pixie" Lott is an English singer-songwriter, dancer and actress. Her debut single "Mama Do" was released in June 2009 and went straight to number one in the UK Singles Chart. Her second single "Boys and Girls", also topped the UK charts in September 2009. Her debut album Turn It...
. Blue in film and TV has provided scores and/or themes for productions including The Eyes of Laura Mars, Long Good Friday and Escape to Athena
Escape to Athena
Escape to Athena is a British adventure war film released in 1979, directed by George Pan Cosmatos and produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. The international cast included many well-known actors of the 1970s, including Roger Moore, Telly Savalas and Elliott Gould.The film is set during the...
.
Barry Blue has also had a dynamic career in production music and was founder of Connect 2 Music, now owned by Universal Music Publishing.
He is a committed supporter of the creators' rights in music of all genres and styles and is dedicating his time to become more pro-active in this pursuit.
External links
- [ Songwriting credits] at Allmusic websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
- http://www.favorednationsmusic.com/