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Billy Barnes (composer)
Encyclopedia
Billy Barnes is a composer and lyricist from Los Angeles, California
. His hit songs include "(Have I Stayed) Too Long at the Fair" recorded by Barbra Streisand
(in her album "Color Me Barbra
"), and "Something Cool
", recorded by jazz vocalist June Christy
. Barnes is best known for his theatrical revues, including The Billy Barnes Revue
, Billy Barnes' People, Billy Barnes' Party, Billy Barnes' L.A., and Billy Barnes' Hollywood. Other productions with Barnes' songs include Movie Star, and Blame It on the Movies (1988). An assertive composer and skillful pianist, Barnes is affectionately known as the "Revue Master of Hollywood."
Barnes started writing musical comedy sketches while still in high school, and continued while at UCLA. He started collaborating in college with Bob Rodgers, and their first professional revue, a Cabaret Concert Show, was staged in 1956 in Los Angeles. His revues were the springboard for many talented comics and singers, including Bert Convy
, Ken Berry
, Jo Anne Worley
, Jackie Joseph
, Ann Morgan Guilbert
, Donald Ross, Dick Patterson, Dave Ketchum
and Barnes' former wife, Joyce Jameson
.
On television he wrote special material and original musical production numbers for Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
, The Danny Kaye Show
,'The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, Cher and The Carol Burnett Show
. He wrote opening production numbers for several Academy Awards
telecasts. He has composed comedic and topical songs for many of show business's greatest personalities including Lucille Ball
, Bette Davis
and Angela Lansbury
. He wrote the songs for the 1976 television musical adaptation of Pinocchio
starring Sandy Duncan
in the title role, Danny Kaye
as Mister Geppetto
and Flip Wilson
as the Fox.
Barnes had a recurring acting role on Mad About You
in the 1990s as "Mr. Edlin", the musical director and pianist of a community theatre.
Barnes received The Los Angeles Theatre Alliance Governor's Award for his lifetime achievement in the theatre. He resides in the Hollywood Hills above Los Angeles.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. His hit songs include "(Have I Stayed) Too Long at the Fair" recorded by Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
(in her album "Color Me Barbra
Color Me Barbra
Color Me Barbra is the title of the seventh studio album by singer Barbra Streisand released on Columbia Records in 1966. It reached #3 in the US albums charts and was certified GOLD by the RIAA...
"), and "Something Cool
Something Cool
Something Cool is a studio album recorded by June Christy in 1953, 1954, and 1955, and featuring Christy singing 11 jazz songs backed by the orchestra of Pete Rugolo...
", recorded by jazz vocalist June Christy
June Christy
June Christy , born Shirley Luster, was an American singer, known for her work in the cool jazz genre and for her silky smooth vocals. Her success as a singer began with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. She pursued a solo career from 1954 and is best known for her debut album Something Cool...
. Barnes is best known for his theatrical revues, including The Billy Barnes Revue
The Billy Barnes Revue
The Billy Barnes Revue is a 1959 musical comedy revue with music and lyrics by Billy Barnes and sketches by Bob Rodgers. The revue premiered in Los Angeles in 1959 and went on to be produced both on Broadway and Off Broadway....
, Billy Barnes' People, Billy Barnes' Party, Billy Barnes' L.A., and Billy Barnes' Hollywood. Other productions with Barnes' songs include Movie Star, and Blame It on the Movies (1988). An assertive composer and skillful pianist, Barnes is affectionately known as the "Revue Master of Hollywood."
Barnes started writing musical comedy sketches while still in high school, and continued while at UCLA. He started collaborating in college with Bob Rodgers, and their first professional revue, a Cabaret Concert Show, was staged in 1956 in Los Angeles. His revues were the springboard for many talented comics and singers, including Bert Convy
Bert Convy
Bernard Whalen "Bert" Convy was an Emmy Award winning American actor, singer, game show host and panelist known for his tenure as the host for Tattletales, Super Password, and Win, Lose or Draw.-Early life:...
, Ken Berry
Ken Berry
Kenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an American dancer, comedic actor and singer. He began on stage as a dancer and later starred in television sitcoms.-Life and career:...
, Jo Anne Worley
Jo Anne Worley
Jo Anne Worley is an American actress. Her work covers television, films, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. She is best known for her work on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.-Biography:...
, Jackie Joseph
Jackie Joseph
Jackie Joseph is an American character actress, voice artist, and writer known for portraying the film characters of: Audrey Fulquard in the original The Little Shop of Horrors, Sheila Futterman in both Gremlins films, and the voice of Melody in the animated television series Josie and the...
, Ann Morgan Guilbert
Ann Morgan Guilbert
Ann Morgan Guilbert , sometimes credited as Ann Guilbert, is an American actress, who played the neighbor Millie Helper in 61 episodes of the early 1960s’ sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, and later Yetta Rosenberg, Fran Fine’s doddering grandmother, in 56 episodes of the 1990s’ sitcom The Nanny...
, Donald Ross, Dick Patterson, Dave Ketchum
Dave Ketchum
Dave Ketchum may refer to:*Dave 'Thumper' Ketchum, drummer for Coney Hatch*Dave Ketchum , actor on Get Smart...
and Barnes' former wife, Joyce Jameson
Joyce Jameson
Joyce Jameson was an American actress best remembered for her blonde bimbo roles during the Marilyn Monroe period...
.
On television he wrote special material and original musical production numbers for Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In is an American sketch comedy television program which ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to May 14, 1973. It was hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin and was broadcast over NBC...
, The Danny Kaye Show
The Danny Kaye Show
The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963 to 1967 on Wednesday nights. Directed by Robert Scheerer, the show premiered in black-and-white, but later switched to color broadcasts...
,'The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, Cher and The Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show is a variety / sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 278 episodes and originated from CBS Television City's Studio 33...
. He wrote opening production numbers for several Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
telecasts. He has composed comedic and topical songs for many of show business's greatest personalities including Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
and Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
. He wrote the songs for the 1976 television musical adaptation of Pinocchio
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
starring Sandy Duncan
Sandy Duncan
Sandra Kay "Sandy" Duncan is an American singer, dancer and actress of stage and television, recognized through a blonde, pixie cut hairstyle and perky demeanor...
in the title role, Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
as Mister Geppetto
Mister Geppetto
Mister Geppetto is a fictional character in the novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. Geppetto is an elderly, impoverished woodcarver and the creator of Pinocchio...
and Flip Wilson
Flip Wilson
Clerow Wilson, Jr. , known professionally as Flip Wilson, was an American comedian and actor. In the early 1970s, Wilson hosted his own weekly variety series, The Flip Wilson Show...
as the Fox.
Barnes had a recurring acting role on Mad About You
Mad About You
Mad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...
in the 1990s as "Mr. Edlin", the musical director and pianist of a community theatre.
Barnes received The Los Angeles Theatre Alliance Governor's Award for his lifetime achievement in the theatre. He resides in the Hollywood Hills above Los Angeles.