Barry Beckett

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Barry Beckett (left), mid 1980s

Barry Edward Beckett (born February 4, 1943 in Birmingham , Alabama , † June 10, 2009 in Hendersonville , Tennessee ) was an American keyboardist and music producer .

Career

Beckett grew up as the son of an insurance salesman and amateur guitarist. He attended the University of Alabama , where he first met his fellow musicians and business partners Jimmy Johnson and Roger Hawkins , who performed there with their band The Del Rays . In the mid-1960s, Beckett was booked for a recording session at FAME Studios . He got a permanent position there in 1967 when Spooner left Oldham Alabama to work in Memphis for Chip Moman's American Sound Studio. Beckett could not read music and played by ear.

In 1969 he founded the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio together with drummer Hawkins, guitarist Johnson and bassist David Hood and with financial support from Jerry Wexler , in which numerous well-known artists such as Paul Simon , Cher and Lynyrd Skynyrd made their recordings. Initially only working as a studio musician, he also began music production in the 1970s. He produced Bob Seger and Bob Dylan , among others . In 1973 he appeared with Steve Winwood's band Traffic , recordings of the tour appeared on the live album On the Road that same year . In the same year Paul Simon's single Kodachrome was released , on which Beckett had played all keyboard instruments. From the late 1970s onwards, Beckett focused on music production, partly with his mentor Jerry Wexler. Together with this he produced the Bob Dylan albums Slow Train Coming and Saved .

In 1985 Beckett moved to Nashville , where he initially worked as an A&R manager for Warner Brothers before setting up on his own as a music producer. He produced numerous country music albums, including three albums with Hank Williams, Jr. In the 1990s, he discovered Kenny Chesney and produced his first albums.

Beckett had been in a wheelchair since the end of 2008, weakened by cancer and several strokes . He died the following year at the age of 66; he left behind his wife and two sons.

Discography (excerpt)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Barry Beckett, Muscle Shoals Musician, Dies at 66 , The New York Times (English)
  2. ↑ a b c d Barry Beckett: Musician who helped form the Muscles Shoals Rhythm Section , The Independent (English)
  3. ↑ a b c Obituary of The Guardian (English)
personal data
SURNAME Beckett, Barry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Beckett, Barry Edward
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American keyboardist and music producer
DATE OF BIRTH February 4, 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Birmingham , Alabama
DATE OF DEATH June 10, 2009
Place of death Hendersonville , Tennessee