Billy Barnes (composer)

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William Christopher "Billy" Barnes, Jr. (born January 27, 1927 in Los Angeles , † September 25, 2012 there ) was an American composer and songwriter . He grew up in Los Angeles. He had a son from his marriage to actress Joyce Jameson ; later the couple divorced. When he died, he had been married to Richard T. Jordan for 30 years.

Career

His hits include the song "(Have I stayed) Too Long at the Fair", recorded by Patti Page and Barbra Streisand , and "Something Cool," which was recorded by jazz singer June Christy . But Barnes is best known for his humorous reviews , in which he often made fun of cultural issues. His first major success was "The Billy Barnes Revue," which was performed on Broadway in 1959. He also wrote the music and lyrics for the 1988 revue Blame it on the Movies , directed by David Galligan. Barnes, the "Hollywood Revue Master," was both a skilled composer and a skilled pianist.

Barnes began writing musical sketches in high school . He continued this at the University of California, Los Angeles , where he studied drama. As a student, he began working with director Bob Rodgers. In 1956, their first professional revue, A Cabaret Concert Show, premiered in Los Angeles. The Barnes Revues were a stepping stone to the careers of many gifted comedians and singers such as Bert Convy, Ken Berry , Jo Anne Worley, Jackie Joseph , Ann Morgan Guilbert, Donald Ross, Dick Patterson, Dave Ketchum and also for his then wife, Joyce Jameson .

Barnes also worked in television, writing and composing music for several series such as Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and The Carol Burnett Show . He has been nominated for an Emmy six times for his work . He also wrote the opening pieces for several Academy Awards . He also wrote humorous or time-critical songs for main characters in show business, such as B. for Lucille Ball , Bette Davis and Angela Lansbury . He also composed the music for the television film Pinocchio (1976), which showed Sandy Duncan in the title role, Danny Kaye in the role of "Mister Geppetto" and Flip Wilson as the fox.

In the 90s he played in the US comedy series Mad About You , the recurring character "Mr. Edlin ”, the music director and pianist of an amateur theater.

In 1989 he received the Theater League Alliance Governors Award for his life's work in the theater. Barnes died on September 25, 2012. After his death, the long-term care department of a fictional hospital in Long Beach , California was named after Barnes in the US series Getting On .

Works

Revues

  • In League with Ivy
  • Feeling Ourselves (1957)
  • Something Cool (1957)
  • Billy Barnes Summer Revue (1958, 1962)
  • The Billy Barnes Revue (1958)
  • Billy Barnes Party (1961)
  • The Billy Barnes People (1961)
  • Billy Barnes' LA (1962)
  • Billy Barnes' Hollywood (1964)
  • Best Friends (1980)
  • Movie Star (1982)

TV music

  • Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In
  • The Danny Kaye Show
  • The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
  • Cher
  • The Carol Burnett Show
  • Pinocchio (1976 TV movie)

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ McLellan, Dennis. "Billy Barnes dies at 85; satirical songwriter for Hollywood revues," Los Angeles Times , September 25, 2012
  2. ↑ Erikson, p. 106
  3. ^ Dietz, Dan. Off Broadway Musicals, 1910-2007. McFarland & Company, 2010. p. 48
  4. ↑ Flinn, Denny Martin. Little musicals for little theaters. Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006. ISBN 0-87910-321-3 , p. 177
  5. ↑ McLellan
  6. ↑ Erickson, p. 106
  7. ↑ Billy Barnes Revued , review ( Memento of the original dated November 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. lmlmusic.com, accessed August 4, 2009  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.lmlmusic.com
  8. ↑ Martin, Douglas. "Billy Barnes Dies at 85; Helped Revive Revues," The New York Times , September 26, 2012
  9. ↑ Garrett, Tommy. "An Evening with Billy Barnes and Friends"  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Canyon News , June 6, 2011@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.canyon-news.com  
  10. ↑ Shirely, Don. "'Express' Heads for San Diego, Los Angeles" Los Angeles Times , April 20, 1989

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Barnes, Billy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Barnes, William Christopher Jr. (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American composer
DATE OF BIRTH January 27, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Los Angeles , California
DATE OF DEATH September 25, 2012
Place of death Los Angeles , California