Barry Joseph Goldberg (born December 25, 1942) is an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and rock keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. Goldberg has co-produced albums by

Percy Sledge Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song " When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 196 ...

Charlie Musselwhite Charles Douglas Musselwhite (born January 31, 1944) is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the white bluesmen who came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal f ...

James Cotton James Henry Cotton (July 1, 1935 – March 16, 2017) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who performed and recorded with many fellow blues artists and with his own band. He also played drums early in his career. ...

, and the Textones, plus Bob Dylan's version of

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

's "

People Get Ready "People Get Ready" is a 1965 single by the Impressions, and the title track from the '' People Get Ready'' album. The single is the group's best-known hit, reaching number-three on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and number 14 on the ''Billboard'' ...

Career

1950s–1970s

As a teenager in Chicago, Goldberg sat in with

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

Otis Rush Otis Rush Jr. (April 29, 1934 – September 29, 2018) was an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. His distinctive guitar style featured a slow-burning sound and long bent notes. With qualities similar to the styles of other 1950s art ...

, and

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

. He played keyboards with the

Paul Butterfield Blues Band Paul Vaughn Butterfield (December 17, 1942May 4, 1987) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and band leader. After early training as a classical flautist, he developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored the blues scene in his n ...

backing

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

during his 1965 newly 'electrified' appearance at the

Newport Folk Festival Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. It was one of the first modern music festivals in America, and remains a foca ...

. He formed

The Electric Flag The Electric Flag was an American soul rock band, led by guitarist Mike Bloomfield, keyboardist Barry Goldberg and drummer Buddy Miles, and featuring other musicians such as vocalist Nick Gravenites and bassist Harvey Brooks. Bloomfield form ...

with

Mike Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American guitarist and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, who became one of the first popular music superstars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his ...

in 1967, and formed the Barry Goldberg Reunion in 1968. In 1965, after moving to Chicago to play the blues, Steve Miller and Goldberg founded the Goldberg-Miller Blues Band, along with bassist Roy Ruby, rhythm guitarist Craymore Stevens, and drummer Maurice McKinley. The band contracted to Epic Records and recorded a single, "The Mother Song", which they performed on Hullabaloo, before Miller left the group to go to San Francisco. Goldberg's songs (some co-written with

Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the List of Billboard number-one ...

) have been recorded by many musicians, including

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Kn ...

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

, Steve Miller,

Bobby "Blue" Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) who was known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist who recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, ...

and

B. J. Thomas Billy Joe Thomas (August 7, 1942 – May 29, 2021) was an American singer widely known for his pop, country and Christian hits of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Popular songs by Thomas include "Hooked on a Feeling" (1968), "Raindrops Keep Fallin' ...

. Goldberg's first professional recording session was "Devil with the Blue Dress On"/"

Good Golly Miss Molly In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...

" by

Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels The Detroit Wheels were an American rock band, formed in Detroit in 1964. They served as Mitch Ryder's backup band from 1964 to 1967. The band had a number of top twenty hits in the mid-1960s before lead singer Ryder was enticed away by Bob C ...

. Among the albums he contributed to are

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

's '' Death of a Ladies' Man'',

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

' ''

End of the Century ''End of the Century'' is the fifth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on February 4, 1980, through Sire Records. The album was the band's first to be produced by Phil Spector, though he had offered the band his assis ...

'',

The Flying Burrito Brothers The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is perhaps best known for its connection to band founders Gram Parsons and Chris ...

' ''

The Gilded Palace of Sin ''The Gilded Palace of Sin'' is the first album by the country rock group the Flying Burrito Brothers, released on February 6, 1969. It continued Gram Parsons' and Chris Hillman's work in modern country music, fusing traditional sources like f ...

'', and '' Super Session'', which featured Michael Bloomfield, Stephen Stills, and

Al Kooper Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears, although he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity. ...

. Goldberg's self-titled album was released in 1974, and was produced by Bob Dylan and

Jerry Wexler Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...

1990s–2000s

In 1992 he played keyboards with the Carla Olson &

Mick Taylor Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, h ...

band, which resulted in the live CD ''Too Hot for Snakes'', featuring

Ian McLagan Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was in ...

Jesse Sublett Jesse Sublett (born May 15, 1954)"Biographical Note" a, Wittliff Collections, Alkek Library, Texas State University–San Marcos (retrieved September 18, 2009). is a musician and writer from Austin, Texas. As a musician he is best known for his lo ...

and

John "Juke" Logan John "Juke" Logan (September 11, 1946 – August 30, 2013) was an American electric blues harmonica player, musician, singer, pianist and songwriter. He is best known for his harmonica playing on the theme music for television programs (''Home I ...

. In 1994, Goldberg and Saul Davis produced '' Blue Night'' by

, which featured

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack (; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guit ...

, Steve Cropper,

Greg Leisz Gregory Brian Leisz ( ; born September 18, 1949) is an American musician. He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. He plays guitar, dobro, mandolin, lap steel and pedal steel guitar. Biography Leisz grew up in the garage band cu ...

Bob Glaub Bob Glaub (born May 10, 1952)Hageman, William (April 29, 2005)."The aces of bass: Five giants of an overshadowed instrument", Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. is an American bass player and session musician. He has played with such artists an ...

Ed Greene Ed Greene is an American drummer and session musician. In 1971 he recorded with Donald Byrd (''Ethiopian Knights'', 1972), together with Thurman Green, Harold Land, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Sample, Bobbye Porter Hall, David T. Walker, and W ...

, and

Mikael Rickfors Mikael Rickfors (born 4 December 1948) is a Swedish singer and songwriter. From 1968, he was the lead singer and bass guitarist in Swedish band Bamboo. The band released two singles before breaking up in 1970. Rickfors later performed with the ...

, with songs written by Rickfors, Gregg Sutton, Pat Robinson, Carla Olson, the

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...

Quinton Claunch Quinton Mavis Claunch (December 3, 1921 – April 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, record producer and record label owner, who was responsible with others for setting up Hi Records in the 1950s and Goldwax Records in the 1960s. B ...

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

, and

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

. The album was Grammy nominated and the WC Handy soul album of the year. By 1999, Goldberg both wrote and performed the theme to the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

original movie '' Smart House'', entitled "The House is Jumpin, with Phil Shenale and Sterling Smith, with vocals by Chan André. He wrote the song with Jill Wisoff and Joel Diamond. In 2002, he was featured on the

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...

tribute album ''Hey Bo Diddley – A Tribute!'', playing piano on the songs "Pills", " I'm A Man" and "

Before You Accuse Me "Before You Accuse Me" (also known as "Before You Accuse Me (Take a Look at Yourself)") is a song written and recorded by American musician Bo Diddley in 1957. The song was originally released as the B-side to Diddley's "Say Bossman" and included ...

" (produced by Carla Olson). Carla also produced Barry's ''Stoned Again'' album, which featured Denny Freeman, Mick Taylor and Ernie Watts. In 2004, ''Shining Through The Rain'' by Percy Sledge was co-produced by Davis and Goldberg, featuring Larry Byrom, Denny Freeman, Clayton Ivey,

Phil Upchurch Philip Upchurch (born July 19, 1941) is an American jazz and blues guitarist and bassist. Career Upchurch started his career working with the Kool Gents, the Dells, and the Spaniels, before going on to work with Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush, and ...

, Bob Glaub, the Waters, and

Jakob Dylan Jakob Luke Dylan (born December 9, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter. He rose to fame as the lead singer and primary songwriter for the rock band the Wallflowers. Born in New York City to musician Bob Dylan and model Sara Lownds, Dylan be ...

, and songs by the

, Mikael Rickfors, Carla Olson,

Jackie Lomax John Richard Lomax (10 May 1944 – 15 September 2013) was an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is best known for his association with George Harrison, who produced Lomax's recordings for the Beatles' Apple record label in the late 1 ...

, Earl Carson, Bobby Moore. In 2005–2006, he toured with the Chicago Blues Reunion featuring

Nick Gravenites Nicholas George Gravenites (; born October 2, 1938) is an American blues, rock and folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his work with Electric Flag (as their lead singer), Janis Joplin, Mike Bloomfield and several influentia ...

Harvey Mandel Harvey Mandel (born March 11, 1945) is an American guitarist best known as a member of Canned Heat. He also played with Charlie Musselwhite and John Mayall as well as maintaining a solo career. Early life Mandel was born in Detroit, Michigan, ...

, Tracy Nelson and

Corky Siegel Mark Paul "Corky" Siegel (born October 24, 1943) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and composer. He plays harmonica and piano. He plays and writes blues and blues-rock music, and has also worked extensively on combining blues and c ...

. Their debut CD reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Blues Chart and received a four-star review from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine's

David Fricke David Fricke is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 years. I ...

2010 to present

In 2012, Stephen Stills recruited Goldberg in founding a new band dubbed

the Rides The Rides are an American blues supergroup, featuring guitarists Stephen Stills, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and keyboardist Barry Goldberg. The group formed in 2013 following a performance by the trio at a benefit led by Stills. Stills called the band ...

, culling some of Stills's best work from the past, adding guitarist

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Kenny Wayne Shepherd (born Kenny Wayne Brobst; June 12, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has released several studio albums and experienced significant commercial success as a blues artist. Life and career Shepherd wa ...

and session drummer Chris Layton. Goldberg co-wrote four songs on their first album, titled '' Can't Get Enough'', released that year. The feature track is "Word Game". Much of the album reflects the work Stills did on the '' Super Session'' album with

in 1968. The album was nominated for a 2014

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...

for Best Rock Blues Album. Goldberg appears on the Carla Olson album ''Have Harmony, Will Travel'' (released April 15, 2013, on Busted Flat Records) playing Hammond B3 organ on Del Shannon's "Keep Searchin sung by Carla and

Peter Case Peter Case (born April 5, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His career is wide-ranging, from rock n' roll and blues, to folk rock and solo acoustic performance. Biography Early career Case was born in Buffalo, New York, B ...

, and piano and organ on the Little Steven song "All I Needed Was You", sung by Scott Kempner (The Del-Lords). The ''Born in Chicago'' documenting Chicago blues was released in 2013, premiering at the

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

Film Festival in March. Goldberg had been working on this project for a few years. It includes unique contributions by

BB King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shim ...

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray V ...

Hubert Sumlin Hubert Charles Sumlin (November 16, 1931 – December 4, 2011) was a Chicago blues guitarist and singer, best known for his "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic suspensions" as a member of Howlin ...

Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer. He was previously the lead vocalist of R&B and rock band the Animals and funk band War. He is regarded as one of the British Invasion's most distinctive singers with his deep, pow ...

, and many others. Goldberg produced three tracks on the 2013 EP (''Drown in the Crimson Tide'') by ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

'' Season One semi-finalist

Nakia Nakia Reynoso (born February 20, 1975), known professionally as Nakia, is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor living in Austin, Texas. He is a native of Fort Payne, Alabama. Professional background Nakia moved to Austin in 200 ...

with longtime friend

Johnny Lee Schell Johnny Lee Schell is an American guitarist and songwriter. In the late 1960s, he first recorded with producer Norman Petty in Group Axis. In the 1970s, he joined Amarillo TX southern rock band, Baby. Since his professional debut, he has played wi ...

. In 2016, the Rides played with Neil Young at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles at the Light Up the Blues event. The band later the same year released their second album, '' Pierced Arrow''. Goldberg produced and composed additional musical score to the documentary feature film ''BANG! The Bert Berns Story'', which premiered at SXSW in 2016 and was released theatrically in 2017. His latest CD, ''In the Groove'', was released on June 15, 2018 on Sunset Blvd Records. The album consists of new and classic instrumentals, and features Goldberg on Hammond B3 organ, piano and Wurlitzer piano. Among the featured musicians and guests is jazz pianist Les McCann. The album was produced by Carla Olson. Goldberg appears on the RENEW / BMG album ''Americana Railroad'', released November 26, 2021, backing Rocky Burnette and James Intveld.

Personal life

Goldberg is a nephew of Supreme Court Justice

Arthur Goldberg Arthur Joseph Goldberg (August 8, 1908January 19, 1990) was an American statesman and jurist who served as the 9th U.S. Secretary of Labor, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, and the 6th United States Ambassador to ...

. Barry's wife is named Gail and their son is Aram.

Discography

Albums

*1966: '' Blowing My Mind'' (Epic LP: BN-26199) *1968: ''There's No Hole in My Soul'' (Buddah LP: BDS-5012) *1969: ''Two Jews Blues'' (Buddah LP: BDS-5029) *1969: ''Street Man'' (Buddah LP: BDS-5051) *1972:
Barry Goldberg and Friends
' (Record Man/Cherry Red LP: CR-5015) *1974: ''Barry Goldberg'' (Atco LP: SD-7040) *1976: ''Barry Goldberg & Friends Recorded Live'' (Buddah LP: BDS-5684) *2002: ''Stoned Again'' ( Antone's/Texas Music Group ANT-0058) *2018: ''In the Groove'' (Sunset Blvd Records SBR-7931)

Miscellaneous

*Some 1960s session work appears on the re-release of

John P. Hammond John Paul Hammond (born November 13, 1942 in New York City) is an American singer and musician. The son of record producer John H. Hammond, he is sometimes referred to as John Hammond Jr. Background Hammond is a son of record producer and ta ...

's '' So Many Roads'' * 1970: ''Ivar Avenue Reunion'' (RCA LP: LSP-4442) as Ivar Avenue Reunion, with

Neil Merryweather Neil Merryweather (born Robert Neilson Lillie, December 27, 1945 – March 28, 2021) was a Canadian rock singer, bass player and songwriter. He has recorded and performed with musicians including Steve Miller, Dave Mason, Lita Ford, Bill ...

Lynn Carey Lynn Catherine Carey (born October 29, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, model, and actress best known as the lead vocalist in the band Mama Lion. She is also the daughter of actor Macdonald Carey. Biography Born in Los Angeles, Calif ...

* 1971: ''Blasts From My Past'' (Buddah LP: BDS-5081) compilation of ''There's No Hole in My Soul'' and ''Two Jews Blues'' * 2005: ''Chicago Blues Reunion: Buried Alive in the Blues'' (Out of the Box Records 3016) with

, Harvey Mandel, Tracy Nelson,

Sam Lay Samuel Julian Lay (March 20, 1935January 29, 2022) was an American drummer and vocalist who performed from the late 1950s as a blues and R&B musician alongside Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Paul Butterfield, and many others. He was inducted into ...

* 2006: ''Chicago Blues Reunion'' (Music Avenue 250151) reissue of the ''Barry Goldberg and Friends'' material *2008: ''Harvey Mandel and the Snake Crew'' (self release), as part of the Snake Crew

References

Sources

* Larkin, Colin. ''The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', Guinness Publishing, 1992. * Muirhead, Bert. ''The Record Producers File. A Directory of Rock Album Producers 1962–1984'', Blandford Press, 1985. * Wright, H. Stephen; Limbacher, James L. ''Keeping Score. Film and Television Music, 1980–1988'', Scarecrow Press, 1991.

Interviews

*2008 Barry Goldberg @The Cabana Club in Hollywood, C
Rehearsals with Barry Goldberg
Jeanie Cunningham of The Composers Corner is the host of this six-part video series.
"Barry Goldberg: Born and Raised to Play the Blues": Interview with Barry Goldberg (2012, Blues.gr)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldberg, Barry 1942 births Living people Musicians from Chicago American blues musicians 20th-century American keyboardists Jewish American songwriters Songwriters from Illinois Record producers from Illinois Blues musicians from Illinois The Electric Flag members 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century American Jews The Rides members