Edward Barton (born 1958) is an English poet, artist and musician from
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, known for his eccentric stage performances and use of home-made instruments. He has had top 30 success as a songwriter with hits including "
It's a Fine Day
"It's a Fine Day" is a song written by English poet and musician Edward Barton. It was originally recorded in a cappella in 1983 by Jane, and later by Opus III for whom it was a major international hit in 1992.
Original recording by Jane
Bart ...
" (
Opus III) - the tune of which was then used in
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
's hit "
Confide in Me
"Confide in Me" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, taken from her Kylie Minogue (album), self-titled fifth studio album (1994). It was released as the album's lead single on 29 August 1994 by Deconstruction Records, Deconstr ...
" - "Halcyon" (
Orbital) and "Happiness" (
Pizzaman). He also wrote a trio of hits for
Lost Witness - "Happiness Happening", "Red Sun Rising" and "7 Colours".
Biography
He grew up in
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
, the son of an
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
officer, before attending boarding school in Britain. He moved to
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
in the mid-1970s where he studied History of Art at
Manchester University
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
, and was signed by
Cherry Red Records
Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well ...
in 1982.
[Interview with Barton in ''The Word'' magazine, issue # 84, February 2010]
He is probably best known for composing the song "It's a Fine Day", originally released on Cherry Red as an a cappella single by Jane – his friend Jane Lancaster –in 1983, and later to become a UK chart hit when Opus III covered it in 1992, reaching number 5, whilst also topping the US dance chart. Under the name Owain Barton, he was later credited with co-writing Kylie Minogue's 1994 hit "Confide In Me", which included musical content taken from "It's a Fine Day". Barton later said "I woke up one afternoon and switched on the radio. I thought, "that's a good tune. In fact that's ''my'' tune.""
[
"It's a Fine Day" was followed by the self-titled mini-album ''Jane & Barton'', and another single, "I Want To Be With You". The album featured ]Andy Connell
Andrew John Connell (born 26 July 1961) is an English musician and composer. Along with Corinne Drewery, he is part of the duo that makes up Swing Out Sister.
Born in Manchester, England, Connell played in the Manchester post-punk band The Im ...
of A Certain Ratio
A Certain Ratio (abbreviated as ACR) are an English post-punk band formed in 1977 in Flixton, Greater Manchester by Peter Terrell (guitar, electronics) and Simon Topping (vocals, trumpet), with additional members Jez Kerr (bass, vocals), Martin ...
on piano. Another Jane single, "Lovely and Chicken", was later released through Barton's own label Wooden Records. More releases on Wooden followed, including a 1989 LP called ''Edward Not Edward'' which featured covers of Barton songs by diverse Manchester artists like Inspiral Carpets
Inspiral Carpets are an English rock band, part of the late-1980s/early-1990s Madchester movement. Formed in Oldham in 1980, the band's most successful lineup featured frontman Tom Hingley, drummer Craig Gill, guitarist Graham Lambert, bassist ...
, 808 State
808 State are an English electronic music group formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine. They were formed by Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson. They released their debut album, '' New ...
, Ruthless Rap Assassins
The Ruthless Rap Assassins were a British hip hop group from Hulme, Manchester, England. The group was formed by MC Kermit La Freak (later simply Kermit - real name Paul Leveridge) and brothers Dangerous Hinds (real name Anderson Hinds) and Dangero ...
, Dub Sex, Ted Chippington
Ted Chippington (real name Francis Smyth; born February 1962 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England) is a British stand-up comedian.
Noted for his diffident on-stage persona, Chippington avoids observational comedy in favour of anti-humour ...
, Kiss AMC, Louis Phillipe and A Guy Called Gerald
Gerald Rydel Simpson (born 16 February 1967), better known as A Guy Called Gerald, is a British record producer and musician. He was an early member of the electronic group 808 State, contributing to their debut LP '' Newbuild'' (1988) and hit ...
. Barton also released the single "Me and My Mini" / "I've Got No Chicken But I've Got Five Wooden Chairs".
Barton was a regular fixture of the 1980s music and arts scene in Manchester, supporting bands such as Stump
Stump may refer to:
* Stump (band), a band from Cork, Ireland and London, England
* Stump (cricket), one of three small wooden posts which the fielding team attempt to hit with the ball
*Stump (dog): Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee (born 1998), 200 ...
, and having his own gallery, Oblong, in Afflecks Palace. He has also contributed lyrics to albums by 808 State
808 State are an English electronic music group formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine. They were formed by Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson. They released their debut album, '' New ...
and Lost Witness. He branched out into music video direction for the initial release of "Sit Down" by James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
in 1989 in which he also makes a cameo appearance.
His television appearances have included performances on '' The Tube'' and Tony Wilson's ''The Other Side of Midnight''. He also appeared on ''Wogan
''Wogan'' is a British television talk show which was broadcast on BBC1 from 1982 until 1992, presented by Terry Wogan. It was usually broadcast live from the BBC Television Theatre in Shepherd's Bush, London, until 1991. It was then broadcast ...
'' in the late 1980s playing guitar in Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new wav ...
' backing band. His radio appearances have included at least one guest spot on ''The Mark Radcliffe Show'', during which he gave a live rendition of his song
In the mid-1990s he released ''Hush'', a series of albums and 12" singles of a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
songs specifically designed to be used as samples. This resulted in "Happiness" a hit for Norman Cook
Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...
’s pre-Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...
project, Pizzaman, and "Happiness Happening", "Red Sun Rising" and "7 Colours", a trio of hits by Lost Witness featuring singers Tracey Carmen (who produced much of the Hush material) and Nina Henchion. He’d subsequently work on projects with Mark Day of Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up was Shaun Ryder (vocals), his brother Paul Ryder ( bass), Gary Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry later joined t ...
and Larry Gott from James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
.
In the 2000s he ran successful monthly performance nights in Manchester called Misery. He also spent some time in a psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...
.[ In 2009 he issued a new album, ''And A Panda''.]
His recent band, Edward and the Babymen, included the teenage sons of Graham Massey
Graham Vernon Massey (born 4 August 1960 in Manchester) is a British record producer, musician, and remixer.
Early career
He was a member of experimental jazz rock group Biting Tongues, once signed to Factory Records. After recording with the ...
(808 State
808 State are an English electronic music group formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine. They were formed by Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson. They released their debut album, '' New ...
), Mike Baker (The Get Together) and DJ Greg Wilson and Tracey Carmen.
References
External links
Edward Barton Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, Edward
Living people
English rock musicians
English songwriters
1958 births
English male poets
Artists from Manchester
Musicians from Manchester