Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
on February 23, 1942) is an American
songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
and
record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
.
Career
Early in his career, Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He produced such huge hits as " Dizzy" by
Tommy Roe
Thomas David "Tommy" Roe (born May 9, 1942) is a retired American rock and pop singer-songwriter.
Best-remembered for his hits "Sheila" (1962) and " Dizzy" (1969), Roe was "widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of the late ...
. As both songwriter and producer he frequently collaborated with P. F. Sloan, and the partners were responsible for the success of
The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots are an American rock band that charted frequently between 1965 and 1975. The band was originally the creation of Lou Adler and songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri. In their career, they achieved two gold albums, two go ...
and contributed largely to the band's first album. They co-produced the global hit version of Sloan's song " Eve of Destruction" – a 1965 US number one by
Barry McGuire
Barry McGuire (born October 15, 1935) is an American singer-songwriter primarily known for his 1965 hit " Eve of Destruction". Later he would pioneer as a singer and songwriter of Contemporary Christian music.
Early life
McGuire was born in O ...
(originally from the New Christy Minstrels). Barri and Sloan co-wrote and/or co-produced many other hit records in the mid-1960s including "
You Baby
''You Baby'' is the second studio album by the American rock band the Turtles. It was released in 1966 on the White Whale Records label. For the album, the group composed much more original material.
Sundazed Records recently licensed the rig ...
" by
The Turtles
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, "
A Must to Avoid
"A Must to Avoid" is a song written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri and performed by Herman's Hermits. It was featured on their 1966 album, '' Hold On!'' and on their 1966 EP, '' A Must to Avoid''. The song was produced by Mickie Most.
Backgr ...
" by
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat, rock and pop group formed in 1964 in Manchester, originally called Herman and His Hermits and featuring lead singer Peter Noone. Produced by Mickie Most, the Hermits charted with number ones in the UK a ...
Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...
. They also co-wrote " Unless You Care", which was recorded by
Terry Black
Terry Black (February 3, 1949 – June 28, 2009) was a Canadian pop singer and teen idol, born in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Career
Black's debut U.S. single, " Unless You Care", was released in 1964, when Black was 15. The song was writ ...
and reached no. 2 in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, and " Little Liar", which Black took to no. 10 in Canada. After his partner Sloan left Dunhill Records, Barri continued as producer for The Grass Roots until the early seventies. Barri produced
Mama Cass
Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to:
Roles
*Mother, a female parent
* Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority
*Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels
Places
*Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlement ...
including her 1969 hits.
After Dunhill was acquired by ABC Records, Barri stayed on in the 1970s as head of Artists & Repertoire ( A&R) where he focused on signing and producing new artists, such as Bubblegum Pop group, Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods. He collaborated with songwriters Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter on three albums for the Four Tops, which included the million-selling single "Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)". He also worked on several critically acclaimed albums by leading blues & soul singer Bobby Bland.
After ABC Records reorganized (in which they dissolved their subsidiary labels and moved all artists to the main ABC Records label) in 1975, Barri departed to become A&R chief at
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
. While there, he co-produced
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969Alan O'Day's 1977 number one single " Undercover Angel". Barri also produced O'Day's follow-up single "Skinny Girls", which went to number one in Australia. Barri moved in 1982 to
Motown Records
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...
as vice-president of A&R, producing The Temptations and overseeing big-selling releases by Lionel Richie and Rick James, among others. He also re-worked the company's rich back-catalog, introducing the "Greatest Hits" series, before leaving in 1986.
Spells followed at Capitol Records (as a consultant), Left Bank Management, where he worked with acts including Richard Marx,
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...
and
Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Dorthea Mills (born March 22, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to stardom as "Dorothy" in the original seven-time Tony Award winning Broadway run of the musical ''The Wiz'' from 1974 to 1979. The song " Home" from t ...
, and at smooth jazz label, JVC. In 1998, Barri joined Gold Circle Entertainment/Samson Records as a producer and was promoted to senior vice president in 2001.