Richard Barone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard Barone is a musician born in Tampa, Florida, and formerly the vocalist and leader of the Hoboken, New Jersey band The Bongos. Barone works as a songwriter, arranger, author, director, and producer, and releases albums as a solo artist.
| Richard Barone | |
|---|---|
 Richard Barone (2006), photographed in New York City by Mick Rock. |
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| Years active | 1980s—present |
| Instrument(s) | guitar, E-Bow, Mellotron, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion, stylophone, waterphone |
| Genre(s) | Rock Pop Power Pop Chamber Pop Alternative Rock |
| Label(s) | RCA Victor MCA/Universal MESA/Atlantic Sony BMG others |
| Website(s) | RichardBarone.com MySpace.com |
Contents |
[edit] Biography
As the frontman of the Bongos in the '80s, Richard Barone pioneered an unusual combination of tribal rhythms and Beatlesque chord changes with Sex Pistols overdrive. Along with comrades R.E.M. and just a handful of others, The Bongos helped to create an exploding college radio market, paving the way for Alternative Rock. As a solo artist, his albums venture into chamber pop and more narrative, singer-songwriter tones. As a record producer, he scouts, discovers, and develops emerging talent, such as pianist Johnny Rodgers and The Analogues. As a producer/director, he creates large-scale concert events (such as at his recent, sold-out, star-studded tributes to Miss Peggy Lee at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl in 2003 and 2004, and major concerts in New York's Central Park).
When the Bongos broke onto the national stage with their debut album, Drums Along The Hudson (PVC Records), they were already popular not only in the Hoboken and NYC scenes, but also in England, where indie label Fetish Records had released the group's first singles, scoring a hit on the Billboard Dance Chart with their innovative cover of T. Rex's "Mambo Sun." Drums instantly won favor on both sides of the Atlantic for its Americanization of the punk sound, as well as its mixing of influences. RCA Records took notice in 1983 and signed the group.
The ensuing disc Numbers With Wings (RCA) spawned the hit MTV video of the title song (which remained at the number one spot on the College Music Journal (CMJ) chart for six consecutive weeks), and the tribal, dancefloor hit "Barbarella.” The follow-up, Beat Hotel, along with relentless touring, raised the Bongos' profile even further. They split in 1987, and shortly thereafter Barone released his first solo album, Cool Blue Halo (Passport). His distinctive songwriting and guitar work were highlighted, and the chamber pop backing of acoustic guitar, vibes, and cello accentuated Barone's lush voice. A college radio favorite that directly foreshadowed the ‘Unplugged’ movement.
The next few years saw two more solo albums: Primal Dream (MCA, 1990) and Clouds Over Eden (Mesa-Bluemoon/Atlantic Records, 1994), with its memorable cover image by Duane Michals. Billy Altman, writing in The New York Times called the latter work "unquestionably the most fully realized effort of Barone's career." In 1997, he released Between Heaven and Cello (Line). Recorded live at NYC's Fez, it gave his more recent tunes an appealingly stark Cool Blue Halo treatment. A box-set of his first three solo albums was released in Europe in 2000 as The Big Three.
From the end of the 90s to the present, Barone’s projects have attracted high-level sponsorship and support from Gibson Guitar Corporation, Apple Computer, and others. In 2004 he released a solo anthology entitled: COLLECTION: an embarrassment of richard, comprised of personal favorites from his catalogue.
Other projects have included executive producing The Nomi Song (Palm Pictures, 2005), which includes his remix of Klaus Nomi’s “Total Eclipse,” musical direction and orchestration for "Bright Lights, Big City" at the prestigious New York Theatre Workshop (with 'RENT' director Michael Grief), as well as directing and performing in The Downtown Messiah, a modern interpretation of Handel’s baroque masterpiece, broadcast annually on over 150 public radio stations nationwide for six consecutive years. His songs and collaborations have been heard on several major television programs, including "The West Wing" and "Dawson's Creek."
Barone is currently in the studio working on his next solo album with veteran producer Tony Visconti (Bowie, T. Rex) planned for Spring, 2007 release. He has additionally joined forces for the project with producers Mike Thorne (Bronski Beat, Communards, Wire) and Steve Rosenthal (Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones), legendary tunesmith Paul Williams, lensman Mick Rock, and other luminaries. As recording continues, he is writing his first book, to be published by Backbeat Books, also in Spring ‘07.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Solo Albums
- Collection: An Embarrassment of Richard (2004) - Compilation; iTunes
- The Big Three (2000) - Box set; Line Records, Germany
- Between Heaven and Cello (1997) - Live; Line Records, Germany
- Clouds over Eden (1993), Produced by Hugh Jones - MESA Bluemoon/Atlantic Records
- Primal Dream (1990), Produced by Richard Gottehrer and Don Dixon - MCA Records
- Cool Blue Halo (1987), Recorded live at the Bottom Line, New York City - Passport Records
[edit] With The Bongos
- Beat Hotel (1985) - RCA Victor
- Numbers With Wings (1983) - RCA Victor
- Drums Along The Hudson (1982) - Fetish Records UK, PVC Records, US
[edit] Appearances
- For a more extensive discography, see All Music Guide.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock, (Simon & Schuster, 1995)
- The All Music Guide to Rock, (Miller Freeman Books, 1995)
- Rolling Stone's Alt-Rock-A-Rama, (Rolling Stone Press, 1996)
- "Man About Town Barone Heads for Fresh Fields," by Jim Bessman -- (Billboard Magazine, September 22, 2001)
- The Official Richard Barone Website
[edit] External links
- RichardBarone.com - Richard Barone's Official Website
- All Music Guide - Richard Barone overview on All Music Guide
- The New York Times - Robert Palmer's New York Times review of Cool Blue Halo
- Rolling Stone - Rolling Stone reviews of Clouds Over Eden, Primal Dream, and Cool Blue Halo
- MySpace.com - Richard Barone's profile page at MySpace.com
- "There'll Be Another Spring: A Tribute To Miss Peggy Lee" - Produced by Richard Barone - Press Release
| Richard Barone |
| Other musicians and collaborators: Jane Scarpantoni - Fred Schneider - Paul Williams - Mick Rock - Moby - Donovan - Duane Michals - Nancy Sinatra - Bea Arthur - Jill Sobule - Tiny Tim - David Johansen - Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Throbbing Gristle - Gary Lucas - Terre Roche - Amy Rigby - The Bongos |
| Producers: Tony Visconti - Richard Gottehrer - Don Dixon - Hugh Jones - Mitch Easter |
| Discography |
| Albums: Cool Blue Halo - Primal Dream - Clouds Over Eden - Between Heaven and Cello |
| Compilations: The Big Three - COLLECTION: An Embarrassment of Richard |
| Soundtracks and Television: Next Year In Jerusalem - The Nomi Song - The West Wing - Dawson's Creek - Felicity - South Of Nowhere |
Categories: American rock singers | American singer-songwriters | American male singers | American guitarists | American singer-guitarists | American composers | American record producers | Italian-American musicians | New York musicians | Greenwich Village scene | People from Manhattan | People from Tampa | Florida musicians | Living people
