Ray Barbarino

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Ray Barbarino was a Miami entertainment manager and promoter whose tireless efforts to bring top celebrity talent to the local Miami scene, and to find and promote talent was second to none in the 60's and 70's. His personable style and popularity as a promoter brought him elbow to elbow with film and TV artists, professional baseball and football teams, and most notably, every local talent agent.

[edit] Biography

Ray Barbarino was a second generation Italian immigrant, born in Homestead, Pennsylvania in August, 1930. During his senior year in high school, Ray's parents went on an extended vacation to Miami, where they decided, was the place to be. Ray begrudgingly relocated and started his career in the hotel industry in the mid fifties after a stint in the US Army.

Ray's career blossomed as be became part of the inner circle of top hotel chain management. His good friend Conrad Hilton tried more than once to bring him into the Hilton organization. Ray resisted because of this desire to focus on the entertainment industry. Ray landed a job as General Manager of the Crossway Airport Inn in Miami in 1962.

Over the years, several Miami local talents became national celebrities after gigs at the Crossway, namely The Miami Sound Machine whose female singer was Gloria Estefan, Willie Chirino, a popular latin singer, The Briarwood Singers, and The Impact of Brass. The Crossway Airport Inn lounge became the hot spot to see top celebrities such as Peter, Paul & Mary, The Mama & the Papas, Fats Domino, Guy Lombardo & his Orchestra, and The Platters, to name a few.

During the early seventies, Gabe Kaplan, a then-unknown stand-up comedian who held local gigs repeatedly pestered Barbarino for a job at the Crossway. Barbarino set Gabe up with his contacts in New York and within 8-10 months received a letter from Gabe which basically said "Barbarino - watch ABC on Wednesday at 8:00pm. I've got a surprise for you!". We all came love the new TV show called Welcome Back Kotter, and to know the macho but stupid Vinnie Barbarino, played by John Travolta, a far cry from the real "Barbarino", but a tribute in some way from Kaplan.

While not an artist himself, but an incredibly sharp, and intuitive business leader, Ray Barbarino truly was an entertainment genius. His eye for talent and ear for crisp music and knowing what the public wanted to hear lead to many long and some short, but prosperous careers. Following the Crossway, Barbarino landed lucrative ventures with United Artists Corp, and as a partner in a venture capital group until he retired at age 45.

From age 46 to 59, Ray tried his hand at real estate investments and land development projects, but spent time enjoying his retirement.

[edit] Marriage and children

Ray married Doris Sanchez, a local bathing suit fashion model in 1957 and had 6 children (Karen, Cindy, Raylene, Ray Jr., Anthony & Laura). They divorced in 1970 and he married Joyce Alter of Miami, in 1971 and had a daughter (Kimberly) some 17 years later.

[edit] Death and afterward

After fourteen years of retirement, Ray Barbarino succumbed to acute myeloblastic leukemia in May of 1990 at the age of 59 in Plantation, Florida.