| Richard Barrett | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 14, 1933 Philadelphia |
| Died | August 3, 2006 (aged 73) Gladwyne, Pennsylvania |
| Occupations | singer, record producer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1950s–2006 |
| Associated acts | Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, The Chantels, Little Anthony & The Imperials, The Valentines, The Three Degrees |
Richard Barrett (July 14, 1933 – August 3, 2006) was an American singer, record producer, and songwriter. He was born in Philadelphia, and died of pancreatic cancer in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania.
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Barrett was one of the first successful independent black record producers, and was influential in shaping the New York rhythm and blues sound. Barrett discovered or promoted Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, The Chantels, Little Anthony & The Imperials, The Valentines, and The Three Degrees. He managed The Chantels in the 1950s, and later managed The Three Degrees from the early 1960s until the early 1980s, producing many of their albums, and conducting the orchestra at their live shows. As an artist, Barrett was most famous for recording and co-writing (with Leiber and Stoller) the song "Some Other Guy."
Barrett sang lead for The Valentines from 1954 to 1957. Ronnie Bright, who later joined The Cadillacs and The Coasters, sang bass. Barrett co-wrote two songs with Carl Hogan (also from The Valentines). One was "Be Sure My Love," which was recorded by The Dubs on Gone Records in 1958; and another, "So Much," was recorded by Little Anthony & The Imperials on End Records in 1958, and also recorded by The Attributes. On The Chantels' single "Maybe" (1958), Barrett played piano, bass, and drums. He also produced several of The Chantels' records.
Barrett's first single was a cover of The Fleetwoods' "Come Softly to Me", which used The Chantels as backing vocalist. He recorded "Some Other Guy" in 1962, which was modeled on Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" and was assured immortality, if not a hit single, following cover versions performed by The Beatles and other Liverpool groups of the time. A clip of The Beatles performing the song at The Cavern was shown on television in the UK in mid 1962 before they had signed with Parlophone, and has been included on many videos and DVDs.
There was also a record by Richard T. Barrett called "Try To Be Happy" b/w "Your Gentle Heart", released on Maarc Records #1542, in 1962. This may be a different singer.
In 1998, Ben Vereen portrayed Richard Barrett in the film about Frankie Lymon called Why Do Fools Fall In Love.