Barry Upton

Barry John Upton[1] (born 25 February 1954, Hastings, Sussex, England) is an English songwriter, arranger, musician and producer of various forms of pop music. He is also an audio engineer and stage performer having appeared around the world in various capacities. He now lives in Pattaya, Thailand where he continues writing, producing and peforming music. In addition, he is the Executive Producer for radio & TV at Pattaya People Media Group and has been presenting the morning show on 96FM radio since 2010 to present.

Career

In the early 1980s, Upton was a member of Brotherhood of Man, appearing in concert with them internationally. Although not a member of the band at the time of their Eurovision win, he was their musical arranger and co-wrote much of their material during his time with them. In 1997 he created the million selling pop band, Steps.

'As a child I was weaned on the Beatles, Motown and the innovative late music of the late sixties which I still rates as my favourite. My first 'gig' was at the age of eleven miming to a 'Barron Knights' record at a Boys Brigade display. I got the bug and after doing the rounds of local pubs and clubs during my late teens, I turned pro with my band 'Silver City' in September '75 and spent the next few years constantly touring around Denmark, Norway, Germany and Italy with the odd gig in the UK as well as a spell in Jersey.

My recording career started in 1977 with that same band when we recorded an album to sell primarily in Scandinavia where after a couple of years of long visits, we had become quite popular. By the Summer of '78 and after having 'too much fun', I wanted to get a bit more serious with my music so I joined a resident 'Mecca' band in a South Wales nightclub who had just acquired a recording deal resulting in my first UK single release as a writer / performer. However the album we'd expensively recorded never saw the light of day and I started searching for new avenues with which to exploit my music ideas.

After a chance meeting in a London studio, I was then headhunted by Eurovision winners 'Brotherhood of Man' who I joined as a frontline member earning me my first UK chart hit called 'Lightning Flash'. During my time with them, I was mentored by the band's manager / producer, multi Ivor Novello award winning songwriter Tony Hiller, developing my writing skills, learning how to arrange music and studio production techniques. The most invaluable advice he gave me was how to 'create your own luck' in the music business by working hard at it. After a few enjoyable years with 'Brotherhood' as a touring headlining concert act, including performing in front of the Pope, reaching the 'Song For Europe' finals and an album release on EMI, I spread my wings in the mid 80s diversifying into dance music and became the resident DJ at the 'Hammersmith Palais' in London, also gaining a part in the feature film 'Foreign Body' (as the Palais DJ).

After the extreme 'middle of the roadness' of Brotherhood, becoming 'hip' was a real challenge. However, I somehow managed to achieve some credibility in the dance market and ex 'Radio Luxembourg' legend Tony Prince then signed me as a solo artiste to his new DMC/Arista record label. DMC was the hippest DJ / Re-mixer company at that time resulting in plenty of production work offers which kept me going right into the early 90s.

I also secured my first album release in the States and had many UK and international dance hits. During this period I also got to work with and produce some acts that I had bought records of when I was a child such as The Barron Knights, Wilson Pickett and Frankie Vaughan (sadly my favourite Beatles, were no longer available).

In 1990, on one of my many jaunts to the 'Midem' music trade fair in Cannes, I met a fledgling A&R man by the name of Simon Cowell who was very interested in a couple of my productions. He gave me my first major publishing deal, which enabled me to purchase my own top quality recording studio, and one year later, a UK top ten pop hit on his new label at BMG with 'Sonia'. Hit releases that followed included one of my songs produced by Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) and with FA Cup finalists Crystal Palace (recorded at Abbey Road).

When tuneless 'rave' music became fashionable in the early 90s, I did an about turn and gave up my DJ activities in top nightclubs in favour of my new found passion, playing tuneful Country Rock music live with my band 'Starz & Strypes'. This resulted in song writing trips to Nashville USA and the production of an album full of my new American country style tunes although I was still keeping my dance and pop music hats on producing and writing with acts such as 'Hazell Dean' and 'Dollar'. I also had a spell as musical director for 'Bucks Fizz' and another FA Cup Final hit, this time with Chelsea FC.

In July of '94, I took my new live gigging act WILD AT HEART to Bosnia with comic Jim Davidson for a successful CSE tour of military installations.

Although not politically motivated, during the summer of '95, I was asked to provide and musically direct my band for the Labour Party (and the Daily Mirror), on their high profile 'Rolling Rose' tour of the UK. Hilariously, this included TV appearances on current affairs programmes (Panorama, On The Record, News at Ten etc.), with Tony Blair, John Prescott and various other members of the then, shadow cabinet. The country rock CD eventually led me to the line dancing scene which was the new craze of '96/'97 and together with the help of line dance expert Steve Crosby, who was running the national UK championships, I auditioned and created the poptabulous 'Steps', and wrote '5-6-7-8' which eventually became a worldwide hit, subsequently a party pop standard with 17 weeks in the UK chart, climbing all over Europe and the Far East, finally topping the Australian chart at No.1. After nearly every major label turned us and 'Steps' down (they thought a boy / girl act was not fashionable any more), Pete Waterman jumped in, signed the act up and on they went to legendary status. Apart from the many gold and platinum awards for 'Steps', I also received a silver disc for the hot selling NO.1 LINE DANCING DANCING ALBUM (Polygram TV) with myself, performing my own song 'I’m Still Falling'. My self produced and directed video of this song was a 'Hot Shot' on CMT Europe.

In late '97, I now had a surplus of New Country Rock songs written and recorded partly in the States and so I released another solo album, this time with a line dance theme (unashamedly titled 5-6-7-8, The Album). I subsequently got the chance to appear in a feature film with Patrick Stewart, singing and playing a couple of my own songs.

After a couple of years of trying to re-create the success of 'Steps' with various young 'wannabes' who hadn't the necessary work ethic (although I came very close on a couple of occasions, e.g. 'Waikiki', the worlds first all female surf band), I turned to producing and writing with seasoned professionals such as long term friend 'Shane Richie' and punk icon lunatic 'John Otway' of whom I had been a real fan for many years.

It was with great pleasure that I helped John realise his dream of having a top ten hit on the very week of his 50th birthday in '02 by producing the track 'Bunsen Burner' which resulted in us both appearing on Top of the Pops and at The London Palladium in the same week. We followed that success up with a co-written album which I also produced including my first ever Rock anthem and riff, the song becoming an Otway fans' live classic.

After that followed hits in '03 with another FA Cup final song, this time for Southampton, then in '04 with 'The Cheeky Girls' and incredibly, with my own current live band (under the name of 'HotPantz'), the latter becoming my first Christmas single success. During the last few years I've achieved chart status with some World Cup related songs ('06), an updated re-record of the classic 'Grease' album ('07), a song inclusion in the Oscar winning film 'Little Miss Sunshine' ('07), a Halloween Party Album ('07), a childrens TV Themes album ('08) and the follow up 'My Favourite Musicals' album ('09).

At the tail end of 2009, I had a surprise international top 20 Country hit with a song I'd written 15 years earlier and finally released the album I'd been working on (between other projects) for over 10 years called 'Peace, Luv & Hotpantz'.

Aside from the song writing and record producing, my live touring band WILD AT HEART is still going strong and in recent years, I've also developed a solo live act with a 'sunshine' flavour.

Some of my T.V. and radio appearances over the years include items with "Brotherhood of Man" together with features on "Jameson Tonight", "The Big Breakfast", "VH1", "The James Whale Show", "Johnny Walker (Radio 2)", "Top of the Pops" and various other promotional interviews, videos and musical items.

I now live and work in Pattaya, Thailand where I am continuing my musical production, writing and performing but also as Executive producer for radio & TV at Pattaya People Media Group where I have been presenting a successful morning show since 2010.

His writing and/or production credits include:

        Syncopated Rhythm & The Next Step 
        Chart hits with SCOOTCH 
        Oh When The Saints .......
        Southampton, Southampton
        Saints Supporters feat. M C Le Tiss 
        I'm Still Falling 
        No.1 Line Dancing Album compilation chart hit 
        No-one Can Stop Us Now 
        Top thirty hit with CHELSEA F.C. 
        Dollar's Greatest Hits 
        DOLLAR 
        A Fistfull of Dollar 
        DJ Hot Dog (Barry) with David Van Day 
        Theme from 'The Shane Richie Experience' GRANADA T.V. 
        You Look So Good......
        Dad Savage / Universal Films 
        Wait For Love 
        International hit with LINDY LAYTON & Norman Cook 
        Krazy House
        International dance hit – a.k.a. Barry himself 
        Lightning Flash 
        Chart hit with BROTHERHOOD OF MAN 
        BHM
        Brotherhood of Man – Album 
        I'm in the Mood For Dancing '89 
        International hit with the NOLANS 
        Glad All Over 
        Chart hit with CRYSTAL PALACE F.C. 
        Film and Library music 
        Bruton Music – used in various films etc. 
        BBC South Today 
        News strands 
        Everybody Loves Somebody 
        Commercial for MILLER LITE
     Plus production work and releases with artistes as diverse as Dean Friedman, Wilson Pickett,

Frankie Vaughan, Frances Ruffelle, The Tweets and The Barron Knights.

  • "Gasoline" and "World Ain't Over" – Pedwell (2007)
  • The Complete Halloween Party Album[4] (2007)
  • My Favourite TV Themes[5] (2008)

My Favourite Musicals 1, My Favourite Musicals 2 & The Grease Party album (Gut Records)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Artist: Barry Upton". Second Hand Songs. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  2. ↑ "5, 6, 7, 8 – Steps : Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  3. ↑ "Little Miss Sunshine (2006)". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on 6 January 2011. PEACE, LUV & HOTPANTZ New Barry Upton Solo Album 2009 LOOK SO GOOD Debbie Nunn – International Country Chart Top 20 Hit 2009 MY FAVOURITE MUSICALS Hit album 2009 BIFF BAFF BOFF Single with Timmy Mallet & David van Day My favourite TV Themes Chart album 2008 Complete Halloween Party Album Chart album 2007 We Love Grease Chart album 2007 You Got Me Dancing Featured in the multi award winning film 'Little Miss Sunshine' 2006 Football Crazy Top Ten Album for the World Cup 2006 Cheeky Flamenco Top 30 hit with the Cheeky Girls 2003 Ot-Air John Otway album Once Around The Sun Shane Richie Stompin Top 20 hit with Fast Food Rockers 2003 Bunsen Burner Top ten hit with John Otway – Oct 2002 Steps Gold Number 1 Greatest Hits Album 5,6,7,8 Top twenty hit with STEPS Step One Top ten album with STEPS Only Fools Never Fall in Love Top ten hit with SONIA Lions & Tigers & Me Will & Grace – US Sitcom
  4. ↑ "The Complete Halloween Party Album – Various Artists : Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "Barry Upton – My Favourite TV Themes (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 19 May 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2013.

External links