Barry Goldberg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the American volleyball coach, see Barry Goldberg (volleyball coach).

Barry Goldberg
Goldberg performing on June 2, 2016 with The Rides
Goldberg performing on June 2, 2016 with The Rides
Background information
Birth nameBarry Joseph Goldberg
Born (1942-12-25) December 25, 1942 (age 78)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
GenresRock, blues
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, producer
InstrumentsKeyboards
Associated actsThe Electric Flag, Steve Miller Band, Barry Goldberg Reunion, The Rides, Chicago Loop, Carla Olson, Bob Dylan, Percy Sledge
Websitebarrygoldbergmusic.com

Barry Joseph Goldberg (born December 25, 1942) is an American blues and rock keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer.

Career[]

As a teenager in Chicago, Goldberg sat in with Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, and Howlin' Wolf. He played keyboards with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band backing Bob Dylan during his 1965 newly 'electrified' appearance at the Newport Folk Festival.[1] He formed The Electric Flag with Mike Bloomfield in 1967,[1] and later formed the 'Barry Goldberg Reunion' in 1968.[2]

In 1965, after moving to Chicago to play the blues, Steve Miller and keyboardist Barry Goldberg founded the Goldberg-Miller Blues Band,[1] along with bassist Roy Ruby, rhythm guitarist Craymore Stevens, and drummer Maurice McKinley. The band contracted to Epic Records and recorded a single, "The Mother Song", which they performed on Hullabaloo, before Miller left the group to go to San Francisco.[5][6]

Goldberg's songs (some of which co-written with Gerry Goffin) have been recorded by many musicians including Rod Stewart, Gladys Knight, Joe Cocker, Steve Miller, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Gram Parsons and B. J. Thomas.

Goldberg's first professional recording session was "Devil with the Blue Dress On"/"Good Golly Miss Molly" by Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels. Among the albums he contributed to are Leonard Cohen's Death of a Ladies' Man, The Ramones' End of the Century, The Flying Burrito Brothers' The Gilded Palace of Sin, and Super Session which featured Michael Bloomfield, Stephen Stills, and Al Kooper.[citation needed]

Goldberg also has co-produced albums by Percy Sledge including Blue Night (Grammy nominated and WC Handy soul album of the year) as well as Shining Through the Rain, Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton, The Textones, plus Bob Dylan's version of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready".

In 1992 he played keyboards with the Carla Olson & Mick Taylor band, which resulted in the live CD Too Hot for Snakes, featuring Ian McLagan, Jesse Sublett and John "Juke" Logan.

In 1994, Goldberg and Saul Davis produced Blue Night by Percy Sledge, which featured Bobby Womack, Steve Cropper, Mick Taylor, Greg Leisz, Bob Glaub, Ed Greene, Mikael Rickfors, with songs written by Rickfors, Gregg Sutton, Pat Robinson, Carla Olson, the Bee Gees, Quinton Claunch, Fats Domino, and Otis Redding.

By 1999, Goldberg both wrote and performed the theme to the Disney Channel original movie Smart House, entitled "The House is Jumpin'," with Phil Shenale and Sterling Smith, with vocals by Chan André. He wrote the song with Jill Wisoff and Joel Diamond.[3]

In 2002, he was featured on the Bo Diddley tribute album Hey Bo Diddley – A Tribute!, playing piano on the songs "Pills", "I'm A Man" and "Before You Accuse Me" (produced by Carla Olson). Carla also produced Barry's Stoned Again album which featured Denny Freeman, Mick Taylor and Ernie Watts.

In 2004, Shining Through The Rain by Percy also co-produced by Davis and Goldberg, featuring Larry Byrom, Denny Freeman, Clayton Ivey, Ed Greene, Phil Upchurch, Bob Glaub, the Waters, Jakob Dylan, and songs by the Bee Gees, Mikael Rickfors, Carla Olson, Jackie Lomax, Earl Carson, Bobby Moore.

In 2005-2006, he toured with the 'Chicago Blues Reunion' featuring Nick Gravenites, Harvey Mandel, Tracy Nelson and Corky Siegel. Their debut CD reached #2 on the Billboard Blues Chart and received a four star review from Rolling Stone magazine's David Fricke.

On July 7, 2009, Goldberg's self-titled 1974 Atco album was reissued with the originally recorded, but never-released tracks and a restored sound. The album was produced by Dylan and Jerry Wexler.

Work from 2010 to present[]

Goldberg, left, performing with The Rides

In 2012, Stephen Stills recruited Goldberg in founding a new band dubbed The Rides, culling some of Stills's best work from the past, adding guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd and session drummer Chris Layton. Goldberg co-wrote four songs on their first album titled, Can't Get Enough, released that year. The feature track is "Word Game". Much of the album reflects the work Stills did on the Super Session album with Mike Bloomfield in 1968.[4]

Goldberg appears on the Carla Olson album Have Harmony, Will Travel (released April 15, 2013, on Busted Flat Records) playing Hammond B3 organ on Del Shannon's "Keep Searchin' " sung by Carla and Peter Case, and piano and organ on the Little Steven song, "All I Needed Was You", sung by Scott Kempner (The Del-Lords).

The long-awaited film Born in Chicago documenting Chicago blues was released in 2013, premiering at the SXSW Film Festival in March. Goldberg had been working on this project for a few years. It includes unique contributions by Bob Dylan, BB King, Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin, Eric Burdon, and many others.

Goldberg produced three tracks on the 2013 EP (Drown in the Crimson Tide) by The Voice Season One semi-finalist, Nakia, with longtime friend, Johnny Lee Schell.[5]

Can't Get Enough, the album by The Rides (Stephen Stills, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Goldberg) was nominated for a 2014 Blues Music Award for "Best Rock Blues Album."

In 2016, Neil Young jammed with The Rides at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles at the "Light Up The Blues" event.

Goldberg produced and composed additional musical score to the documentary feature film BANG! The Bert Berns Story which premiered at SXSW in 2016 and will be released theatrically in 2017.

His latest CD, In The Groove, was released on June 15 on Sunset Blvd Records. The album consists of new and classic instrumentals, and features Goldberg on Hammond B3 organ, piano and Wurlitzer piano. Among the featured musicians and guests are Denny Freeman, Tony Marsico, Don Heffington, Rob Stone, Joe Sublett, Darrell Leonard, James Inveldt, Johnny Lee Schell, Reggie McBride, Craig Fundyga, Victor Bisetti and Les McCann. The album was produced by Carla Olson.

Personal life[]

Goldberg's uncle was Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg.[6]

Barry's wife is named Gail and their son is Aram.

Selected discography[]

  • 1966: Blowing My Mind (Epic LP: BN-26199; CD reissue: Collectables COL-5884 in 1998, and Acadia ACA-8048 [with 2 bonus tracks of the 1965 Goldberg–Miller Blues Band] in 2003)
  • 1968: There's No Hole in My Soul (Buddah LP: BDS-5012; CD reissue: One Way OW-24833 in 1992)
  • 1969: Two Jews Blues (Buddah LP: BDS-5029; CD reissue: One Way OW-27672 in 1993)
  • 1969: Street Man (Buddah LP: BDS-5051)
  • 1970: Ivar Avenue Reunion (RCA LP: LSP-4442) with Neil Merryweather, Lynn Carey, Charlie Musselwhite
  • 1971: Blasts From My Past (Buddah LP: BDS-5081) compilation of There's No Hole in My Soul and Two Jews Blues
  • 1972: Barry Goldberg and Friends (Record Man/Cherry Red LP: CR-5015) with Harvey Mandel, Mike Bloomfield
  • 1974: Barry Goldberg (Atco LP: SD-7040; CD reissue: Micro Werks MW-032 in 2009) produced by Bob Dylan and Jerry Wexler
  • 1976: Barry Goldberg & Friends Recorded Live (Buddah LP: BDS-5684)
  • 2002: Stoned Again (Antone's/Texas Music Group ANT-0058) produced by Carla Olson
  • 2005: Chicago Blues Reunion: Buried Alive in the Blues (Out Of The Box Records 3016) with Nick Gravenites, Harvey Mandel, Tracy Nelson, Sam Lay, Corky Siegel
  • 2006: Chicago Blues Reunion (Music Avenue 250151) reissue of the Barry Goldberg and Friends material
  • 2008: Harvey Mandel and the Snake Crew (self release) with Marcy Levy, Norton Buffalo, Nick Gravenites, Michael Borbridge, Pete Sears, Elvin Bishop, Terry Haggerty, Freddie Roulette, Howard Wales, Mic Gillette, and others.
  • 2018: In the Groove (Sunset Blvd Records SBR-7931) produced by Carla Olson

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Blues (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 147/8. ISBN 0-85112-673-1.
  2. ^ Michael Simmons (December 28, 2009). "Barry Goldberg & Bob Dylan's Secret Gem". Huffington Post.
  3. ^ "Barry Goldberg-IMDB". IMDB.
  4. ^ Cubarrubia, RJ (May 17, 2013). "Stephen Stills' New Band, the Rides, Play a 'Word Game' – Song Premiere Generations Come Together for New blues-rock project". Rolling Stone magazine. Jann S. Wenner, editor and publisher. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  5. ^ "Nakia announces new album; Willie Nelson cancels show". Austin-American Statesman. February 1, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  6. ^ Benarde, Scott R. (2003). Stars of David: Rock 'n' Roll's Jewish Stories – Scott R. Benarde – Google Books. ISBN 9781584653035. Retrieved March 5, 2013.

Sources[]

  • Larkin, Colin. The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Guinness Publishing, 1992.
  • Muirhead, Bert. The Record Producers File. A Directory of Rock Album Producers 1962–1984, Blandford Press, 1985.
  • Wright, H. Stephen; Limbacher, James L. Keeping Score. Film and Television Music, 1980–1988, Scarecrow Press, 1991.

Interviews[]

Retrieved from ""