A THROWBACK WITH JOHN BARNES
The late keyboardist and arranger was a key part of the '80s LA music scene
John Barnes died in March of this year and was one of the many gifted musicians who made ‘80s Los Angeles a hot bed of studio craftsmanship and hit records. John was a prodigy, who was touring with the Miracles while still a teenaager. One of the things that separated him from the pack of players was his early embrace of synthesizer technology. The Synclavier, the Fairlight, Linn drums — you name a then new musical toy and John mastered it, turning weird new sounds into the foundations of songs. As analog gave way to digital John was essential to translating these new keyboards for producers, songwriters and singers. I got to know John through his brother Stephen, who has been my attorney for decades. Aside from his work in pop music John was a devout member of the Bahai Faith, writing spiritual music and organizing choirs for special performances.
John didn’t seek out stardom, but supported the ambitions of others from Marvin Gaye on his classic ‘I Want You’ album to Gloria Gaynor on the dance anthem “I Will Survive” to his many collaboratons with Michael Jackson. The Billboard piece below is from 1987, not long before the release of the ‘Bad’ album in August. John helped Jackson create many of the demos for songs like “Another Part of Me,” “Dirty Diana,” “Smooth Criminal etc and played synthesizer on eight of the original releases’ ten songs. He was a gentle and generous spirit. Google him to get an understanding of how much contributed to music you love.