Richard Barone

Richard Barone: Biography As the frontman of the Bongos in the '80s, Richard Barone pioneered an unusual combination of tribal rhythms and Beatlesque chord changes with Sex Pistols overdrive. Along with comrades R.E.M. and a handful of others, The Bongos helped to create an exploding college radio market, paving the way for Alternative Rock. As a solo artist, his albums venture into chamber pop and more narrative, singer-songwriter tones. As a record producer, he scouts, discovers, and develops emerging talent, such as pianist Johnny Rodgers and The Analogues. As a producer/director, he creates large-scale concert events (such as at his recent, sold-out, star-studded tributes to Miss Peggy Lee at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl in 2003 and 2004, and major concerts in New York's Central Park). When the Bongos broke onto the national stage with their debut album, Drums Along The Hudson (PVC Records), they were already popular not only in the Hoboken and NYC scenes, but also in England, where indie label Fetish Records had released the group's first singles, scoring a hit on the Billboard Dance Chart with their innovative cover of T. Rex's "Mambo Sun." Drums instantly won favor on both sides of the Atlantic for its Americanization of the punk sound, as well as its mixing of influences. RCA Records took notice in 1983 and signed the group. The ensuing disc Numbers With Wings (RCA) spawned the hit MTV video of the title song (which remained at the number one spot on the College Music Journal (CMJ) chart for six consecutive weeks), and the tribal, dancefloor hit "Barbarella.” The follow-up, Beat Hotel, along with relentless touring, raised the Bongos' profile even further. They split in 1987, and shortly thereafter Barone released his first solo album, Cool Blue Halo (Passport). His distinctive songwriting and guitar work were highlighted, and the chamber pop backing of acoustic guitar, vibes, and cello accentuated Barone's lush voice. A college radio favorite that directly foreshadowed the ‘Unplugged’ movement. The next few years saw two more solo albums: Primal Dream (MCA, 1990) and Clouds Over Eden (Mesa-Bluemoon/Atlantic Records, 1994), with its memorable cover image by Duane Michals. Billy Altman, writing in The New York Times called the latter work "unquestionably the most fully realized effort of Barone's career." In 1997, he released Between Heaven and Cello (Line). Recorded live at NYC's Fez, it gave his more recent tunes an appealingly stark Cool Blue Halo treatment. A box-set of his first three solo albums was released in Europe in 2000 as The Big Three. From the end of the 90s to the present, Barone’s projects have attracted high-level sponsorship and support from Gibson Guitar Corporation, Apple Computer, and others. In 2004 he released a solo anthology entitled: COLLECTION: an embarrassment of richard, comprised of personal favorites from his catalogue. Other projects have included executive producing The Nomi Song (Palm Pictures, 2005), which includes his remix of Klaus Nomi’s “Total Eclipse,” musical direction and orchestration for "Bright Lights, Big City" at the prestigious New York Theatre Workshop (with 'RENT' director Michael Grief), as well as directing and performing in The Downtown Messiah, a modern interpretation of Handel’s baroque masterpiece, broadcast annually on over 150 public radio stations nationwide for six consecutive years. His songs and collaborations have been heard on several major television programs, including "The West Wing" and "Dawson's Creek." Barone is currently in the studio working on his next solo album with veteran producer Tony Visconti (Bowie, T. Rex) planned for Spring, 2007 release. He has additionally joined forces for the project with producer Mike Thorne (Bronski Beat, Communards, Wire), legendary tunesmith Paul Williams, lensman Mick Rock, and other luminaries. As recording continues, he is writing his first book, to be published by Backbeat Books, also in Spring ‘07.