Denis Mervyn "Bob" Barratt (22 March 1938 – 30 January 2004) was an English

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

for

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

and founder of record-label Grasmere Records. Barratt died of

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

on 30 January 2004, leaving his wife and three daughters.

Career

Barratt started working at

Abbey Road studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

in 1960 for

Norman Newell Norman Newell (25 January 1919 – 1 December 2004) was an English record producer and lyricist, who was mainly active in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also the co-writer of many notable songs. As an A&R manager for EMI, he worked with musicia ...

as an "office boy" at the age of 22, as Newell found Barratt to be particularly polite during their previous interactions. During the following years, he worked with a number of the studio's most famous personnel, including

Norrie Paramor Norman William "Norrie" Paramor (15 May 1913 – 9 September 1979) was a British record producer, composer, arranger, pianist, bandleader, and orchestral conductor. He is best known for his work with Cliff Richard and the Shadows, both togethe ...

and

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ''Jesus C ...

, and worked with a number of well-known artists, including

Vince Hill Vincent Brian Hill (16 April 1934 – 22 July 2023) was an English traditional pop singer, best known for his cover version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune " Edelweiss" (1967), which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. He record ...

, producing his cover version of the song "

Edelweiss ''Leontopodium nivale'', commonly called edelweiss () ( ; or ), is a mountain flower belonging to the daisy or sunflower family Asteraceae. The plant prefers rocky limestone places at about altitude. It is a non-toxic plant. Its leaves and f ...

Max Boyce Maxwell Boyce, (born 27 September 1943) is a Welsh comedian, singer and entertainer from Glynneath, Wales. He rose to fame in the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in a South Wal ...

and

The Wurzels The Wurzels are an English Scrumpy and Western band from Somerset, best known for their number one hit " The Combine Harvester" and number three hit " I Am a Cider Drinker" in 1976. Name The name of the band was dreamt up by founder Adge C ...

, including their 1976 UK number one single " Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)". In 1985, Barratt started Grasmere Records, a label specialising in

brass band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...

and

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

music.

Award honour

After chairing the Gold Badge award committee for the

British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors The Ivors Academy (formerly known as British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy works to protect and support and also campaigns the int ...

for some years, he was himself awarded one in 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barratt, Bob 1938 births 2004 deaths People from Croydon English record producers Deaths from liver cancer in England 20th-century British businesspeople