Barry Goldberg


Barry Joseph Goldberg is a 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. He formed The Electric Flag with Mike Bloomfield in 1967, and later formed the 'Barry Goldberg Reunion' in 1968.
In 1965, after moving to Chicago to play the blues, Steve Miller and keyboardist Barry Goldberg founded the Goldberg-Miller Blues Band 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.
Goldberg's songs 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.
Goldberg also has co-produced albums by Percy Sledge including Blue Night 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 the talents of artists like 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, The Waters... 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.
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". 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

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.
Goldberg appears on the Carla Olson album Have Harmony, Will Travel 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 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 by The Voice Season One semi-finalist, Nakia, with longtime friend, Johnny Lee Schell.
Can't Get Enough, the album by The Rides 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 jazz legend Les McCann. The album was produced by Carla Olson.

Personal life

Goldberg's uncle was Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg.
Barry's wife is named Gail and their son is Aram.

Selected discography

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