Arthur Barrow
Encyclopedia
Arthur Barrow is a multi-instrumental musician, best known for his stint as a bass guitar
player for Frank Zappa
in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
, a strict piano teacher and organist. When he was 13, he washed neighborhood cars until he had saved enough money to buy his first electric guitar (an Alamo) and his first amplifier (a Kent). He learned how to play music by ear by copying surf guitar records like The Ventures
, and later, Jimi Hendrix
, and still later, Frank Zappa
. He played in local bands through junior high and high school during the 1960s. He began to study classical organ in 1970.
He attended North Texas State University (now University of North Texas
) in Denton, Texas
from 1971 to 1975 where he studied composition and organ. He began teaching himself bass guitar in 1974 while at school there. He spent many hours in the electronic music labs learning about analog synthesis on the Moog
modular systems there. He graduated cum laude, receiving a bachelor of music degree with a major in composition, specializing in electronic music.
In 1975 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a professional music career, with one of his main goals being to play in Frank Zappa's band. He took whatever kind of musical work he could get - night clubs, weddings, high school dances, a few sessions. He met Robbie Krieger in 1976 and recorded synthesizer with The Doors
on an album called American Prayer. He formed a jazz group with Bruce Fowler
and Don Preston
called Loose Connection in the latter 1970s. They made some recordings in Echo Park and performed a few times in Los Angeles
. They did some recordings in Hollywood with Vinnie Colaiuta
in December 1978.
In the summer of 1978, he passed the audition and began playing bass in Frank Zappa's band. In 1979, he also took on the duties of being the "clonemeister", or band rehearsal director. The band rehearsed for 8 to 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. He would run the rehearsals for the first half of the day, then Zappa would take over when he arrived. He did 5 tours with Zappa and can be heard playing bass, guitar and keyboards on about a dozen recorded albums.
In the early 1980s he co-wrote music, recorded and toured the U.S. with Robbie Krieger. They had a live band then for a short time called Red Shift
that did only a few recordings and gigs in the LA area. By this time, having a 1/2" 8 track tape recorder, an electric piano and some synthesizer gear, he focused a lot of attention to writing and recording music at home.
He began working with Giorgio Moroder
in the mid 1980s on albums and film sound tracks, including Scarface
and Top Gun
. He did keyboards, programming, bass, and arranging for a wide range of artists including Joe Cocker
, Diana Ross
, Billy Idol
, Berlin
, The Motels
, and others.
He opened his own Lotek recording studio in the Mar Vista
district of Los Angeles in 1985. Through the latter 1980s and into the 1990s he has produced albums and composed sound tracks for films and television at his studio. He has composed and produced three solo CDs and he is currently working on a fourth CD as well as other projects, like the Strange News From Mars - feat. Tommy Mars
and Jon Larsen
, and The Mar Vista Philharmonic, featuring Tommy Mars
, Bruce Fowler
, Vinnie Colaiuta
, and other Frank Zappa
alumni, on the Zonic Entertainment label.
(Greta Garbo), The Boob
(Joan Crawford), The Cameraman (Buster Keaton)
, Scarface
, The Doors
, The Breakfast Club
, The Never Ending Story, Electric Dreams
, Quicksilver (film)
D.C. Cab
, Iron Eagle
, and The Twilight Zone
. Keyboards, Bass, Arranger (in varying degrees).
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player for Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Early life
Barrow was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1952 and grew up in a part of town there called Alamo Heights. His father played piano and organ, as had his father, Arthur Barrow of Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, a strict piano teacher and organist. When he was 13, he washed neighborhood cars until he had saved enough money to buy his first electric guitar (an Alamo) and his first amplifier (a Kent). He learned how to play music by ear by copying surf guitar records like The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
, and later, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, and still later, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
. He played in local bands through junior high and high school during the 1960s. He began to study classical organ in 1970.
He attended North Texas State University (now University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
) in Denton, Texas
Denton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
from 1971 to 1975 where he studied composition and organ. He began teaching himself bass guitar in 1974 while at school there. He spent many hours in the electronic music labs learning about analog synthesis on the Moog
Moog Music
Moog Music is an American company based in Asheville, North Carolina which manufactures electronic musical instruments. The current Moog Music is the second company to trade under that name.-R.A. Moog Co. and the original Moog Music:...
modular systems there. He graduated cum laude, receiving a bachelor of music degree with a major in composition, specializing in electronic music.
In 1975 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a professional music career, with one of his main goals being to play in Frank Zappa's band. He took whatever kind of musical work he could get - night clubs, weddings, high school dances, a few sessions. He met Robbie Krieger in 1976 and recorded synthesizer with The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
on an album called American Prayer. He formed a jazz group with Bruce Fowler
Bruce Fowler
Bruce Lambourne Fowler is a prominent American trombone player and composer. He notably played trombone on many Frank Zappa records, as well as with Captain Beefheart, and in the Fowler Brothers Band...
and Don Preston
Don Preston
Donald Ward Preston also known as Dom DeWilde or Biff Debrie born September 21, 1932 in Flint, Michigan. Preston is an American jazz and rock and roll musician.-Biography:Preston was born into a family of musicians and began studying music at an early age...
called Loose Connection in the latter 1970s. They made some recordings in Echo Park and performed a few times in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. They did some recordings in Hollywood with Vinnie Colaiuta
Vinnie Colaiuta
Vincent Colaiuta is an American drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Republic, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14...
in December 1978.
In the summer of 1978, he passed the audition and began playing bass in Frank Zappa's band. In 1979, he also took on the duties of being the "clonemeister", or band rehearsal director. The band rehearsed for 8 to 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. He would run the rehearsals for the first half of the day, then Zappa would take over when he arrived. He did 5 tours with Zappa and can be heard playing bass, guitar and keyboards on about a dozen recorded albums.
In the early 1980s he co-wrote music, recorded and toured the U.S. with Robbie Krieger. They had a live band then for a short time called Red Shift
Red shift
-Science:* Redshift, the increase of wavelength of detected electromagnetic radiation with respect to the original wavelength of the emission* Red shift, an informal term for a bathochromic shift...
that did only a few recordings and gigs in the LA area. By this time, having a 1/2" 8 track tape recorder, an electric piano and some synthesizer gear, he focused a lot of attention to writing and recording music at home.
He began working with Giorgio Moroder
Giorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
in the mid 1980s on albums and film sound tracks, including Scarface
Scarface (1983 film)
Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...
and Top Gun
Top Gun
Top Gun may refer to:* Top Gun is a 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.**Top Gun , soundtrack to the movie**Top Gun , a number of games based on the movie...
. He did keyboards, programming, bass, and arranging for a wide range of artists including Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
, Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
, Berlin
Berlin (band)
Berlin is an American New Wave/Synthpop band. The group was formed in Los Angeles in 1978 by John Crawford . The band contained Crawford, Terri Nunn , David Diamond , Ric Olsen , Matt Reid and Rod Learned . Learned left during the first EU tour and was replaced by Rob Brill...
, The Motels
The Motels
The Motels are a New Wave music band from the Los Angeles area best known for "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Their song "Total Control" reached #4 on the Australian charts in 1980...
, and others.
He opened his own Lotek recording studio in the Mar Vista
Mar Vista, Los Angeles, California
Mar Vista is a district on the West Side of Los Angeles, California.-Geography and transportation:Mar Vista is near the center of LA's West Side. The city of Santa Monica lies to the northwest, West Los Angeles to the north, Palms to the northeast, Culver City to the east, Del Rey to the southwest,...
district of Los Angeles in 1985. Through the latter 1980s and into the 1990s he has produced albums and composed sound tracks for films and television at his studio. He has composed and produced three solo CDs and he is currently working on a fourth CD as well as other projects, like the Strange News From Mars - feat. Tommy Mars
Tommy Mars
Tommy Mars is a keyboard player, best known for his work with Frank Zappa.Born in Connecticut, U.S.A., 26 October 1951 Mars began piano lessons at age eight, and later his instrument range expanded to various keyboards and synthesizers. Mars graduated in 1972 from the Hartt College of Music in...
and Jon Larsen
Jon Larsen
Jon Larsen is an autodidact guitarist, composer, surrealistic painter, and record producer with heavy influence on the revival of Gypsy jazz worldwide...
, and The Mar Vista Philharmonic, featuring Tommy Mars
Tommy Mars
Tommy Mars is a keyboard player, best known for his work with Frank Zappa.Born in Connecticut, U.S.A., 26 October 1951 Mars began piano lessons at age eight, and later his instrument range expanded to various keyboards and synthesizers. Mars graduated in 1972 from the Hartt College of Music in...
, Bruce Fowler
Bruce Fowler
Bruce Lambourne Fowler is a prominent American trombone player and composer. He notably played trombone on many Frank Zappa records, as well as with Captain Beefheart, and in the Fowler Brothers Band...
, Vinnie Colaiuta
Vinnie Colaiuta
Vincent Colaiuta is an American drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Republic, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14...
, and other Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
alumni, on the Zonic Entertainment label.
Frank Zappa
- Joe's Garage
- You Are What You Is
- Tinseltown Rebellion
- Shut Up 'n Play Your Guitar (15 tracks recorded in 1979 and 1980)
- The Man From Utopia
- Ship Arriving Too Late to Save A Drowning Witch (on the first half of "I Come From Nowhere")
- Thing-Fish
- Them or Us
- You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore (select tracks on Volumes 1, 4 and 6)
- We're Only in it For the Money (overdubbed bass tracks c.1983)
- Cruising With Ruben & the Jets (overdubbed bass tracks c.1983)
- Guitar (two tracks recorded in 1979)
- Buffalo
- Trance-Fusion (one track recorded in 1979)
- Any Way the Wind Blows [authorized bootleg]
- Saarbrücken 1978 [authorized bootleg]
- "I Don't Want to Get Drafted" b/w "Ancient Armaments" (single)
Joe Cocker
- 9½ Weeks (movie soundtrack) - "You Can Leave Your Hat On"
- Teachers (movie soundtrack) - "On the Edge of a Dream"
Jon Larsen/Tommy Mars
- "Strange News From Mars" - a surrealistic concert , feat. Bruce Fowler, Jimmy Carl Black, etc.
- "Willie Nickerson's Egg" - a surrealistic audiobook.
Berlin
Love Life - ("No More Words" and "Dancing in Berlin"), Oscar winning single from "Top Gun" soundtrack - "Take My Breath Away". Keyboards, Bass, Arranger.Charlie Sexton
Pictures For Pleasure, Charlie Sexton. Keyboards, Bass, Co-writer, Arranger. 12" Remix of "Impressed".Mona Lisa Overdrive
Mona Lisa Overdrive. Artist, Co-writer, Arranger, Producer, Engineer, Keyboards, Bass.Arthur Barrow
- Music for Listening, Eyebrow Razor, AB3, On Time. Artist, Composer, Arranger, Producer, Engineer, Keyboards, Bass, Guitar, Percussion. CDs for sale
- "In the Mood". 12" dance remix of the Glenn Miller classic for MCA records. Artist, Arranger, Producer.
Silent film music
Torrent (1926 film)Torrent (1926 film)
Torrent is an American silent romantic drama film directed by Monta Bell , based on a novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, and released on February 21, 1926.Torrent was the first American film starring Swedish actress Greta Garbo...
(Greta Garbo), The Boob
The Boob
The Boob is a romantic comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by William Wellman, and starring Gertrude Olmstead, Antonio D'Algy, George K. Arthur, and Joan Crawford.-Plot:...
(Joan Crawford), The Cameraman (Buster Keaton)
Films and TV shows
Top GunTop Gun
Top Gun may refer to:* Top Gun is a 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.**Top Gun , soundtrack to the movie**Top Gun , a number of games based on the movie...
, Scarface
Scarface (1983 film)
Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...
, The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American teen drama film written and directed by John Hughes. The storyline follows five teenagers as they spend a Saturday in detention together and come to realize that they are all deeper than their respective stereotypes.-Plot:The plot follows five students at...
, The Never Ending Story, Electric Dreams
Electric Dreams
Electric Dreams is a 1984 British-American comedy/drama/romance/science fiction film set in San Francisco, California, that depicts a love triangle between a man, a woman, and a home computer. It stars Lenny Von Dohlen, Virginia Madsen, and Bud Cort and was directed by Steve Barron...
, Quicksilver (film)
Quicksilver (film)
Quicksilver is a 1986 feature film starring Kevin Bacon. Written and directed by Thomas Michael Donnelly, the film also includes Jami Gertz, Paul Rodriguez, Louie Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, and Rudy Ramos.-Plot:...
D.C. Cab
D.C. Cab
D.C. Cab is a 1983 comedy film, starring Mr. T, Max Gail, Adam Baldwin, Gary Busey and a special appearance by singer Irene Cara. The film was co-written and directed by Joel Schumacher. The R-rated comedy was controversial upon release due to Mr...
, Iron Eagle
Iron Eagle
Iron Eagle is a 1986 action film directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Jason Gedrick and Louis Gossett, Jr. While it received mixed reviews, the film earned US$24,159,872 at the U.S. box office. Iron Eagle was followed by three sequels: Iron Eagle II, Aces: Iron Eagle III and Iron Eagle on the...
, and The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
. Keyboards, Bass, Arranger (in varying degrees).
- The Great Eclipse, Saviors of the Forest, Heavenly BodiesHeavenly Bodies"Heavenly Bodies" is the title of a song recorded by American country music artist Earl Thomas Conley. It was released in May 1982 as the first single from the album Somewhere Between Right and Wrong. The song reached #8 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart...
, Fast TimesFast TimesFast Times is a seven-episode 1986 television sequel to the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High that was produced by Amy Heckerling, who directed the original film. Cameron Crowe, who penned the original Fast Times novel and film screenplay, served as creative consultant. Moon Unit Zappa...
, Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers, Waxwork II: Lost in TimeWaxwork II: Lost in TimeWaxwork II: Lost in Time is a 1992 horror/comedy film directed and written by Anthony Hickox.-Plot summary:The film opens with the final scenes of Waxwork. Then a reenactment of Mark and Sarah leaving the burning waxwork . They then part ways...
, Misfits of ScienceMisfits of ScienceMisfits of Science is an American superhero fantasy television series that aired on NBC from October 1985 to February 1986. It featured a cast of super-powered humans and their madcap adventures...
, The Florida Panther. (Music/lyrics)