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Barry De Vorzon

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Barry Devorzon
Background information
Born(1934-07-31)July 31, 1934(age 90)
New York City,U.S.
GenresFilm score,rock
Occupation(s)Composer, singer, songwriter

Barry Devorzon(born July 31, 1934; surname also appears asDe VorzonorDeVorzon) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, composer, label owner, and music publisher. He has composed hit songs, contributed to film and television soundtracks, and has wonGrammyandEmmyawards.

Career

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DeVorzon's earliest hit compositions were"Just Married"(1958), written with Al Allen[1]and recorded byMarty Robbins,which reached number 26 onBillboardmagazine's Hot 100 chart and number one on the Country chart;[2]and"Dreamin'"(1960), written with Ted Ellis,[3]recorded byJohnny Burnette,and charting at number 11 on the Hot 100.[4]Dorsey Burnette(whom he was managing) and Devorzon co-wrote several of Dorsey's hits ( "Hey, Little One"; "Big Rock Candy Mountain"; "Red Roses"; "Noah's Ark" ).

Devorzon co-foundedValiant Recordswith publishing associate Billy Sherman in 1960.[5][6]During the 1960s, he signedthe Associationto Valiant, and produced its first single, a cover of theBob Dylantune "One Too Many Mornings".

Devorzon wrote "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" for theCascades,but the group did not record it. In 1963, Devorzon made his own recording of the song with his groupBarry & the Tamerlanes.Also in 1963 he co-wrote the ballad "Shy Girl", which was recorded byThe Cascades.

Devorzon wrote the tune "Girls" forJohnny Burnette.It reached No. 37 in the UK 1961 charts.

He composed the soundtracks to many 1970s and 1980s films, and one of the tunes, "Cotton's Dream" (fromBless the Beasts and Children) was retitled "Nadia's Theme"and re-released byA&M Recordsfor the television soap operaThe Young and the Restless."Nadia's Theme" hit No. 8 on the US Top 40 in 1976 and the album from which it was taken peaked at No. 42 on theBillboard200;in 1977, it won aGrammy Awardfor Best Instrumental Arrangement. The main title song, "Bless the Beasts and Children,"was recorded bythe Carpentersand received anAcademy Awardnomination.

Devorzon composed the tune "It's Christmas Once Again in Santa Barbara," which was re-recorded with various other city names, such as San Francisco andSan Diego.He also wrote the "Theme fromS.W.A.T."and co-wrote theEagles' hit "In the City"withJoe Walsh.In 1979 he wrote the music for the movieThe Warriors.

Devorzon was one of the developers of the MasterWriter creative software for songwriters and lyricists.[7]

Awards and nominations

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Soundtracks

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References

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  1. ^"Just Married", BMI work number 788447, writer credits atBMI Repertoire database.Retrieved January 2, 2016
  2. ^Marty Robbins:Billboardchart placingsat AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2016
  3. ^"Dreamin'", BMI work number 342471, writer credits atBMI Repertoire database.Retrieved January 2, 2016
  4. ^Johnny Burnette:Billboardchart placingsat AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2016
  5. ^"Valiant Label Discography – USA – 45cat".45cat.RetrievedApril 18,2016.
  6. ^"Sherman-De Vorzon Music".discogs.RetrievedSeptember 23,2023.
  7. ^"MasterWriter About Us page".About us.Archived fromthe originalon December 23, 2013.RetrievedApril 18,2016.
  8. ^"All Grammy Awards and Nominations for Barry De Vorzon".Grammy Awards.Recording Academy.RetrievedMay 25,2024.
  9. ^abcaboutusArchivedDecember 23, 2013, at theWayback Machine.masterwriter. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
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