Barry Gray | Artist

John Livesey Eccles aka Barry Gray was a British musician and composer born 1908 in Blackburn, Lancashire UK. He was best known for his collaborations with television and film producer Gerry Anderson for the Supermarionation productions Supercar, Captain Scarlet, Stingray and Thunderbirds. Gray was encouraged to pursue a musical career from an early age, starting at the age of five with piano lessons and then becoming a student at the Manchester Royal College of Music and at Blackburn Cathedral. Besides composing and conducting orchestral scores for television and film, Gray developed an interest in the Ondes Martenot, which he used to produce unconventional musical notes as well as electronic sound effects in several of his scores including Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. His expertise in the field brought commissions to provide electronic music and sound effects for such films as Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965), Island of Terror (1966), Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966) and Fahrenheit 451 (1966). Gray's music is characterised by the use of brass and percussion sections, with large-scale ensembles which dwarfed those used in most contemporary television programmes. The orchestra employed for the first Anderson-produced Supermarionation series Supercar comprised forty instrumentalists. A prime example is Stingray: March of the Oysters (1964), which was later recorded by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Standout albums include Thunderbirds Original Television Soundtrack, Supercar Original TV Cast Recording, Space 1999, UFO, Stingray and the compilation Stand by for Adverts. After his retirement, he served as resident pianist at the Old Government House Hotel. Gray died in hospital on Guernsey on 26 April 1984.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Barry_Gray

Featured Albums: Barry Gray

Related Artists: The Barry Gray Orchestra