Barry Beckett


Barry Edward Beckett was an American keyboardist, session musician, record producer, and studio founder. He is best known for his work with David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, and Roger Hawkins, his bandmates in the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, which performed with numerous notable artists on their studio albums and helped define the "Muscle Shoals sound".
Among the artists Beckett recorded with were Bob Dylan, Boz Scaggs, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart, Duane Allman, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Dire Straits, the Proclaimers and Phish. He was also briefly a member of the band Traffic.

Biography

Beckett was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He rose to prominence as a member of the rhythm section at the Sheffield, Alabama-based Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, of which he was one of the founders in 1969. As a founding member of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, he helped define what became known as the Muscle Shoals sound. In addition, the studio produced such chart-making hits as "Torn Between Two Lovers" by Mary MacGregor and the Sanford-Townsend Band's "Smoke from a Distant Fire".
In 1973, Beckett took to the road in the expanded lineup of Traffic; recordings from this tour were released on the band's live album On the Road.
Beckett was co-producing with Jerry Wexler when, in 1979, Bob Dylan called on Wexler to produce the sessions for the album Slow Train Coming. Beckett not only co-produced the album but played piano and organ throughout. On the album liner notes Beckett is billed as co-producer and as "special guest artist".
Beckett moved to Nashville in 1982 to become A & R country music director for Warner Bros. Records and co-produced Williams, Jr.'s records with Jim Ed Norman. Beckett produced records independently after leaving Warner Bros. Records.
He also played on Paul Simon's albums There Goes Rhymin' Simon and Still Crazy After All These Years, which reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 pop chart.
Beckett died from complications of a stroke at his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee, aged 66.

Awards and honors

With Solomon Burke
  • Proud Mary
With Etta James
  • Tell Mama
  • Seven Year Itch
  • Stickin' to My Guns
  • Love's Been Rough on Me
With Bob Seger
  • Back in '72
  • Beautiful Loser
  • Night Moves
  • Stranger in Town
  • Against the Wind
  • The Distance
  • The Fire Inside
With Joan Baez
  • Honest Lullaby
With Willie Nelson
  • Phases and Stages
With Feargal Sharkey
  • Songs from the Mardi Gras
With William Bell
  • Wow...
  • Phases of Reality
With Julian Lennon
  • Valotte
With Cher
With Vince Gill
With Kim Carnes
  • Sailin
With Boz Scaggs
  • Boz Scaggs
  • My Time
  • Some Change
With Mary MacGregor
With Mark Knopfler
  • Golden Heart
With John P. Hammond
  • Southern Fried
With Mavis Staples
With Wilson Pickett
  • Hey Jude
  • Right On
  • Don't Knock My Love
With Paul Anka
  • Feelings
With John Michael Montgomery
With Steve Cropper
  • Night After Night
With Eddie Rabbitt
  • Loveline
With Dee Dee Bridgewater
  • Dee Dee Bridgewater
With Albert King
  • Lovejoy
With Paul Simon
  • There Goes Rhymin' Simon
  • Still Crazy After All These Years
With Wendy Waldman
  • Gypsy Symphony
With Wynonna Judd
With Levon Helm
  • Levon Helm
  • Levon Helm
With Trace Adkins
  • Dreamin' Out Loud
With Aretha Franklin
With Candi Staton
  • Candi
  • His Hands
With Donovan
  • Lady of the Stars
With Dolly Parton
  • White Limozeen
With John Prine
  • Storm Windows
With Aaron Neville
  • The Tattoeed Heart
With Kenny Chesney
With Joe Cocker
  • Luxury You Can Afford
With Ronnie Hawkins
  • Ronnie Hawkins
With Lulu
  • New Routes
With Beth Nielsen Chapman
  • Hearing It First
With Dion DiMucci
  • Velvet and Steel
With Ilse DeLange
  • World of Hurt
With Dion DiMucci
  • Velvet and Steel
With Chely Wright
With Odetta
  • Odetta Sings
With Laura Nyro
  • Christmas and the Beads of Sweat
With Johnny Rivers
  • The Road
With Bob Dylan
  • Slow Train Coming
  • Saved
With Peabo Bryson
With Ricky Van Shelton
  • A Bridge I Didn't Burn
With J. J. Cale
  • Really
With Art Garfunkel
  • Breakaway
  • Watermark
With Rosanne Cash
With Michael Martin Murphey
  • Tonight We Ride
With José Feliciano
  • Sweet Soul Music
With Cat Stevens
  • Izitso
With Leon Russell
  • Leon Russell and the Shelter People
With Rod Stewart
With Glenn Frey
  • The Allnighter
  • Soul Searchin
With Linda Ronstadt
  • Linda Ronstadt
With Rodney Crowell
  • Diamonds & Dirt
  • Keys to the Highway
  • Life Is Messy
With John P. Hammond
  • ''So Many Roads''