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Fans and stars have all rocked to Barbata's beat
BY L. KENT WOLGAMOTT / Lincoln Journal Star
Thursday, Oct 06, 2005 - 11:51:36 pm CDT

The first time Johny Barbata met John Lennon, the Beatle was covered in beer. That was in 1967, and Barbata was in London on the first international tour of the Turtles. Squired around the city in a white Rolls Royce rented from The Beatles, Barbata and his bandmates were taken by London Records to an upscale restaurant, where they got themselves good and drunk on $400 bottles of French wine.

From the eatery, they were taken to The Speakeasy, THE hangout of swinging London.

Paul McCartney was at the bar. Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones was over in the corner with a blonde on each arm. Wandering around the club were Rod Stewart, Graham Nash, Eric Burdon of the Animals, The Who’s Roger Daltry and Jimi Hendrix.

“We were, like, in rock ’n’ roll heaven,” Barbata said. “I’m sitting between John Lennon and Ringo Starr and I don’t know what to say. Then one of our roadies spills a full pitcher of beer on John Lennon. He’s smoking a cigarette and acts like nothing happened.”

That’s just one of the many stories Barbata has crammed into his autobiography: “Johny Barbata: The Legendary Life of a Rock Star Drummer.”

Calling yourself both “legendary” and a “rock star” might be seen as an exercise in ego. But Barbata has the credentials — and stories — to back up his claim.

A regional hitmaker on the West Coast with his high school band The Sentinels, Barbata joined the Turtles just in time to provide the backbeat for their signature song, “Happy Together,” one of seven hits he recorded with the band.

When he left the Turtles, he joined up with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, playing drums on their No. 1 album,“4 Way Street,” the disc that contained the hit “Ohio.” He also played on several of the quartet’s solo and duet albums, including Young’s brilliant live recording “Time Fades Away.”

After his involvement with CSNY, Barbata joined Jefferson Airplane and stayed with the group when the Airplane turned into Jefferson Starship. It’s his drums you hear on “Miracles,” “Count On Me” and “With Your Love.”

A much sought-after studio musician from the ’60s through the ’90s, Barbata’s been on 20 hit singles and 100 albums with artists ranging from Johnny Rivers and the Everly Brothers to Booker T. Jones and Linda Ronstadt.

“My wife said, ‘You’re a part of rock ’n’ roll history. You need to write a book,’” Barbata said. “So I did.”

Barbata will be in Lincoln Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. to sign copies of his book. But the signing isn’t at a bookstore. It’s at Dietze Music House, 5740 Old Cheney Rd.

“It’s a lot more fun in music stores,” Barbata said. “You can talk louder. People come out of the woodwork. They bring in albums to sign. It’s a lot of fun.”

Barbata says his long career is a result of connections and versatility. For example, he wound up with CSNY because Buffalo Springfield, which included Stephen Stills and Neil Young, had opened for the Turtles and they all hung out at the home of the Monkees’ Peter Tork.

In the studio, Barbata’s early experiences made him a player in demand.

“I’m kind of like a drummer’s drummer,” Barbata said. “I’ve always said everybody wants to use studio musicians on their recordings and wants to take them on the road. I’m very fortunate early in my career with the Turtles to be a stylist drummer. Everybody wanted to use me. I can play any kind of music, fortunately. That’s what’s good about being a studio drummer. You have to adapt to any kind of music.”

You also have to be able to adapt live, Barbata said, launching into another of his stories.

This one took place at the Atlanta Pop Festival, when he was playing with Johnny Rivers. The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Alice Cooper had already whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

When Rivers started playing his hit “Memphis,” the power went out. Stalling for time, Barbata started playing a drum solo. Five minutes later, the show’s promoter told him, “‘Whatever you do, don’t stop playing. There will be a full-bore riot going on.’” So Barbata pounded away in the 100-degree heat. After 45 minutes, he was exhausted.

“It had to be the longest drum solo in history,” he said. “Just when I was ending, the lights came back on. I got a five-minute standing ovation. It literally was the night the lights went out in Georgia. To this day, people come up to me and say they were there.”

While he’s had a very successful career, Barbata missed some opportunities along the way. He turned down offers to tour with Elvis Presley, Van Morrison and Jackson Brown. But his biggest miss came in the early ’70s, when David Geffen called him to a meeting and told him that a band that was going to be huge wanted his services behind the drum kit.

Barbata’s response: “‘The Eagles, I’ve never heard of them. … I’m not going to go with some unknown group.’”

Barbata, who recently turned 60, still plays with The Johny Barbata Band, a power trio. Asked if he thought any young drummer would have a career that matched his experience, Barbata thought for a few seconds, then answered:

“There’s a lot of one-hit wonders out there, and the studio scene isn’t quite what it was. People have home recording studios and stuff like that. So it’s not likely to happen again. But who knows.”

Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com.

If you go

What: Johny Barbata book signing

Where: Dietze Music House, 5740 Old Cheney Rd.

When: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday

Admission: Free

Book: “Johny Barbata: The Legendary Life of a Rock Star Drummer” sells for $35 and will be available at the signing. It also can be purchased online at www.johnybarbata.com.