Warren Barker

Born in Oakland, California, Warren Barker attended the University of California at Los Angeles and later studied composition with Mario Castelnuevo-Tedesco and Henri Pensis. At the age of 24 he was appointed chief arranger for the National Broadcasting Company’s prime musical program, THE RAILROAD HOUR, a position he held for six years. Barker has been associated with 20th Century Fox, Metro Goldwyn-Mayer and Columbia Studios as a composer arranger-conductor for motion pictures and television. He has composed and conducted music for more that thirty television series including seven years as composer-conductor for the highly rated comedy series, “BEWITCHED.” The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honored him in 1970 for his original music written for the award winning series, “MY WORLD AND WELCOME TO IT,” based on the life of James Thurber. He was a member of the arranging staff for the Oscar winning motion picture “HELLO DOLLY.” He also served as conductor-arranger and recording artist for Warner Bros. and Capitol Records. His compositions and arrangements have been performed and recorded by a variety of musical artists from Frank Sinatra to the Hollywood Bowl and Cincinnati Pops Orchestras. He received writing commissions from many outstanding music organizations including The United States Air Force Band, The Royal Australian Navy, the Northshore Concert Band, and the Norwegian Army Staff Band. Barker was a member of the American Bandmasters Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, and Broadcast Music, Inc.

Warren Barker passed away on August 3, 2006.