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Photo of Barry Gray

Barry Gray

Composer, Additional Credits
Born July 18, 1908Died April 26, 1984 (75 years)
Although many reference sources inexplicably give Barry Gray's year of birth as 1925, he was in fact born John Livesey Eccles in Blackburn on 18 July 1908. His father John Haworth Eccles was a stationery traveller by profession, but both parents were said to be musically talented, and John Junior went to study at the Royal Manchester College of Music and at Blackburn Cathedral, learning composition from Matyas Seiber. His professional music career began with London publishers B. Feldman & Co. where he arranged scores for variety theatres, and he also worked for Radio Normandy. After war service with the R.A.F. he became a freelance composer and lyricist for radio, records and film music libraries. He joined the Performing Right Society in 1947 under his real name, but later changed it by deed poll to John Livesey Barry Gray. After several years as musical assistant to Eartha Kitt, Hoagy Carmichael and Vera Lynn, in 1956 he began a long and successful association with producers Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, scoring popular marionation series such as Twizzle, Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray and Thunderbirds. He continued to compose independently, sometimes using the pseudonyms John Livesey, Gene Durant or Martin Jerbourg (a character in Bergerac). Barry Gray himself moved to the Channel Islands in 1970, settling in St Peter-in-the-Wood in Guernsey and with a music studio in St Peter Port, and occasionally guesting as pianist at island venues. He died of heart disease at Guernsey's Princess Elizabeth Hospital on 26 April 1984, age 75. His music continues to find favour with film makers, particularly the ever-popular Thunderbirds March which enjoyed a notable revival in the expensive Thunderbirds remake of 2004.

Movies & Shows on Plex

  • Space: 1999
  • Thunderbirds
  • Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
  • Stingray
  • Supercar

Known For

  • Four Feather Falls

Barry Gray Filmography

1962
The Merv Griffin Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest
1950
Four Star Revue (TV Series) · as Self - Guest Composer

2025
2025
2022
Presented in Supercolorisation (TV Series) · as Original Music Composer
2022
Presented in Supercolorisation (TV Series) · as Idea
2022
1982
Cosmic Princess · as Composer
1982
1976
Alien Attack · as Composer
1975
Space: 1999 (TV Series) · as Original Music Composer
1970
UFO (TV Series) · as Original Music Composer
1969
Journey to the Far Side of the Sun · as Original Music Composer
1968
Thunderbird 6 · as Original Music Composer
1966
Thunderbirds Are GO · as Original Music Composer
1966
Fahrenheit 451 · as Sound Effects
1961
Supercar (TV Series) · as Composer
1960
Crossroads to Crime · as Original Music Composer
1960
Four Feather Falls (TV Series) · as Idea
1959
Torchy the Battery Boy (TV Series) · as Composer
1957
The Adventures Of Twizzle (TV Series) · as Composer

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