Five Johny Barbata Drumming Credits You Should Know

Johny Barbata would have celebrated his 80th birthday on April 1. The famed drummer retired from recording in 1987, but continued working as a musician. He passed away in May 2024. Over the course of his professional career, Barbata played on more than 60 albums – many without credit – but his documented body of work speaks for itself; Barbata played drums on many well-regarded sessions, both as a band member (The Turtles, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship) and as a session musician. He can be heard on recordings from surf rockers The Sentinals, Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder, Beatles associates The Fool, Johnny Rivers, John Sebastian, Neil Young, The Byrds, Judee Sill, The Everly Brothers, Booker T and Priscilla Jones and many others. Here’s a look at five notable recordings featuring the acclaimed work of Johny Barbata.

“You Showed Me” from The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands (1968)
The Byrds wrote and recorded “You Showed Me” in 1964, though it wouldn’t be released until 1969 on the Preflyte compilation. The Turtles covered the then-unknown song on their classic concept album, The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands. Their version gave the tune a stronger hook and a superb arrangement. In the years to follow, the Turtles’ cover would be sampled by more than 30 artists, including De La Soul, The Lightning Seeds, Salt-N-Pepa and even U2, bringing the recording featuring drummer Johny Barbata to the ears of countless listeners.

“If I Lose You” from Lee Michaels’ Recital (1968)
Organist Lee Michaels is best known for his 1971 smash hit, “Do You Know What I Mean,” but the Los Angeles native had already released four albums prior to then. His second LP, 1968’s Recital featured Johny Barbata on drums, and included the excellent “If I Lose You.” The album didn’t chart, but success was just around the corner for Michaels, as each of his six albums that would follow made it onto the Billboard 200.

“Joyride” from Friendsound’s Joyride (1969)
When Drake Levin, Phil “Fang” Volk and Mike “Smitty” Smith left Paul Revere and the Raiders, the three formed Brotherhood, a fine (if criminally overlooked) rock band. Brotherhood released two albums on RCA, but the trio also made a wildly experimental album under another name. Working with a cadre of friends and associates including Johny Barbata, they created Joyride, using the name Friendsound for the project. The avant garde and psychedelic record went largely unnoticed, but its title track suggested that there wasn’t as much space between the Raiders and Karlheinz Stockhausen as one might have thought.

“Chicago” from Graham Nash’s Songs for Beginners (1971)
Former Hollies singer and guitarist Graham Nash co-founded supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in 1968. By the time of 1971’s 4 Way Street, the band had replaced drummer Dallas Taylor with Johny Barbata. That same year, Barbata would also play on Nash’s solo debut, the acclaimed and influential Songs for Beginners. The protest anthem “Chicago” is among the most memorable tracks on the album.

“Crown of Creation” from Jefferson Airplane’s Thirty Seconds Over Winterland (1973)
Over the course of their original eight year run, Jefferson Airplane experienced multiple lineup changes. Spencer Dryden occupied the drum throne on sessions for most of the group’s albums, but in the band’s final years – a period documented on the studio LP Long John Silver and the live set Thirty Seconds Over Winterland – Johny Barbata was in the group. A highlight of the latter release is a fiery version of “Crown of Creation.” Barbata would remain on board when several band members formed Jefferson Starship, playing on all of that group’s albums through 1978’s Earth.