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 \u2013 many without credit \u2013 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\u2019s a look at five notable recordings featuring the acclaimed work of Johny Barbata.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou Showed Me\u201d from The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands<\/em> (1968)<\/strong>
\nThe Byrds wrote and recorded \u201cYou Showed Me\u201d in 1964, though it wouldn\u2019t be released until 1969 on the Preflyte<\/em> compilation. The Turtles covered the then-unknown song on their classic concept album, The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands<\/em><\/a>. Their version gave the tune a stronger hook and a superb arrangement. In the years to follow, the Turtles\u2019 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.<\/p>\n