Richard Barbieri

Richard Barbieri
Barbieri with Porcupine Tree at the State Theater, Falls Church, VA, 12 October 2007.
Background information
Born	(1957-11-30) 30 November 1957 (age 59) London, England
Genres	Progressive rock, post-punk, art rock, synthpop, new wave, alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Keyboards, synthesizer, piano, programming, mellotron, clavinet, organ
Years active	1974–present
Associated acts	Porcupine Tree, Japan, Rain Tree Crow, JBK, The Dolphin Brothers, No-Man, Steve Hogarth

Richard Barbieri (pronunciation: /bɑːrbiˈɛəri/; bahr-bee-AIR-ee; born 30 November 1957, in London, England) is an English synthesizer player, keyboardist and composer. Originally coming to prominence in the late-1970s and early-1980s as a member of new wave pioneers Japan (and their brief 1989–1991 reincarnation as Rain Tree Crow), more recently he is known as the keyboard player in the progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, which he joined in 1993.

He was educated at Catford Boys' School, Catford, South East London.

Barbieri started his musical career with the group Japan who formed in 1974; Barbieri joined in 1975 following earlier attendances at rehearsals as a friend of the group. In 1977 the band was signed to the Hansa/Ariola label and began work on a debut album, which received particular criticism from the UK music press on its release in 1978.

Although initially perceived as a "hyped" band, Japan went on to record five studio albums culminating in the groundbreaking Tin Drum which stayed in the UK Albums Chart for a year. They were one of the most successful chart bands in Europe and Asia in 1982 despite the increasingly experimental nature of their music. The band split up in December 1982 at the height of their popularity after a world tour that year.

From 1983 onwards, Barbieri has been a regular contributor of his unique soundscapes and synth textures to the albums of various other musicians.