Barry Eastmond

Barry James Eastmond is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and record producer. He has contributed to over sixty gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums with cumulative sales topping 80 million records. Eastmond is an adjunct professor at New York University Steinhardt Performing Arts Department in songwriting and is also involved in the NYU Summer Songwriting Workshop.
Career.
Eastmond started his musical career as pianist. Between the ages of seven and ten, he received classical music training at the Juilliard School of Music's preparatory school. While in high school, Eastmond began playing in local top 40 and wedding bands in Brooklyn. Soon, he became a touring pianist and keyboardist for female R&B singers such as Melba Moore, Phyllis Hyman, Angela Bofill, and Chaka Khan, eventually becoming Moore, Hyman, and Bofill's musical director. At the same time, he worked as a session musician for production duo Gamble & Huff and established himself as a songwriter and arranger.
In 1985, Eastmond wrote and produced singer Freddie Jackson's "You Are My Lady," his first professional producer credit. The second single from Jackson's debut album "Rock Me Tonight" (1985), it peaked at number one on the US "Billboard" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, prompting Capitol Records to hire Eastmond as the album's main producer. Eastmond's success with Jackson led him to work with Billy Ocean, Jeffrey Osborne, Phil Perry, Jonathan Butler, and Regina Belle. In 1994, he and Gordon Chambers wrote Anita Baker's "I Apologize," which earned Eastmond his first Grammy Award. In 1996, he was hand-picked by Sylvia Rhone to write and produce "Missing You," Brandy, Gladys Knight, Tamia, and Khan's song for the "Set It Off" soundtrack.
Personal life.
Eastmond is married to songwriter Maria Eastmond.