Barry Ryan (singer)

Barry Ryan (born Barry Sapherson; 24 October 1948 – 28 September 2021), also known as Barry Davison, was an English pop singer and photographer.<ref name = GuardianObituary>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name = MSNobituary /> He achieved his initial success in the mid 1960s in a duo with his twin brother Paul. After Paul ceased performing to concentrate solely on songwriting, Barry became a solo artist. His most successful hit, "Eloise", reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 1968.

In the mid-1970s, he began his 40-year career as a fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for magazines such as Italian Vogue and David Bailey’s Ritz; he sold six photographs to the National Portrait Gallery; and he made portraits of celebrities such as Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Stephen Hawking, Sting, Paul McCartney, and Björk.<ref name = GuardianObituary />

Early life

Barry Ryan and his twin brother Paul were born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, to pop singer Marion Ryan and antiques dealer Fred Sapherson.<ref name = MSNobituary>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fred left when the twins were two and they were brought up until they were 11 by their grandmother. Both boys then boarded at Fulneck School in Pudsey, outside Leeds.<ref name = GuardianObituary />

Pop career

When the boys were 16, their family moved to London. Their mother suggested they try a career as singers. Her boyfriend, later husband, impresario Harold Davison, managed the brothers; Paul and Barry signed with Decca Records in 1965 under the name of Paul & Barry Ryan.<ref name = GuardianObituary />

Within two years they had eight Top 50 singles in the UK. Their best sellers were "Don't Bring Me Your Heartaches", a number 13 hit in 1965, "I Love Her", a number 17 hit in 1966 and "Have Pity on the Boy", a number 18 hit the same year.Template:Fact

Paul Ryan opted out of the stress of show business, and Barry continued as a solo artist, enabling his brother to stay out of the limelight and concentrate on writing songs. Their greatest achievement as a composer-singer duo, then for MGM Records, was "Eloise", a number 2 hit in 1968. Melodramatic and heavily orchestrated, it sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> "Love Is Love", their next chart entry, also became a million-seller.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">Template:Cite book</ref>

Ryan was popular in Germany and France. The single "Red Man" reached number 2 in the French chart in 1971.<ref>DVD Remember 70's Vol.3, P2004 BR Music</ref> Promoted by Bravo, the German youth magazine, he recorded a number of songs in German. "Die Zeit macht nur vor dem Teufel halt" ("Time Only Stops for the Devil"; English recording as "Today" released on the album Red Man in 1971) peaked at number 8.Template:Fact

Ryan stopped performing in the early 1970s. He made a comeback in the late 1990s when a two CD set with his and his brother's old songs was released.Template:Fact Ryan was also part of the "Solid Silver '60s Tour" of the United Kingdom in 2003, singing "Eloise" backed by the Dakotas.Template:Fact

Photography career

Ryan maintained a successful career as a fashion photographer, from the late 1970s, and his photographs appeared in such magazines as Ritz and Zoom. In the 1990s, he worked on a photographic project commemorating his brother Paul.<ref>Barry Ryan , National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 29 September 2021</ref> Six of his photographic portraits were purchased by the National Portrait Gallery, London for its permanent collection in 1994.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life

Ryan was briefly married to Tunku (Princess) Miriam binti al-Marhum Sultan Sir Ibrahim (born 1950), the only child of Sultan Ibrahim of Johor and his sixth wife, Sultana Marcella (née Marcella Mendl).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Married in 1976 and divorced in 1980, they had no children.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Ryan's mother married Harold Davison<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and, in 1984, he changed his name by deed poll to Barry Davison.Template:Fact

On November 29, 1992, his brother Paul died of lung cancer. <ref> "Obituaries," Los Angeles Times, November 30, 1992, p. A18. </ref>

In 1995, Ryan married Christine Goodliff. They had a son and daughter.<ref name = MSNobituary/> Jack Davison (18 April 1995) and Sophia Davison (4 September 1996).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Ryan died at the age of 72 on 28 September 2021, after complications from a lung disorder.<ref name = GuardianObituary />

Discography

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External links

• Discography
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• 2017 interview by Jason Barnard, Strange Brew