Young, Barnard A. (1911-1969) | University of Illinois Archives

Barnard "Barney" Abraham Young (1911-1969) was a music businessman and lawyer. Young was born in Lawrence, Massachussetts. The son of Charles Michael and Ida (Davis) Young. In high school, Young played violin, viola, and baritone horn and participated in the orchestra, band, and glee clubs. Young received his BA and an LLB degrees from Harvard Universityin 1932 and 1935 respectively. Together with his brother Morris, he began assembling a library of popular american music sheet music in 1935; a collection that expanded throughout his life. While studying law, Young composed original music and founded the Intercollegiate Music League, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachussetts; he would eventually compose over 200 compositions throughout his life. Through this organization, he published several song books including Songs of the American Colleges and Songs of the American Women's Colleges. During WWII he a served as a sergeant in the US Army. Upon returning to the United States, Young worked as a music business owner, publisher, and lawyer.

Throughout his career as a music lawyer, he provided tesitmony and fought for more equitable distribution of fees for performers. He was involved in several legal music unions including the International Songwriters Clearance Corp.; Life Music Corp.; Society of Interpretative Artists and Songs, Inc.; Colored Performing Rights Society of America, Inc.; Guild of Performing Artists, Publishers, and Writers, Inc.; National Jukebox Music, Inc.; and Life Music Clearance, Inc. As a business owner he founded several ASCAP-liscenced businesses including Gem Music Corp.; Con Conrad Music, Ltd.; Denton & Haskins Corp., Intercollegiate Syndicate, Inc.; Mammouth Music, Inc.; and Barnard Music, Inc.; BMI-liscenced businesses including Bomart Music Corp.; Life Music,. Inc.; and Godell Music Inc., among many others; and non-affiliated businesses including Landmark Music, Inc.; Reserve Music, Inc.; and Rhythm and Blues, Inc.

In addition to his production companies and union activities, Young established several sheet music distributors including Song Distributing Corp. and National Distributing & Publishing Corp. As the sheet music industry migrated to radio and televsion, Young began managing several radio businesses including Bardan Productions, Inc. and Cavanagh Radio and TV Productions, Inc. Young managed several musical acts throughout the 1940s and 50s including Cliffe Natalie Orchestra, Charles Jaynes Jr., Angelo Ferdinando (Don Ferdi) Orchestra, Leroy Smith Orchestra, Una Mae Carlisle and Orchestra, Gloria Parker and Orchestra, Barry Valentino, Rosalie Young, La Velma, and Rayt Sneed.

In 1966, Young assisted in establishing music publishing houses in Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Kenya, and Guyana. This project was ceased with Young's death in 1969.

"Young, Bernard Abraham." in the National Cyclopedia of American Biography, vol. 54 (1984): 361-362. (Most likely written by Morris Young)

See also York, Elizabeth. "Barney and Gloria: Revisiting Tin Pan Alley." Notes 73, no. 3 (March 2017): 473-501.