My father, Stan Barrett, who has died aged 84, was one of the finest British percussionists of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. He played on approximately 40,000 recording tracks, with artists including the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Walker Brothers, Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black and Barbra Streisand. He also played live concerts for Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, Shirley Bassey and Perry Como. He later toured the world with the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields orchestra.
Stan was brought up in Farncombe, Surrey. He had no formal music education and was self-taught. His skill as a studio session musician put him at the centre of London's recording industry during this dynamic period.
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