Kearney Barton

Kearney Barton
Born	December 29, 1931 Oregon, Missouri
Died	January 17, 2012
Occupation(s)	Recording engineer, record producer

Kearney Whitsell Barton (December 29, 1931 – January 17, 2012) was an American record producer active in Seattle, Washington from the 1950s to the 2000s. Particularly known for his 1950s and 1960s-era recordings of garage rock bands, Barton recorded many Pacific Northwest musicians such as The Fleetwoods, The Ventures, The Wailers, The Sonics, The Frantics, The Kingsmen, Quincy Jones, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Bonnie Guitar, and Dave Lewis.

Barton was born in Missouri, and moved with his family to Seattle in 1945. After dropping out of the University of Washington in 1949, Barton began working in radio, acquiring his own show, Professor Barton's Album of Fine Music, on Seattle-based KTW. In early 1958, Barton was hired at KNBX as an engineer, and soon after Barton renamed the station Northwest Recorders and began leasing the studio for his own productions. One of Barton's early contracts at the new studio was with Dolton Records, for whom Barton recorded, among others, Bonnie Guitar and The Fleetwoods. Barton was the engineer of the Fleetwood's number-one hit "Mr. Blue". Around this time Barton also recorded groups such as The Wailers, The Frantics, and The Ventures. Barton did some sessions for local label Topaz Records (including Little Bill's version of "Louie Louie"), and the label's financial debt to the studio ended in Barton's receiving ownership of it.

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