Barbra Streisand shares Richard Perry tribute: ‘Truly special person’

On By Littum

Barbra Streisand celebrated Richard Perry’s “uncanny knack for picking hits” in a tribute to the late producer, who died this week aged 82.

Streisand worked with Perry on two albums, Stoney End and Barbra Joan Streisandboth of which were released in 1971. As Streisand noted in her tribute, it was Perry who “encouraged (her) to record contemporary songs” after building her career largely on standards. And the two records they made contained several successful singles, none more so than Streisand’s version of the Laura Nyro-penned “Stoney End,” which peaked at number six on the Hot 100.

“It was exciting to explore that kind of material with him,” Streisand wrote. “By the way, Richard thought Laura Nyro’s ‘Stoney End’ would be a hit for me and I thought he was crazy! I was so happy to be proven wrong!”

Along with her song-selection skills, Streisand praised Perry’s “wonderful sense of humor”, recalling the fun they had in the studio and their “lifelong” friendship. She concluded by saying: “He was a truly special person and I am so grateful that our paths crossed. Rest in musical peace Richard.”

Perry’s work with Streisand came at the beginning of a memorable seventies run in which he also produced for Carly Simon (including her timeless smash “You’re So Vain”), Hary Nilsson, Diana Ross, Ringo Starr, Art Garfunkel and Martha Reeves. He also went on to work with Rod Stewart, Neil Diamond, Donna Summer and the Pointer Sisters.

Simon, in a 1973 interview with Rolling Stonespoke of Perry’s endless “endurance” and “endurance,” saying, “Where I would stop, he would continue. Every time he tried to direct my song a certain way and I tried to follow the direction, it ended up to be unnatural. He would realize it and say, ‘I’m sorry. Go back and sing it the way you feel,’ and it would invariably end up being the right way.”