Rock legend Johny Barbata passes away

May 14—Rock and roll legend Johny Barbata died May 8. He was found unresponsive at his home east of Ada, Okla.

Barbata, a drummer and music author, played with several popular groups starting in the 1960s, including The Turtles, Crosby Stills, Nash, and Young, The Jefferson Airplane, and The Jefferson Starship.

"Johny Barbata loved Ada, Oklahoma," fellow musician and close friend Bob Evans said Monday.

Evans said Barbata remained active in his musical pursuits until the day he died.

"Johny and I worked every day of every week," Evans said. "We'd be on the phone for hours at a time."

Evans said everyone loved Barbata.

"He was a unique individual," Evans said. "He was a walking, talking kinetic ball of creativity. We wrote songs every day, all day. He was vibrant and was in tip-top shape. He could work with anyone he wanted to."

Evans said he and Barbata had written over 100 songs, including 75 in the last three years, adding, "I'll tell you what, there's not a bad one in the bunch."

"Johny's legacy is all the younger drummers he influenced," Evans added. "He loved helping these young people out."

"I've heard a lot of young drummers say that from twirling the drumsticks like he did, to that unique sound that he had," publicist Jennifer Walker said. "He had a huge influence on how they played their instruments.

"If we could get a street named for him in Ada, that would be great," Evans said.

Evans suggested the possibility of getting a rock legends show together called "Turtle Soup," a reference to Barbata's days with The Turtles.

"The one thing Johny always said to me," Evans added, "was always have class, always have humility, and when you go out, have a great show."

In a January 2023 interview regarding the death of fellow rock musician David Crosby, Barbata said, "David was always a really good guitar player. He was a good songwriter and singer. He developed as he got along, he got better and better. He wrote a lot of songs. He was the centerpiece of CSNY (Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young) you could say. He went through a lot of trauma and hardships in his life ... he's really going to be missed. He was quite a centerpiece in the music scene."

Barbata's book, "Johny Barbata, The Legendary Life of a Rock Star Drummer," is available on Amazon.