Steve Barton Artistfacts

December 4, 1954
In 1979, Barton formed the band Translator in Los Angeles but soon moved the band to San Francisco. Translator became popular on the local scene, selling out gigs and releasing a highly acclaimed debut album called Heartbeats and Triggers in 1982. One song from the album, "Everywhere That I'm Not," became the most requested song on San Francisco radio station KUSF for six months straight.
Steve Barton was born in Los Angeles to parents Dan and Anne, who were both in the acting business. His father served in World War II and appeared in films with Alex Nicol and Mickey Rooney. His mother appeared in the popular TV show Leave It to Beaver.
Barton's father Dan was also a popular voiceover actor. He spent several years recording books of the blind for The Braille Institute and was the voice of Northrup Aviation for twelve years. He also did voiceovers for commercials for several notable companies such as Coca-Cola, Kellogg's, Microsoft, and Nike.
At age 12, Barton started his first band. They were called The Present Tense and they even recorded a song called "Lost" with producer Mike Curb. Due to legalities, the song wasn't released until 2000 when it appeared on Barton's debut solo album The Boy Who Rode His Bike Around the World.
Prior to forming Translator, Steve Barton played music in a Beatles cover band. First he played the role of George Harrison but then switched to take on the character of John Lennon. The band toured Japan and when the tour was over, Barton asked drummer Dave Scheff if he would be interested in continuing on with something else. Scheff agreed and Translator was born.
Barton's father Dan passed away in December 2009 at the age of 88 due to heart failure and kidney disease. After his death, Barton wrote and recorded a new album called Projector with Lone Justice musician Marvin Etzioni which was released in 2012.
In 2006, Translator reunited to play a highly-touted show at the South-By-Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. The band reformed again in 2009 for a sold-out show at Slim's in San Fransisco. As of 2012, the band was still playing the occasional show but Barton was mostly focusing on his solo career.

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