Johnny Barbata, Drummer for The Turtles, Crosby, Stills Nash and Young, Jefferson Starship Dead at 79

Johnny Barbata replaced Dallas Taylor in Crosby, Stills Nash and Young. Eric Brenner Reports Breaking News: May 14, 2024 From Best Classic Bands: Drummer John Barbata, whose long list of credits is topped by prime-era stints with the Turtles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and both Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, has died. His death, believed to be on May 8, 2024, was confirmed by reliable local sources in Ada, Okla., where he lived. No cause or place has been reported as yet. Barbata, who was known professionally at different times as John, Johny or Johnny, turned 79 on April 1, 2024. He was born in 1945, in Passaic, N.J., but made his name as part of the California rock scene of the ’60s and ’70s. Barbata’s first band of any significance was the Sentinals, an instrumental surf music group based in San Luis Obispo, Calif., between 1961-65. (The band also included future keyboard star Lee Michaels.) For more on Eric Brenner:

You can listen to Johnny Barbata, Drummer for The Turtles, Crosby, Stills Nash and Young, Jefferson Starship Dead at 79 online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Johnny Barbata, Drummer for The Turtles, Crosby, Stills Nash and Young, Jefferson Starship Dead at 79 is an episode from Breaking News Los Angeles by Eric Brenner.

This episode is 1:34 long.

This episode was published on Jul 10, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Breaking News Los Angeles when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.