Metal Sludge — Sad news from the Los Angeles music scene as we report on the passing of Barry Squire.

Squire was a long-standing fixture on the Sunset Strip, in Hollywood and around the Southern California music scene for more than 40 years.

According to a industry friend and source, Squire had recently battled some health issues, including being hospitalized in recent weeks but word was that he was eventually released to go home.

Our source confirms Squire passed away yesterday December 2nd 2024.

During his career Squire had worked as A&R at Warner Brothers Records, Geffen Records and Columbia Records.

In addition to his role as an A&R representative and scout for various record labels, Squire was very well known as being the guy who referred musicians to bands and vice versa.

The industry veteran continued to help connect groups and players, including being hands on helping them with endorsements, managers and agents, eventually forming his own company Barry Squire Music & Referrals.

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Raised in Santa Monica, Squire spent his early adult life as a drummer in local bands and on TV shows. He started gathering names of exceptional players while working at the American Federation of Musicians in the early 1980s, before parlaying an expanding knowledge of the local scene into A&R positions at Warner Bros., Geffen and Columbia Records during the 1990s. His shift into musician referral began organically when, in 1995, he was approached to help assemble a band for a teenage Canadian singer new to L.A. That teen was Alanis Morissette and that band included drummer Taylor Hawkins (now in Foo Fighters), bassist Chris Chaney (currently of Jane’s Addiction) and now-longtime Morrissey guitarist Jesse Tobias.

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Metal Sludge sends our condolences to Barry Squire‘s wife, family and friends.

Barry Squire was 70.

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