Arthur Barrow (born February 28, 1952) is a multi-instrumental musician, best known for his stint as a bass guitar player for Frank Zappa in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
When he was 13, he washed neighborhood cars until he had saved enough money to buy his first electric guitar (an Alamo) and his first amplifier (a Kent).
He learned how to play music by ear by copying surf guitar records like The Ventures, and later, Jimi Hendrix, and still later, Frank Zappa.
While attending Alamo Heights High School, Arthur Barrow cut his musical teeth playing lead guitar in rock bands such as The Restless Ones (Jesse Childs on bass, Mike Maxwell on drums, and Jim Collins on rhythm guitar) and The Wisdom (Ian "Toby" French on vocals, Raymond Tolbert on bass, Tom Graham on keyboards, James Yeverino on drums, and Jim Collins on rhythm guitar) playing fraternity parties, high school dances, and small concerts in the San Antonio area.
In 1975, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a professional music career, with one of his main goals being to play in Frank Zappa's band.
He began working with Giorgio Moroder in the mid-1980s on albums and film sound tracks, including Scarface (1983) and Top Gun (1986).
He did keyboards, programming, bass, and arranging for a wide range of artists including Joe Cocker, Diana Ross, Billy Idol, Berlin, The Motels, and others.
He has composed and produced three solo CDs and he is currently working on a fourth CD as well as other projects, like the Strange News from Mars - feat.