Born in Oakland, California, Warren Barker attended the University of California at Los Angeles and later studied composition with Mario Castelnuevo-Tedesco and Henri Pensis. At age 24 he was appointed chief arranger for "The Railroad Hour," the prime musical program of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). Barker has also been associated with the 20th Century Fox, Columbia and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios as composer/conductor for motion pictures and television.

For seven years he served as composer/conductor of the highly-rated comedy series "Bewitched." The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honored him in 1970 for his original music in the award-winning series "My World And Welcome To It," based on the life of James Thurber. Warren was also on the arranging staff for the Oscar-winning movie "Hello Dolly."

Barker has received commissions from many outstanding music organizations including the U.S. Air Force Band, the Royal Australian Navy, the Northshore Concert Band, and the Norwegian Army Staff Band. He is a member of the American Bandmasters Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, and BMI.