Ralph Barbieri was born in San Francisco. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of San Francisco and proceeded to obtain an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania before returning to the Bay Area as a stringer for Sport magazine.
After a few years in Hawaii, during which he found his first radio job, Barbieri landed a weekend overnight talk show slot on KGO.
He joined KNBR in 1984, initially reading sports news headlines during the station’s afternoon talk programming. After a change in management and a shift to a full focus on sports, KNBR teamed Barbieri with former NBA player Tom Tolbert in 1996. The Razor and Mr. T became a ratings success and a key piece of the Bay Area’s sports media environment.
Barbieri’s nickname, “The Razor”, was reportedly given to him by San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, because the scratchy sound resembled an electric razor. Barbieri was known to end his show with the phrase, “Angels fly because they take themselves lightly”.
In 2011, Barbieri disclosed to KNBR listeners that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2005. In 2012 Barbieri was let go by KNBR’s parent company, Cumulus Media. He sued. Barbieri’s legal team cited and disability discrimination in his termination. In 2013, he settled with Cumulus for an undisclosed amount.
Ralph Barbieri died at his Novato home in 2020 at the age of 74.