Barber was a member of 'Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs' in the 1960s and wrote several songs for the band. He also started and operated The Lost Forests stores until 1994. Barber appeared on the children's television show The Music Shop as Tony the Toymaker, and produced Tony Barber's Toy Book: How to Make 6 Sensational Soft Toys (1999).
This author is to be distinguished from the Australian game show host Tony Barber, who was born in 1940.