Background 

Barry's musical journey began at the age of seven with piano lessons from his father and, by the age of nine, he became a Worcester Cathedral chorister when his parents encouraged him to attend choir practice at 8am each day before he set off for school.

 Interest in music flourished with a move to the Isle of Wight when, aged 10, he took up the violin and taught himself to play the guitar.

He began his musical career in his teenage years, exploring various violin styles, including improvising through folk, bluegrass, jazz, blues, and rock music, and so established an eclectic taste and a route to travel.

Barry went on to study violin, piano and composition at Trinity College of Music, London.

After formal college training he played the clubs and pubs of London, resulting in work with Steve Knightly’s band, Short Stories, pre folk duo, Show of Hands and became increasingly more interested developing textured sounds using electronics, amplification and recording techniques.

He went on to play violin, guitar & mandolin with Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and since he made his debut, Camden Palace show in 1984, he has remained a key member of the band and long standing member of the full Rock Band, Three-man and Acoustic Band line-ups.

Barry found himself increasingly sought after for that ‘slightly different’ fiddle recording session and, amongst others, performed on recordings for John Martyn, Lick The Tins, Howard Jones, The River Detectives, Thrashing Doves, Martin Grech, TV and radio recordings of Americana musicians, The Milroys and Folk Alliance Award nominee, Diana Jones.

Between 1989-'98 he co-produced, recorded and toured the world in the band Immaculate Fools, Sony Music/Epic USA/ Continuum/ Cooking Vinyl. He has performed at WOMAD, Glastonbury and Isle of Wight festivals several times over notably touring with Immaculate Fools opening for The Ronnie Wood Band tour of USA & Canada and with Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel opening shows in Warsaw and St. Petersburg for The Rolling Stones, The Biggest Bang Tour in 2007.

Barry has also developed writing, recording and production skills, from co-production of single remixes and CD releases, formed “Hydraphonic”, a music production company of two composers in 1997, a partnership with band mate Immaculate Fools' guitarist, Brian Betts, clients of various advertising agencies and publishers Sony/ATV, Universal Music, Sonoton, dramatic theatre, dance, sound design and art film .

He also co- founded the contemporary Irish trio, Clann na Mara, along with Paul Gillieron and J Eoin playing gigs mostly in and around Sete, South of France. 

Teaching violin and guitar in schools for Create Music (formerly, Brighton & Hove Music & Arts) from 2001-2023.

Barry married Georgia Georgiou on 10th March 1990. Lives with wife Georgia in Brighton, East Sussex with their two sons, Nicholas and Michael.

 

Education

• 1978 - Licentiate of Trinity College of Music, London L.T.C.L. (performers)

• 1978 - Fellow of Trinity College of Music, London F.T.C.L. (performers)

• 1978- Composition course and basic film technique - London International Film School.

• 1974 - 1978 Violin performers course with piano and composition second studies at Trinity College of Music, London

 

Achievements

• 1972 – IOW  LEA Scholarship for funded  violin study

• 1977 - Leonard Smith Prize for Violin and Piano Duo

• 1978 – Arved Kurtz Prize for Violin Playing

• 1978 – Beethoven Violin Prize

• 1978 - Leonard Smith Prize for Violin and Piano Duo

• 1978 – Kantrovitch Prize for Solo Strings