Barry was listening to music before he was even born! His mother was an accordion teacher with 60 students a week so there was no shortage of polkas songs bending his young ear for eight hours a day. She tried time and again to teach him accordion and piano, but it was the snare drum his uncle gave him for his fifth birthday that won out. For the next 15 years, he would play drums in numerous bands. Eventually, he switched to guitar and began singing and writing songs.

 

California singers and bands were a big influence upon Barry. Jackson Browne, the Byrds, Gram Parsons, and the Eagles left their imprint on his style. Additionally, outlaw country with singer/songwriters like Steve Earle and Guy Clark also left their mark.

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Barry formed the Cruzeros and made his first record which was nominated for a JUNO Award. This was followed up by two more critically acclaimed albums that spawned numerous top 40 hits on Canadian country radio and seven videos on CMT. The band went on to win dozens of awards including Best Independent Country Band in Canada.  

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