OWEN
Barry*
started playing guitar at the age of ten. By the time he
was 12, Owen and bass-playing big bro’ Rob
were accepted as regulars at all the best jams on the Essex
scene.
At 14, he was opening for top American blues acts, alongside
Rob, Tim and Paul,
in proto-Armadillos outfit, T-Bird Rhythm. So it came as
no surprise when the 15-year-old Owen Barry won the title
“Young Guitarist of the Year”
at Wembley during the Nineties.
Since then, Owen has become one of the UK’s best-respected
young players and a busy session guitarist, to be heard
on countless jingles, singles, TV themes and album tracks.
Owen was voted Guitarist of the Year in the 2004 Digital
Blues Awards.
Truly a player’s player, Owen’s much-admired
style fuses elements of heroes such as Jeff Beck, Larry
Carlton, Albert Collins, Albert King, SRV and David Grissom
to create something 100 per cent his own.
*
Owen is now a full-time member of the rock band, PURPLEMELON,
so sadly, is no longer available for regular Armadillos
gigs.
After
a spell in Birmingham, during which they played a
very successful residency at the Barfly Club, were
featured in the August, 2006 Q magazine and also appeared
on
Kerrang! Radio , PURPLEMELON
are now based in London and playing gigs nationwide...
Check
out Purplemelon's brilliant new website here
Here's
a YouTube clip of Owen playing with PurpleMelon:
