Barrie Davis was born in England and
migrated to Australia as a teenager, living
in Sydney for 17 years where he met and
married his wife, Roslyn who comes from
Liverpool in England. In 1981 they moved
to Adelaide, the capital city of South
Australia where they live amongst the birds
and possums of the Adelaide hills.
Barrie started his working life in electronics
engineering and progressed to
management and corporate troubleshooting
roles. His creative urges were satisfied by
a serious 30 year involvement in photography and later in
woodturning. After 3 years working for the South Australian
government he decided that life held other values and turned his
back on the corporate world to pursue a career as a full time
Barrie has been singing for as long as he can remember, starting
as a child in school choirs. As a teenager he was attracted to the
music of the skiffle era and then to the reviving folk music scene,
with its strong protest element. His early musical influences
included The Weavers, Joan Baez, Peter Paul & Mary and The
Kingston Trio. As he grew up he developed the deep voice which
was to become his trademark and the songs of Jim Reeves led to country music and later to artists such as Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. In more recent times the work of artists such as Stan Rogers and Eric Bogle have influenced his style and choice of material. These days his focus is on contemporary Australian folk music, plus of course his endless and unexplained fascination with railroad songs.
Barrie credits The Rooftop Singers with their wonderful album "Walk Right In" for his exposure to the 12 string guitar. At the time this album was released he was playing an expensive 6 string instrument and shortage of money did not allow a second guitar. Then fate intervened and on a camping trip in New South Wales he and his wife were caught in a flood and their car and its contents (including the 6 string guitar) were washed away. Insurance paid for a new instrument and Barrie opted for his first 12 string, a beautiful sounding Yamaha which travelled all over Australia with him. The Yamaha was replaced after a very hard life and he now plays an Australian-made Maton 12 string instrument.
Barrie is tall and bearded and since departing the corporate world has allowed his hair to grow a little longer. As well as the more serious folk material he performs, he has a sense of humour which ranges from the impish to the macabre, with a collection of humorous songs to match.
Throughout his corporate career Barrie continued to sing and play as often as possible, being a regular performer at South Australian folk clubs and festivals and a number of Australian Folk Festivals. He and his wife (who describes herself as his "roadie") make regular trips to more distant venues in South Australia and locations across Australia. He is now regularly touring outside Australia and building an international audience appreciative of his unique style.
