I haven’t posted since January, for which I apologise, but it’s been a strange year with some ups and downs. Plenty of playing and some very memorable gigs. Saturday afternoons with Paul Nazole at Heebie Jeebies and Monday Club at the Cavern Pub are always fun! The Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room has celebrated 10 years in existence and I had the privilege to play there twice within a few weeks, once for the Ian Prowse Cavern Pub Monday Club (on a Tuesday) and once for the 60 years celebration of The Beatles’ Rubber Soul/Help organised by Liverpool Acoustic and Thom Morecroft and Roxanne De Bastion.(Yes, I was Ringo again!) I supported Charlie Dore at the Atkinson, Southport, thanks to Colin Maddocks of Grateful Fred’s. I opened for Ian Prowse and Amsterdam at the start of their tour in March at Katie Fitzgerald’s in Stourbridge, and again at The New Continental in Preston in October, and was lucky enough to close the tour at the famous Half Moon Putney, London, in November. I already have some great looking gigs in the book for next year and I’ll make sure to update this site more regularly as the year progresses. There’s a live download from the Half Moon gig thanks to Setmixer, available for the princely sum of £5, if you’re at all interested, six songs and introductions, the full live experience! https://share.setmixer.com/aq3a1lzq

Thanks for checking in.

Barry xx

After opening for Rachel Croft at The Atkinson, Southport in March 2024,I was delighted to be asked back to Grateful Freds in December 2024 to open for The Magpies at the lovely Bijou Cinema in Southport. Colin Maddocks (Grateful Fred himself) recorded this video for which I am very grateful (see what I did there!) Swear warning! Some Adult language! Ooh err missus… x

The Rime Of The Open Micer by Barry Jones

2024 saw the 10th edition of Folk On the Farm at Tyddyn Mon farm on Anglesey and I was delighted to have been asked by Festival Director Jon Hippy to continue my long association with the festival and open the proceedings on the main stage on the Saturday afternoon. The weather stayed fair and a good time was had by all! As usual, Peter Simmonds records the events for posterity, so I have recordings of some of my set, for which I am very grateful! This is the version of My Irish Home, a song I wrote for my Mum after her blindness and deafness curtailed her travelling!

In April 2023, I had the privilege of opening for Ian Prowse and Amsterdam at a series of venues around the UK. The first of these was The Wardrobe in Leeds and thanks to Martin Aylward and Slim Chance Productions my set was recorded for posterity. The final song, Hide The Sausage, has now been released on Spotify Hide The Sausage by Barry Jones and other steaming platforms including Amazon. Here is the video version of the song! My thanks to Ian’s followers for embracing the spirit of the song and participating with gusto! The fact that I could record a version of the song with full audience participation in a city other than Liverpool both amazes and delights me! My heartfelt thanks to you all!

Barry xx

April 2024

An interview with film maker Kieran Thomas Smith about songwriting.

By far the hardest post I’ve ever had to write as I need to report the passing of Ronnie Clark, one half of The Southbound Attic Band.

I met Ronnie in 2008 in a pub in Southport at an open mic night and then a short while later in The White Star just around the corner from The Cavern, Mathew Street, Liverpool UK. I had been singing my own songs and Ronnie, a guitarist, said that he liked them and would be happy to play anything I liked to accompany them. I took him up on the offer and he became an essential part of our music as an inventive and melodic bass player and singer. Initially a three piece with Geoff Hall on keys and vocals, the duo line up was formed early in 2009 and continued until Ronnie’s death. We played some covers and originals in pubs and clubs for a while but progressively became an all original outfit.

We recorded 5 CDs with Ian Lewis at Whitby Rd Studios, and played wherever we could, including theatre productions of The Willows Suite. At a time when Radio Merseyside featured local acts we were very fortunate to get support from Billy Butler, Stan Ambrose and Billy Maher, great days! We became frequent travelers to Folk On The Farm in Anglesey, a special place for both of us. Our involvement with Ian Prowse’s Monday Club at the Cavern Pub started in 2011, drawn to the ethos of an open mic for original songs and Ian’s encouragement. Along with Johnny Sands‘ lovely acoustic sessions at Heebie Jeebies, Seel St, Liverpool, another event encouraging original songs, we found a niche for ourselves and enjoyed playing each week, constantly meeting new, talented musicians from all over the world, many of whom would become firm friends. My friend Mark Whitfield, editor of Americana UK and I promoted our own series of events, most memorably three years of the monthly Acoustic Dustbowl events at the lovely View Two Gallery on Mathew St, with the blessing of owner Ken Martin. Ronnie and I hosted the events, played an opening set, and shared the stage with many renowned international artists as well as talented local acts.

One particular song that I wrote, inspired by something that Ronnie said (and the Monday Club swearers) cemented our place in local events and helped to secure us invitations to play other events in the city, thanks to Graham Holland at Liverpool Acoustic, Thom Morecroft and Colin Maddocks‘ Grateful Fred events amongst others, and all over the country, particularly as an opening act for the fabulous Ian Prowse and Amsterdam in such places as The Brudenell, Leeds and London’s famous 100 Club, and ultimately, in December 2022, at Liverpool’s O2 Academy. Ronnie’s failing health, and lockdown, took its toll on him and he played less and less over the last few years, but he was determined to play at the O2 Academy, although he had hoped to have his heart surgery prior to the gig so that he could have played following his recovery. In the event, he played the O2 Academy gig, which he loved, but, sadly, only because the surgery was delayed, and he was subsequently unable to make the recovery that we’d all hoped for.

A rock guitarist from an early age, Ronnie had played in the original Cavern and had seen The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix live, and although he didn’t think of himself as a bass player at all, he developed his own style, much admired by musicians and punters alike and I consider myself very lucky to have had him play and enhance my musical compositions. But beyond that, he loved to entertain,and we had so much fun playing that the inter song banter became as much part of the show as the songs. I’d like to think that the song performances were well rehearsed and tight, but the banter was always improvised on the spot and amused ourselves just as much as it appeared to amuse the audience! I couldn’t have asked for more from a band-mate and I can’t begin to imagine what life will be like without him. Barry x

10 December 2022 saw The Southbound Attic Band reunited to open for Ian Prowse and his fabulous Amsterdam band at the O2 in Liverpool along with Babybird,

Barry and Ronnie opened the proceedings and enjoyed a crowd singalong like no other! The sausage choir were in great voice as can be heard, and seen on this video taken by Ian Knight, a friend of the band. Header Image by redtopimages

Hide The Sausage

Image by Tony Donaghey

All the Covid lock down shenanigans were put behind us as Folk On The Farm reconvened after a three year hiatus. Based at Tyddyn Mon on the lovely Isle of Anglesey, Barry opened the Sunday evening proceedings on the Main Stage just before the Jon Palmer Band and the hugely talented Henry Priestman and Les Glover, patrons of the festival and all round good eggs! Ronnie wasn’t well enough to make the gig, so Barry played a full solo slot in front of an appreciative audience in what must be one of the most picturesque musical settings in the country! Evidence here courtesy of Simmo, the hardest working videographer in the Folk music scene. Many thanks to Jon Hippy, Festival Director.

Hopefully this entry is self-explanatory; Barry has produced a small collection of poetry in what used to be known as a poetry pamphlet, following on from the success of his First Prize in the Liverpool Irish Festival Writing competition 2021 ( I know!!! Who’d a thunk it! Pretentious! Moi?) 11 poems illustrated with sketches and photographs, see below for a sample.

Copies are available for just £2 including UK Postage and Packaging from Barry via contact page.