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Artist Bio

Blending his "OUTLAW" Country history & image with a NEW Texas Music "Vibe", Chuck Barnes creates a traditional but cutting edge sound...
(Bill Penn) RedCow Booking Agency, LLC

The Beginning

Born in Lubbock Texas, Chuck Barnes began playing guitar and singing when he was 11 years old, winning a school talent show singing and playing guitar on "You Ain't Nothin' But A Hound Dog" made famous by Elvis. Playing on the stage in the schools auditorium, in front of the entire student body and all the teacher's, a pretty nerve racking experience for an 11 year old.
Chuck's Dad and Grandfather taught him his first few guitar chords and he also learned alot from an old guitar chord book his Dad given him.
Around this same time a man named Brian Gilmore (Jimmy Dale Gilmore's Father) Taught him some more chords, some strumming styles and ways to put them all together to play a song. Brian Gilmore was one of the finest guitar players Chuck had ever met and he has had a lasting influence on him.
During the first couple of years after getting his own guitar, Chuck would spend countless hours practicing on his playing and singing The first song he learned to play and sing was the classic "Down in the Valley" (aka The Birmingham Jail).
At age 15, he wrote his own first song called "Hell Raisin" sitting at the little kitchen table at the house where he and his Dad lived.
Chuck's first time on a dance hall stage (1980's) was at the "Texas Cafe" in Lubbock, he sat in with Tommy Hancock and the Super Natural Family Band and sang the song "Folsom Prison" by Johnny Cash. Tommy had always been a friend to Chuck and helped Chuck in both Lubbock and Austin.

Growing up in Lubbock left no shortage of musical inspiration, with so many great songwriters and performers hailing from the "Hub City". His early musical influences include Buddy Holly (Chuck sang and played guitar on some Saturday's for Buddy's father at a Lubbock barber shop called "Shag & Shear" owned by Jake Goss, while working as a shoe shine boy in the late 70's- early 80's), Mac Davis, The Maines Brothers (1st & 2nd generation), Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Billy joe Shaver, Joe Ely etc...
One night Chuck (as a teenager) and his Dad were at a place called the "Lake Side Club" it was located near the entrance of Buffalo Springs Lake (SE of Lubbock)
Chuck had sat in with "Sonny Maines" of the original Maines Brothers Band, (Sonny was the uncle to the second generation Maines Brothers that features Kenny and Lloyd Maines). When Chuck left the stage he was approached by a lady named Barbara Fisher, she and her husband Tommy Fisher owned the Acuff Steak House in Acuff, Tx. Barbara and Tommy hired Chuck to play at their place on the weekends. It was Chuck's first paying gig. He got paid $25 plus tips and a nice steak dinner, quite a deal for a young start-up singer/songwriter.

Chuck was in the U.S. Army's 82d Airborne Division and he played and sat in with different bands when he was able to. Chuck had arranged a deal where he was going to sit in with a local band that was to be the opening act for a "John Anderson" concert in Fayetteville, N.C. but Chuck's was called away for a military deployment and missed the opportunity.
On one occasion he booked a gig in a country bar outside of Ft. Bragg, N.C. and the only back up band that could be found was of a heavy metal persuasion.
It made for an interesting evening to say the least.

The Lubbock Music

After Military service, Chuck returned to Lubbock, Tx and was hired on as singer and guitar player for the "Country Rose Band", They played and toured around north and west Texas and eastern New Mexico, it was a great learning experience. Then in 1991 he formed "Chuck Barnes & the Genuine Texan Band", featuring players like Matthew Mclarty, Brent Jobe, Chuck McClure Sr., Cliff Dillard, Joel Searcy, Bob Biggs and others through the years. The Band traveled and played all over Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and beyond. The Band also played a whole lot of Fraternity and Sorority parties (Texas Tech is in Lubbock)
Some of Chuck's fondest memories are pickin' and singin' out at the Burk Brothers farm northwest of Lubbock. There were always talented and entertaining people hanging out at the farm.
Chuck teamed up with Texas Tech Professor "Johnny Hughes" also a songwriter and recorded several of Johnny's songs. One of these songs "Santa Fe" co-written by Johnny and Chuck was included in the CD "Another Boy From Lubbock".
While in Lubbock Chuck was also fortunate enough to have Lloyd Maines play on and produce several demo songs. It doesn't get any better than "Lloyd Maines" and that's a fact. Chuck also made several appearances on the "Maines Brothers" West Texas Music Hour, hosted by Lloyd and Kenny Maines and broadcast on KLLL FM.

The Austin Music

He moved to Austin, Texas in August 1994 and formed the "Chuck Barnes Band". One night shortly after arriving in Austin, Chuck was at a bar on Sixth street called "Babes". "Johnny Hughes" from Lubbock had arranged for Chuck to meet up with his friend TJ "Tiny" McFarland, (TJ was once the drummer for the Joe Ely Band)
TJ and Chuck talked awhile and he was able to get Chuck up to sit in with the band that was playing that night. The band was "Don Walser", what a treat. After Chuck got down from the stage, a short bald headed dude introduced himself as JC George, Bass player. They talked a while and JC knew a drummer named "Woz" (Cephas Wozencraft). To keep it short and sweet, this was the beginning of the "Chuck Barnes Band" in Austin.
After about a year of playing together, " Tommy X Hancock" got Chuck and the Band an audition with James White at The Broken Spoke. It went well and The Band ended up playing 1-2 times a month at the Spoke for about 5 years. Those were great times.
On a trip to Nashville, the band stopped at a Road House Bar near Hermitage, Tn. The bar did not have a band that night, so we asked if we could play. We played late in to the night to a small but very enthusiastic crowd. An impromptu evening, but a great time and fond memory. On that same trip Chuck and the Band were invited over to "Cowboy Jack Clements" house. They had a good visit and Jack told Chuck he liked the songs he had been writing. Coming from Jack, that meant to Chuck and the Band.
The band has had exceptional players through the years consisting of folks like Cephas Wozencraft and Dennis Vanderhoof on Drums, JC George and Larry Dobbs on Bass Guitar, Craig Shroer, Lars Albrecht and Michael Landscoot and Pete Mitchell on Lead Guitar, Jim Justice on Fiddle, Lost John Casner on Keyboard,
Bobby Snell, Herb Steiner on Pedal Steel and Dobro Guitar. There have also been many other notable players who have graced the stage with us. Over the years the Austin Band has played all over Texas, as far out as Colorado and everywhere in between.

Summary

With many original compositions Chuck has shown an outstanding song writing ability. Chuck has shared the stage with a variety of artist's including
Freddie Powers, Kitty Wells, Chris Wall, Texana Dames, Tommy X Hancock, Jesse Taylor, Harold Aiken, Pat Green, Cary Swinney, RC Banks, Lloyd Maines, Ponty Bone,
the Texas Belaires, Larry Gatlin, Dale Watson and others. He also performed at the CBS' Cotton Club Revival in Lubbock (1993).

He has had numerous appearances on the "Maines Brothers" West Texas Music Hour, hosted by Lloyd and Kenny Maines and the Lubbock Roots Music Program, featuring Texas songwriters, in Lubbock, Texas hosted by Lannie Fiel, invited along with Cary Swinney, Kent Mings, and Robin Griffin. Chuck and the band performed monthly for 5 years at the world famous "Broken Spoke", Austin's definitive country music venue. He has had several appearances on local and cable television and a live performance on the Austin Music Network's local licks program, hosted by "Rob Mahoney" which produced a music video. Chuck and the band have also been mentioned numerous times in the Austin American-Statesman "best bets" section.

Chuck has also performed live on "KVET's" (98.1 FM in Austin) morning show, the top-rated morning show in Texas hosted by "Sammy Allred" & "Bob Cole". And on KFAN (107.9 FM in Fredericksburg) and several other radio programs.

The CD "Another Boy From Lubbock".... was released independently in 1998. Recorded at Driftwood Studio's By Lost John Casner
Players on this CD are:
Chuck Barnes: Singer/Songwriter and Guitar
Craig Schroer: Lead Guitar and harmony vocals
JC George: Bass Guitar and harmony vocals
Cephas Wozencraft (Woz): Drums
Bobby Snell: Pedal Steel and Dobro Guitar
Lost John Casner: Keyboard, harmony vocals and producer
Jim Justice: Fiddle
Ponty Bone: Accordion on "Sofia"

The CD "Long Time" .... was released on the label "Permanent Records" in October of 2005. Recorded at Sangabriel Sound Studios by Larry Sheehan.
Players on this CD are:Chuck Barnes: Singer/Songwriter and Guitar
Lars Albrecht: Lead Guitar
Larry Dobbs: Bass Guitar
Dennis Vanderhoof: Drums and harmony vocals
Bobby Snell: Pedal Steel and Dobro Guitar

The songs on both CD's have received air play on KVET 98.1 FM Austin, Tx , KFAN 107.9 FM Fredericksburg, Tx, the "Wolf" in Dallas and KCLW am in Hamilton Texas, as well as numerous internet radio stations. One song "If I Was A Woman" was played on rotation as part of American Airlines music broadcast's.

Currently Chuck has been sporadically performing solo and duo songwriter shows and writing new material for a future recording project. Also practicing with his Daughter "Kassidy Barnes" in preparation for some Father Daughter shows.

More to come......