Barry Bales
Encyclopedia
Barry Turner Bales http://ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?requesttimeout=300&mode=results&searchstr=882879128&search_in=i&search_type=exact&search_det=t,s,w,p,b,v&results_pp=25&start=1 (born August 23, 1969 in Kingsport, Tennessee
) is the bass player and harmony vocalist for Alison Krauss and Union Station
.
Barry grew up in Colonial Heights, Tennessee outside of Kingsport, Tennessee
and attended Sullivan South High School (Tennessee)
. Early memories of music include listening to the records of Bill Monroe
, Flatt & Scruggs
, the Stanley Brothers, Bob Wills
, Buck Owens
and Hank Thompson
from his father's extensive collection. He started experimenting with various instruments at the age of 10, starting with guitar. By age 15, Barry had found the bass and was playing regionally in various groups. Bales attended East Tennessee State University
, participating in the Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music program, as did future Union Station members Tim Stafford and Adam Steffey. http://www.etsu.edu/das/bluegrass/aboutus/alumni.aspx It was while performing with many of these musicians that he began traveling in ever-wider musical circles, eventually landing the bass job with Union Station in 1990.
Over the years, Barry has become one of the most in-demand session players in acoustic music. He has recorded and performed with such artists as Reba McEntire
, Susan Ashton
, Merle Haggard
, Ronnie Bowman, the Cox family, Vince Gill
, Dolly Parton
, Dan Tyminski
, Patty Loveless
and many others.
Barry currently resides in Kingsport with his wife Aliceson (née Osborn) and their young son.
Kingsport, Tennessee
Kingsport is a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County in the US state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County...
) is the bass player and harmony vocalist for Alison Krauss and Union Station
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
.
Barry grew up in Colonial Heights, Tennessee outside of Kingsport, Tennessee
Kingsport, Tennessee
Kingsport is a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County in the US state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County...
and attended Sullivan South High School (Tennessee)
Sullivan South High School (Tennessee)
Sullivan South High School is a public high school located in Kingsport, Tennessee in Sullivan County. The school has a student body of approximately 1,000 students.The principal is Greg Harvey....
. Early memories of music include listening to the records of Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe
William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...
, Flatt & Scruggs
Foggy Mountain Boys
The Foggy Mountain Boys were an influential bluegrass band founded by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs in 1948, shortly after leaving Bill Monroe’s band. They recorded and performed together up until 1969.-Biography:...
, the Stanley Brothers, Bob Wills
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
, Buck Owens
Buck Owens
Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...
and Hank Thompson
Hank Thompson (music)
Henry William Thompson , known professionally as Hank Thompson, was an American country music entertainer whose career spanned seven decades...
from his father's extensive collection. He started experimenting with various instruments at the age of 10, starting with guitar. By age 15, Barry had found the bass and was playing regionally in various groups. Bales attended East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University is an accredited American university located in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is part of the Tennessee Board of Regents system of colleges and universities, the nation's sixth largest system of public education, and is the fourth largest university in the state...
, participating in the Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music program, as did future Union Station members Tim Stafford and Adam Steffey. http://www.etsu.edu/das/bluegrass/aboutus/alumni.aspx It was while performing with many of these musicians that he began traveling in ever-wider musical circles, eventually landing the bass job with Union Station in 1990.
Over the years, Barry has become one of the most in-demand session players in acoustic music. He has recorded and performed with such artists as Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
, Susan Ashton
Susan Ashton
Susan Ashton is a best-selling and award-winning American Contemporary Christian Music and country music artist who topped the Christian charts throughout the 1990s...
, Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
, Ronnie Bowman, the Cox family, Vince Gill
Vince Gill
Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a...
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Dan Tyminski
Dan Tyminski
Daniel John "Dan" Tyminski is a bluegrass composer, vocalist, and instrumentalist. He is a member of the band Alison Krauss and Union Station and has released two solo albums, Carry Me Across the Mountain , on the Doobie Shea Records label, and Wheels , on the Rounder Records label.He is best...
, Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless , is an American country music singer.Since her emergence on the country music scene in late 1986 with her first album, Loveless has been one of the most popular female singers of the Neotraditional country movement, although she has also recorded albums in the Country pop and...
and many others.
Barry currently resides in Kingsport with his wife Aliceson (née Osborn) and their young son.